Warren B. Offutt

Warren B. Offutt (born 1928) is an American astronomer.

He has discovered a number of asteroids. The International Astronomical Union named minor planet 7639 Offutt after him just before his 70th birthday in 1998.[1]

He has notably collaborated with professional astronomers in observing Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). In 1999 he won the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.[2]

He operates the W & B Observatory (IAU code 709) in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, in the Sacramento Mountains, at an altitude of 2500 m (8300 ft).[3]

Offutt and his wife, Beverly (since deceased), moved from Illinois to New Mexico when he retired from engineering, specializing in precision astrometry of faint solar system objects.

In 1997, Offutt helped with three more major discoveries, among them confirmation of a then-newly discovered moon of Uranus, Sycorax.

Offutt is also an amateur radio operator.

References

  1. ^ "JPL Small Body Database Browser". http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=7639+Offutt. Retrieved 2009-12-04. 
  2. ^ "Astronomical Society of the Pacific". http://161.58.115.79/pubs/mercury/9903/awards.html. Retrieved 2009-12-15. 
  3. ^ "IAU List of Observatories". http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/lists/ObsCodes.html. Retrieved 2009-12-15. 
Preceded by
Albert F. A. L. Jones
Amateur Achievement Award of Astronomical Society of the Pacific
1999
Succeeded by
Paul Boltwood