David J. Lane | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 23, 1963 Iserlohn, Germany |
| Died | 24 March 2024 (aged 60) Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Website | www |
Dr. David J. Lane (born 1963) was a Canadian astronomer at Saint Mary's University, the past president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, director of the Burke-Gaffney astronomical observatory, [1] owner of the Abbey-Ridge Observatory, [2] and creator of the planetarium software entitled the Earth Centered Universe. [3] Asteroid 117032 Davidlane is named in his honour, and the asteroid lies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. He was awarded Doctor of Science, honoris causa , on January 27, 2024 by Saint Mary's University. [4]
Lane created the first software that enables Twitter users to request images of the Universe from an astronomical observatory (i.e., the Burke-Gaffney Observatory). [5] The impetus is to foster awareness of the Universe, by enabling citizens to readily access an observatory using social media, a project that has been heralded as an important innovation by international media. [6] [7]
Lane, and fellow Canadian astronomer Paul Gray, discovered supernovas 1995F in NGC 2726, [8] SN 2005B in UGC 11066, and 2005ea in MCG+10-16-61. [9] Kathryn Aurora Gray examined images acquired by Lane via his Abbey Ridge Observatory and discovered a supernova in UGC 3378 (SN 2010lt). Kathryn subsequently became the youngest person to have discovered a supernova. [10]
Lane was a featured guest on comet hunter David H. Levy's internet radio show: Let's Talk Stars. [11]
Observations from Lane's astronomical observatory have also been used to improve the cosmic distance ladder. [12]
Lane died on March 24, 2024. [13]