David H. Levy

For other people of the same name, see David Levy (disambiguation).

David Levy giving a lecture at JPL.

Asteroids discovered: 41 5261 Eureka[1] June 20, 1990 5852 Nanette[2] April 19, 1991 6398 Timhunter[2][3] February 10, 1991 6401 Roentgen[2][3] April 15, 1991 6485 Wendeesther[2][3] October 25, 1990 6670 Wallach[2] June 4, 1994 6715 Sheldonmarks[1] August 22, 1990 6914 Becquerel[1][2] April 3, 1992 7344 Summerfield[2] June 4, 1992 8021 Walter[2] October 22, 1990 8358 Rickblakley[2] November 4, 1989 9070 Ensab[2] July 23, 1993 9083 Ramboehm[2] November 28, 1994 10332 Defi[2] May 13, 1991 10346 Triathlon[2] April 2, 1992 11548 Jerrylewis[2] November 25, 1992 11569 Virgilsmith[2] May 27, 1993 11911 Angel[2] June 4, 1992 11941 Archinal[2] May 23, 1993 13057 Jorgensen[2] November 13, 1990 13111 Papacosmas[2] July 23, 1993 13123 Tyson[2] May 16, 1994 13615 Manulis[2] November 28, 1994 14429 Coyne[2] December 3, 1991 15276 Diebel[2] April 14, 1991 15294 Underwood[2] November 7, 1991 15321 Donnadean[2] August 13, 1993 15779 Scottroberts[2] July 26, 1993 16514 Stevelia[2] November 11, 1990 16669 Rionuevo[2] December 8, 1993 17493 Wildcat[2] December 31, 1991 18368 Flandrau[2] April 15, 1991 18434 Mikesandras[2] March 12, 1994 19980 Barrysimon[2] November 22, 1989 22312 Kelly[2] April 14, 1991 22338 Janemojo[2] June 3, 1992 24778 Nemsu[2] May 24, 1993 24779 Presque Isle[2] July 23, 1993 27776 Cortland[2] February 25, 1992 27810 Daveturner[2] July 23, 1993 29292 Conniewalker[2] May 24, 1993 30840 JackAlice[2] April 15, 1991 117032 DavidLane[4] May 14, 2004 144907 Whitehorne[4] December 16, 2004 157421 Carolpercy[4] October 8, 2004 1 with Henry E. Holt 2 with Carolyn S. Shoemaker 3 with Eugene M. Shoemaker 4 with T. Glinos & W. Levy

David H. Levy (born May 22, 1948) is a Canadian astronomer and science writer most famous for his co-discovery in 1993 of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9, which collided with the planet Jupiter in 1994.

Biography

Levy was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1948. He developed an interest in astronomy at an early age. However, he pursued and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature.^[1] In 1967 he was nearly expelled from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Montreal Centre after a disagreement with some members of its administration.^[2] "Levy will never amount to anything," one senior official of the RASC remarked in 1968.^[3] Years later, Levy began a correspondence with Isabel Williamson, the person most responsible for his near-ouster. These letters turned into visits, the presentation of the National Service Award to Miss Williamson, and the naming of the Montreal Centre's Observatory after her.^[4]

Levy went on to discover 22 comets, either independently or with Gene and Carolyn S. Shoemaker. He has written 34 books, mostly on astronomical subjects, such as The Quest for Comets, the definitive biography of Pluto-discoverer Clyde Tombaugh in 2006, and his tribute to Gene Shoemaker in Shoemaker by Levy. He has provided periodic articles for Sky and Telescope magazine,^[5] as well as Parade Magazine, Sky News and, most recently, Astronomy Magazine.

Periodic comets that Levy co-discovered include 118P/Shoemaker–Levy, 129P/Shoemaker–Levy, 135P/Shoemaker–Levy, 137P/Shoemaker–Levy, 138P/Shoemaker–Levy, 145P/Shoemaker–Levy, and 181P/Shoemaker–Levy. In addition, Levy is the sole discoverer of two periodic comets P/1991 L3 and P/2006T1. He is also the first to discover comets visually, photographically , and electronically.

On February 28, 2010, Levy was awarded a Ph. D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his successful completion of his thesis "The Sky in Early Modern English Literature: A Study of Allusions to Celestial Events in Elizabethan and Jacobean Writing, 1572–1620."

He now lives in Vail, Arizona and is married to Wendee Levy.^[6] Levy and his wife host a weekly internet radio talk show on astronomy.^[7] Levy is President of the National Sharing the Sky Foundation.^[8]

Awards

The asteroid 3673 Levy was named in his honour. Levy was awarded the C.A. Chant Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 1980. In 1993 he won the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. In 2007, Levy received the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Edgar Wilson Award for the discovery of comets. In 2008, a special edition telescope, "The Comet Hunter" was co-designed by Levy.^[9]

Together with Martyn Ives, David Taylor, and Benjamin Woolley, Levy won an 1998 News & Documentary Emmy Award in the "Individual Achievement in a Craft, Writer" category for the script of the documentary 3 Minutes to Impact produced by York Films for the Discovery Channel.^[10][11]

See also

• Astronomy
• Eugene M. Shoemaker
• Carolyn S. Shoemaker

References

1. ^ David Levy early life/education
2. ^ Letter, Dr. T. F. Morris to Levy, 25 May 1967
3. ^ communication, Attila Danko to Levy, 2000.
4. ^ Levy Journal, 1995
5. ^ David Levy biography
6. ^ Astronomer David Levy
7. ^ Astronomy Talk Radio
8. ^ National Sharing the Sky Foundation Accessed 2010-04-19
9. ^ David H. Levy Comet Hunter Special Edition Telescope
10. ^ International Documentary Association (1998). International documentary: the newsletter of the International Documentary Association. 17. International Documentary Association. p. 59. ; see also [1] and [2].
11. ^ Columnist Biography. David H. Levy, Astronomy (magazine). Retrieved September 17, 2011.

External links

• David Levy's Home Page

Preceded by Richard D. Lines & Helen Lines

Amateur Achievement Award of Astronomical Society of the Pacific 1993

Succeeded by Walter H. Haas

Persondata
Name	Levy, David H.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1948
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death