David L. Rabinowitz

David Lincoln Rabinowitz (born 1960) is an American astronomer, discoverer of minor planets and researcher at Yale University.

Career

David Rabinowitz has built CCD cameras and software for the detection of near-Earth and Kuiper belt objects, and his research has helped reduce the assumed number of near-Earth asteroids larger than 1 km by half, from 1,000–2,000 to 500–1,000. He has also assisted in the detection of distant solar system objects, supernovae, and quasars, thereby helping to understand the origin and evolution of the Solar System and the dark energy driving the accelerated expansion of the universe.

Collaborating with Michael Brown and Chad Trujillo of the Quasar Equatorial Survey Team, he has participated in the discovery of several possible dwarf planets such as 90377 Sedna (possibly the first known inner Oort cloud object), 90482 Orcus, Eris (more massive than Pluto), Template:Dp, and Template:Dp, though no-one would get credit for Haumea.

Together with Tom Gehrels of the University of Arizona and his Spacewatch team, Rabinowitz discovered or co-discovered other astronomical objects including 5145 Pholus – a Centaur, credited by the MPC to Spacewatch– and the unnumbered Apollo near-Earth object 1991 BA, which remains uncredited.

Awards and honors

The minor planet 5040 Rabinowitz, a Phocaea asteroid discovered by Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in 1972, was named in his honor and for his work at Spacewatch.

List of discovered minor planets

David Rabinowitz is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery and co-discovery of 34 minor planets during 1989–2010.

90377 Sedna	14 November 2003	Template:LoMP[A][B]
90482 Orcus	February 17, 2004	Template:LoMP[A][B]
Template:Mpl	July 26, 2003	Template:LoMP[A][B]
Template:Mpl	October 3, 2004	Template:LoMP[A][B]
136199 Eris	October 21, 2003	Template:LoMP[A][B]
136472 Makemake	March 31, 2005	Template:LoMP[A][B]
Template:Mpl	August 7, 2004	Template:LoMP[A][B]
Template:Mp	May 10, 2007	Template:LoMP[C][A]
225088 Gonggong	July 17, 2007	Template:LoMP[C][A]
229762 Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà	July 17, 2007	Template:LoMP[A][C]

Template:Mp	August 25, 2008	Template:LoMP[C][A]
Template:Mp	March 9, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mpl	March 7, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mp	December 19, 2009	Template:LoMP
Template:Mp	December 16, 2009	Template:LoMP
Template:Mp	September 9, 2010	Template:LoMP[C][D]
Template:Mpl	December 17, 2009	Template:LoMP
Template:Mpl	November 11, 2010	Template:LoMP[C][D]
Template:Mp	March 9, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mp	March 13, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]

Template:Mp	March 17, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mp	March 18, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mp	March 19, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mp	March 19, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mp	April 14, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mp	May 12, 2010	Template:LoMP[D]
Template:Mp	August 14, 2010	Template:LoMP[C][D]
Template:Mp	November 3, 2010	Template:LoMP[C][D]
Template:Mp	October 27, 1989	Template:LoMP[E]
Template:Mp	August 14, 2010	Template:LoMP[C][D]

Template:Mp	September 24, 2008	Template:LoMP[C][A]
Template:Mp	September 11, 2007	Template:LoMP[C][A]
Template:Mp	September 26, 2008	Template:LoMP[C][A]
Template:Mp	September 24, 2008	Template:LoMP[C][A]
Co-discovery made with: A M. E. Brown B C. Trujillo C M. E. Schwamb D S. Tourtellotte E J. V. Scotti

1992AD is with a comet-like orbit of 92.26 years without a tail, which orbits between Saturn and Neptune. It was discovered by Rabinowitz in 1992 and was officially named Pholus. Another body that he discovered in 1993 was named Nessus with an orbit of 123.2 years. This one orbits between Saturn and Pluto.