C. Michelle Olmstead

Last updated
Minor planets discovered: 46 [1]
(5633) 1978 UL7 October 27, 1978
(6360) 1978 UA7 October 27, 1978
(7510) 1978 UF6October 27, 1978
(7914) 1978 UW7October 27, 1978
(8363) 1990 RVSeptember 13, 1990
(10998) 1978 UN4October 27, 1978
(11447) 1978 UL4October 27, 1978
(13907) 1977 RS17September 9, 1977
(14319) 1978 US5October 27, 1978
(14320) 1978 UV7October 27, 1978
(14798) 1978 UW4October 27, 1978
(17359) 1978 UP4October 27, 1978
(17360) 1978 UX5October 27, 1978
(17361) 1978 UF7October 27, 1978
(19085) 1978 UR4October 27, 1978
(23407) 1977 RG19September 9, 1977
(23412) 1978 UN5October 27, 1978
(24612) 1978 UE6October 27, 1978
(27661) 1978 UK6October 27, 1978
(27662) 1978 UK7October 27, 1978
(29184) 1990 SL10September 17, 1990
(30819) 1990 RL2September 15, 1990
(32736) 1978 UE5October 27, 1978
(32737) 1978 UZ6October 27, 1978
(39470) 1978 UB7October 27, 1978
(39471) 1978 UF8October 27, 1978
(43726) 1978 UJ5October 27, 1978
(48382) 1978 UC6October 27, 1978
(52232) 1978 UY4October 27, 1978
(52233) 1978 UQ5October 27, 1978
(52234) 1978 UX7October 27, 1978
(55721) 1978 UX4October 27, 1978
(69232) 1978 UJ4October 27, 1978
(69233) 1978 UL6October 27, 1978
(73643) 1978 UA5October 27, 1978
(73644) 1978 UD7October 27, 1978
(85175) 1990 RSSeptember 13, 1990
(90674) 1978 UD5October 27, 1978
(90675) 1978 UQ6October 27, 1978
(96158) 1978 UE8October 27, 1978
(99955) 1978 UM5October 27, 1978
(192281) 1978 UC7October 27, 1978

C. Michelle Olmstead (born 21 May 1969) is an American astronomer, asteroid discoverer and computer scientist. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Olmstead attended Northern Arizona University as an undergraduate student in physics and astronomy from 1989-1993, where she was a NASA undergraduate fellow and participated in several asteroid astrometry programs and made measurements using existing survey work. [2]

Career

She is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 46 asteroids for the period between 1977 and 1990. In 1990, with Henry E. Holt, she co-discovered 127P/Holt-Olmstead, a periodic comet that bears her name. [3]

The minor planet 3287 Olmstead, a Mars-crosser asteroid discovered by astronomer Schelte J. Bus in 1981, was named in her honour. [2] Her lowest numbered discovery, (5633) 1978 UL7 , officially discovered at Palomar Observatory in 1978, and presumably taken on photographic plates by Tom Gehrels shortly after the last Palomar–Leiden Survey campaign, had its discovering astrometric observation published on 12 September 1992 ( M.P.C. 20706 ). [4] [5]

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4065 Meinel, provisional designation 2820 P-L, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory, California. The asteroid was named for American astronomer Aden Meinel.

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39382 Opportunity, also designated 2696 P-L, is a dark Hilidan asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 7.5 kilometers in diameter. Discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey at Palomar Observatory in 1960, it was named for NASA's Opportunity Mars rover.

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2099 Öpik, provisional designation 1977 VB, is a dark and eccentric asteroid and Mars-crosser from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5.1 kilometers in diameter.

1809 Prometheus

1809 Prometheus is an asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 14 kilometers in diameter. Discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, it was given the provisional designation 2522 P-L and named after Prometheus from Greek mythology.

4149 Harrison, provisional designation 1984 EZ, is a stony Eunomian asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered on 9 March 1984, by American astronomer Brian Skiff at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, and named after musician George Harrison.

1846 Bengt, provisional designation 6553 P-L, is a dark asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, it was named for Danish astronomer Bengt Strömgren.

1777 Gehrels, also designated 4007 P-L, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, and named for astronomer Tom Gehrels, one of the survey's principal investigators and credited discoverer.

2003 Harding, provisional designation 6559 P-L, is a carbonaceous Eoan asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 18 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey on 24 September 1960, by astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, and Tom Gehrels at Palomar, California. The asteroid was later named after astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding.

4435 Holt, provisional designation 1983 AG2, is a stony asteroid, sizable Mars-crosser and binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 13 January 1983, by American astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California, United States. It was later named after American astronomer Henry E. Holt. The discovery of its companion was announced in January 2018.

1924 Horus, provisional designation 4023 P-L, is a dark asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. Discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, it was later named after Horus from Egyptian mythology.

1776 Kuiper, provisional designation 2520 P-L, is a dark Eoan asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 38 kilometers in diameter.

1877 Marsden, provisional designation 1971 FC, is a carbonaceous Hildian asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 35 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey in 1971, and named after British astronomer Brian Marsden.

2285 Ron Helin, provisional designation 1976 QB, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 August 1976, by American astronomer Schelte Bus at Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California.

References

  1. "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3287) Olmstead". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3287) Olmstead. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 274. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3288. ISBN   978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. Bowell, E.; Holt, H. E.; Olmstead, C. M.; Holt, H. R.; Brown, J. A.; Bus, S. J. (1990-09-01). "Comet Holt-Olmstead (1990k)". International Astronomical Union Circular. 5093: 1. ISSN   0081-0304.
  4. "5633 (1978 UL7)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  5. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 28 June 2016.