David C. Jewitt

David Jewitt.

David C. Jewitt is a professor of astronomy in the Earth, Planetary, and Space Science Department of UCLA.

Career

He was born in 1958 in England, and is a 1979 graduate of University College, London (UCL). Jewitt received an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in astronomy at the California Institute of Technology in 1980 and 1983, respectively. His research interests cover all aspects of the solar system, including the trans-Neptunian Solar System, Solar System formation, ice in the asteroids and the physical properties of comets. Along with Jane Luu, he discovered the first Kuiper belt object in 1992 and subsequently identified dozens of additional belt members in a series of pioneering wide field surveys. From these, he discovered that the belt is dynamically divided into regions - the Classical Kuiper belt (circular, uninclined orbits, exemplified by 1992 QB1), the Scattered Kuiper Belt (also called Scattered Disk: large elliptical orbits with perihelion near Neptune, discovered in 1997) and the resonant objects (whose periods are related simply to Neptune's). The resonant objects in the 3:2 mean-motion resonance he called "plutinos" as a reminder that Pluto is one such object. These resonant objects can only be explained if Neptune migrated outwards, opening the door to new models of the solar system in which unsuspected planet-disk and planet-planet interactions can be important.

Jewitt is a member of several national academies. He was awarded the Shaw Prize in 2012 (along with Jane Luu of MIT Lincoln Laboratory) for the "discovery and characterization of trans-Neptunian bodies, an archeological treasure dating back to the formation of the solar system and the long-sought source of short period comets". He was also awarded the Kavli Prize (shared with Luu and Michael Brown) in the same year.

He is a fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.[1]

Publications

Asteroids discovered: 43
10370 Hylonome[1] February 27, 1995
(15760) 1992 QB1[1] August 20, 1992
(15807) 1994 GV9[2] April 15, 1994
(15809) 1994 JS[1] May 11, 1994
(15820) 1994 TB[2] October 2, 1994
(15836) 1995 DA2[1] February 24, 1995
(15874) 1996 TL66[1][2][3] October 9, 1996
(15875) 1996 TP66[1][3] October 11, 1996
(15883) 1997 CR29[2][3] February 3, 1997
(19308) 1996 TO66[1][3] October 12, 1996
(20108) 1995 QZ9[2] August 29, 1995
(20161) 1996 TR66[1][2][3] October 8, 1996
(24952) 1997 QJ4[1][3][4] August 28, 1997
(24978) 1998 HJ151[1][3][5] April 28, 1998
(32929) 1995 QY9[2] August 31, 1995
(33001) 1997 CU29[1][2][3] February 6, 1997
(58534) 1997 CQ29[1][2][3] February 4, 1997
(59358) 1999 CL158[1][3] February 11, 1999
66652 Borasisi[1][3] September 8, 1999
79360 Sila-Nunam[1][2][3] February 3, 1997
(79969) 1999 CP133[1][3] February 11, 1999
(79978) 1999 CC158[1][3][6] February 15, 1999
(79983) 1999 DF9[1][3] February 20, 1999
(91554) 1999 RZ215[1][3] September 8, 1999
(118228) 1996 TQ66[1][2][3] October 8, 1996
(129746) 1999 CE119[1][3] February 10, 1999
(131695) 2001 XS254[6][7] December 9, 2001
(131696) 2001 XT254[6][7] December 9, 2001
(131697) 2001 XH255[6][7] December 11, 2001
(134568) 1999 RH215[1][3] September 7, 1999
(137294) 1999 RE215[1][3] September 7, 1999
(137295) 1999 RB216[1][3] September 8, 1999
(148112) 1999 RA216[1][3] September 8, 1999
(148975) 2001 XA255[6][7] December 9, 2001
(168700) 2000 GE147[3][6] April 2, 2000
(181708) 1993 FW[1] March 28, 1993
(181867) 1999 CV118[1][3] February 10, 1999
(181868) 1999 CG119[1][3] February 11, 1999
(181871) 1999 CO153[1][3] February 12, 1999
(181902) 1999 RD215[1][3] September 6, 1999
(385185) 1993 RO[1] September 14, 1993
(385201) 1999 RN215[1][3] September 7, 1999
(415720) 1999 RU215[1][3] September 7, 1999
  1. 1 with J. X. Luu
  2. 2 with J. Chen
  3. 3 with C. A. Trujillo
  4. 4 with K. Berney
  5. 5 with D. J. Tholen
  6. 6 with S. S. Sheppard
  7. 7 with J. T. Kleyna

A selection of his recent publications includes:

References

External links