CShoemaker

"Become as broad as possible in your astronomical interests and become proficient in the tools you will need...If you know your subject and are willing to work hard, you will be accepted."
Carolyn Shoemaker
Advice to aspiring female astronomers

Carolyn Shoemaker - the comet hunter

Carolyn Shoemaker holds the distinction of discovering more comets than anyone alive with 32 new comets to her credit. Her discoveries were made during the Palomar Asteroid and Comet Survey. With new technologies now searching for these elusive objects, she will probably retain that distinction for years to come.

Comets are named after their discoverers. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the organization in charge of naming celestial objects.

In 1995, the IAU’s Minor Planet Center adopted new rules for naming comets. Key points are:

	Comets with a “P” are periodic, with orbits less than 200 years
	Comets with a “C” are those “which a meaningful orbit can not be computed"
	Comets with a “D” indicates a comet “that no longer exists or is deemed to have disappeared" (see #29 in table below)
	The year of discovery is also indicated, as is the month

For more information on the nomenclature of these celestial snowballs, visit the IAU site.

In the table below, the new nomenclature for Carolyn’s comets is listed in the two far right columns.

-Debra L. Davis

Carolyn's Comets

1.	1983 XV	1983p	Shoemaker	C/1983	R1
2.	1984 XV	1984r	Shoemaker	C/1984	U1
3.	1984 XVI	1984q	P/Shoemaker 1	0102P/1984	S2
4.	1984 XVII	1984u	P/Shoemaker-LINEAR	0146P/1984	W1
5.	1985 II	1984s	Shoemaker	C/1984	U2
6.	1985 XII	1984f	Shoemaker	C/1984	K1
7.	1985 XVIII	1986a	P/Shoemaker 3	P/1986	A1
8.	1986 IV	1986b	Shoemaker	C/1986	E1
9.	1986 XIV	1987o	Shoemaker	C/1986	H1
10.	1987 IV	1988b	Shoemaker	C/1988	B1
11.	1988 II	1987g1	Jensen-Shoemaker	C/1987	W3
12.	1988 III	1988g	Shoemaker-Holt	C/1988	J1
13.	1988 VII	1987z	P/Shoemaker-Holt 1	0128P/1987	U1
14.	1988 XI	1989j	P/Shoemaker-Holt 2	0121P/1989	E2
15.	1988 XXI	1989f	Shoemaker	C/1989	A6
16.	1989 III	1989e	Shoemaker	C/1989	A5
17.	1989 V	1988h	Shoemaker-Holt-Rodriquez	C/1988	L1
18.	1990 XII	1991f	P/Shoemaker-Levy 4	0118P/1991	C2
19.	1990 XV	1990o	P/Shoemaker-Levy 1	P/1990	V1
20.	1990 XVI	1990p	P/Shoemaker-Levy 2	0137P/1990	UL3
21.	1990 XXVII	1991e	P/Shoemaker-Levy 3	1029P/1991	C1
22.	1991 XVIII	1991b1	P/Shoemaker-Levy 6	P/1991	V1
23.	1991 XIX	1991d1	P/Shoemaker-Levy 7	0138P/1991	V2
24.	1991 XXII	1991z	P/Shoemaker-Levy 5	0145P/1991	T1
25.	1991 XXIV	1991d	Shoemaker-Levy	C/1991	B1
26.	1992 XIX	1991a1	Shoemaker-Levy	C/1991	T2
27.	1992 XV	1992f	P/Shoemaker-Levy 8	0135P/1992	G2
28.	1993 VI	1992y	Shoemaker	C/1992	U1
29.	1994 X	1993e	P/Shoemaker-Levy 9	D/1993	F2
30.	1994 IV	1993h	Shoemaker-Levy	C1993	K1
31.	1994 XIV	1994d	Shoemaker-Levy	C1994	E2
32.	1994 XXVIII	1994k	P/Shoemaker 4	P/1994	J3

To read more about Carolyn Shoemaker's life, order the Winter 2000 back issue of theWoman Astronomer.

Click here to order

Links on the Web

Surprisingly, there are few Web sites specifically on Carolyn Shoemaker. Here are three links we did find.

	The History of Women in Astronomy - Short biography on Carolyn
	Chico University - Carolyn's alma mater
	JPL NASA's Comet Team Biographies - Another short biography on Carolyn

Listen to Carolyn Shoemaker on the Web!
Listen to the Web edition of the March 5, 2002 radio show of "Let's Talk Stars. " Hosts David and Wendee Levy talk with guest Carolyn Shoemaker about astronomy, S-L/9, and their current observing sessions near Tucson, Arizona.

Click here to listen

Your favorite search engine will find lots of sites on her husband, Eugene, and on comet Shoemaker-Levy/9.

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