see § List of discovered minor planets |
Norman Gene Thomas (May 1, 1930 - May 19, 2020) was an American astronomer and discoverer of minor planets. [2]
He worked at Lowell Observatory [3] using the blink comparator alongside Robert Burnham, Jr., author of the famous three-volume Celestial Handbook.
He is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 55 numbered minor planets during 1964–1989, [1] including the Apollo asteroids 4544 Xanthus [4] and 4581 Asclepius, as well as the Amor asteroid 3352 McAuliffe.
The main-belt asteroid 2555 Thomas, discovered by Edward Bowell at Anderson Mesa Station in 1980, was named in his honor. [5] Naming citation was published on 8 April 1982 ( M.P.C. 6835). [6]
2089 Cetacea | November 9, 1977 |
2366 Aaryn | January 10, 1981 |
2527 Gregory | September 3, 1981 |
2556 Louise | February 8, 1981 |
2557 Putnam [1] | September 26, 1981 |
2558 Viv | September 26, 1981 |
2612 Kathryn | February 28, 1979 |
2683 Brian | January 10, 1981 |
2684 Douglas | January 3, 1981 |
2764 Moeller | February 8, 1981 |
2779 Mary | February 6, 1981 |
2895 Memnon | January 10, 1981 |
2927 Alamosa | October 5, 1981 |
2933 Amber | April 18, 1983 |
2999 Dante | February 6, 1981 |
3117 Niepce | February 11, 1983 |
3151 Talbot | April 18, 1983 |
3256 Daguerre [1] | September 26, 1981 |
3352 McAuliffe | February 6, 1981 |
3367 Alex | February 15, 1983 |
3397 Leyla [2] | December 8, 1964 |
3413 Andriana | February 15, 1983 |
3467 Bernheim | September 26, 1981 |
3525 Paul | February 15, 1983 |
3561 Devine | April 18, 1983 |
3580 Avery | February 15, 1983 |
3584 Aisha | October 5, 1981 |
3614 Tumilty | January 12, 1983 |
3621 Curtis | September 26, 1981 |
3807 Pagels [1] | September 26, 1981 |
3976 Lise | May 6, 1983 |
4193 Salanave [1] | September 26, 1981 |
4198 Panthera | February 11, 1983 |
4331 Hubbard | April 18, 1983 |
4544 Xanthus [3] | March 31, 1989 |
4568 Menkaure | September 2, 1983 |
4581 Asclepius [3] | March 31, 1989 |
4967 Glia | February 11, 1983 |
5249 Giza | April 18, 1983 |
5461 Autumn | April 18, 1983 |
5864 Montgolfier | September 2, 1983 |
6062 Vespa | May 6, 1983 |
6174 Polybius | October 4, 1983 |
7275 Earlcarpenter | February 15, 1983 |
(7380) 1981 RF | September 3, 1981 |
(7990) 1981 SN1 | September 26, 1981 |
(8469) 1981 TZ | October 5, 1981 |
(9157) 1983 RB4 | September 2, 1983 |
(9534) 1981 TP | October 4, 1981 |
(10706) 1981 SE2 | September 26, 1981 |
(11018) 1983 CZ2 | February 15, 1983 |
(12193) 1979 EL | March 4, 1979 |
(12667) 1979 DF | February 28, 1979 |
(19118) 1981 SD2 | September 26, 1981 |
(29123) 1983 RA4 | September 2, 1983 |
1 with Brian A. Skiff 2 with Robert Burnham Jr. 3 with Henry E. Holt |
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Brian A. Skiff is an American astronomer noted for discovering numerous asteroids and a number of comets including the periodic comets 114P/Wiseman–Skiff and 140P/Bowell–Skiff.
Tsutomu Seki is a Japanese amateur astronomer and discoverer of minor planets and comets, born in Kōchi, Japan.
Freimut Börngen was a German astronomer and a prolific discoverer of minor planets. A few sources give his first name wrongly as "Freimuth". The Minor Planet Center credits him as F. Borngen.
Makio Akiyama is a Japanese astronomer affiliated with the Susono Observatory (886). He is a discoverer of minor planets, credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 16 numbered minor planets during 1989–1999.
Nobuhiro Kawasato is a Japanese astronomer credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 105 asteroids he made partially in collaboration with astronomer Tsutomu Hioki at Okutama Observatory, Japan, between 1988 and 2000.
Yoshikane Mizuno is a Japanese astronomer and co-discoverer of asteroids. The Minor Planet Center credits him with the discovery of 52 minor planets he made at the Kani Observatory between 1989 and 1993.
Petr Pravec is a Czech astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets, born in Třinec, Czech Republic.
Henry E. Holt was an American astronomer and prolific discoverer of minor planets and comets, who has worked as a planetary geologist at the United States Geological Survey and Northern Arizona University.
Frank B. Zoltowski is an Australian amateur astronomer and prolific discoverer of minor planets who lives in Woomera, South Australia. In 1998, he was awarded a "Gene Shoemaker NEO Grant" for improved near-Earth object searches.
Vincenzo Silvano Casulli, usually known as Silvano Casulli was an Italian amateur astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets at his Vallemare di Borbona Observatory in Lazio.
Jana Tichá is a Czech astronomer and discoverer of minor planets. She studied at the University of Economics in Prague and graduated in 1987. In 1992 she was selected for the position of a director of the Kleť Observatory.
Giuseppe Forti was an Italian astronomer and a discoverer of asteroids.
Antonio Vagnozzi is an amateur Italian astronomer and a discoverer of asteroids.
Kenneth J. Lawrence is an American astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets.
Marco Cavagna was an Italian amateur astronomer.
Carl William Hergenrother is an American astronomer and discoverer of minor planets and comets.
Paul Herget was an American astronomer and director of the Cincinnati Observatory, who established the Minor Planet Center after World War II.
Hiroki Kosai is a Japanese astronomer with the Kiso Observatory. He is best known for helping to popularize astronomy in Japan and for his observations of comets and asteroids, most notably with his co-discovery the comet 1976 XVI. He is credited by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) with the discovery of nearly 100 asteroids.
Atsushi Takahashi is a Japanese amateur astronomer and discoverer of minor planets.
Kin Endate is a Japanese amateur astronomer who has discovered hundreds of asteroids, most of them in collaboration with Kazuro Watanabe, placing him among the most prolific discoverers of minor planets.