Carolyn Shoemaker reflects on decades of discovery
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Carolyn Shoemaker speaks at the 2010 Green Bank Starquest Star Party , in Green Bank , West Virginia .
In this recurring feature , Sky ’ s Up gives students the opportunity to ask 10 Questions to leading astronomers , space explorers , scientists and cosmologists . o o o The questions for this installment were submitted by students at Castilleja School in Palo Alto , Calif .
Making her mark
With the discoveries of 32 comets — including the famous Shoemaker-Levy 9 — and more than 800 asteroids to her name , Carolyn Shoemaker has definitely made her mark in the field of astronomy . This astounding feat is even more impressive when you consider she didn ’ t even begin the hunt until she was 51 . In 1980 , Mrs . Shoemaker began assisting her husband , Gene , in his search for near-Earth asteroids . Her work involved analyzing films or plates for telltale signs of movement that could indicate an asteroid or a comet . She would look through a stereoscope at two separate images of the same region of the night sky that were taken by telescope operators about an hour apart . Viewing the images simultaneously made moving objects stand out from the static background , enabling Mrs . Shoemaker to recognize their potential and pinpoint their location . On March 24 , 1993 , she saw the first glimpse of the legendary Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet while scouring images taken using the 18 ” telescope at the Palomar Observatory . “ When I first saw it , I wasn ’ t absolutely sure that it was a comet . I just didn ’ t know quite what it was because it was so different than anything else . I had a feeling of wonderment . A feeling of what on Earth do we have here ,” she said . “ We were all puzzled because it just didn ’ t look like a regular comet .” Shoemaker-Levy 9 was definitely not a regular comet . It was actually a fragmented comet that had broken up into a stream of 21 chunks that were on a collision course with Jupiter . The science world exploded with the news that humanity would
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COURTESY OF Terry Mann
Carolyn Shoemaker reflects on decades of discovery
finally have the chance to witness the cataclysmic effects of the collision of two solar system objects in real time . On July 16 , 1994 , the pieces of the comet that the Shoemakers had co-discovered with David Levy began to slam into Jupiter as the world watched . Telescopes around and above the globe were able to capture the stunning event , and our view of the solar system was changed forever . While SL9 was certainly a pinnacle moment for Mrs . Shoemaker , her career has been filled with accolades . They have included receiving an honorary doctorate of science from Northern Arizona University , being named co-recipient of the Rittenhouse Medal in 1988 and being awarded the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1996 . Now 88 , Mrs . Shoemaker stepped away from the stereoscope years ago , but her interest and influence in the astronomy field has not faltered . For many astronomers of all ages , she features prominently on their list of inspirations . “ I think it ’ s wonderful if I can inspire anyone . I ’ m a little surprised . I don ’ t think of myself as an inspiration but I do know that if I can inspire any woman to do something in astronomy and to find the satisfaction that I have , then that gives me a great deal of satisfaction ,” she said . “ I have gone to a few star parties , and I ’ ve given many talks . If I can interest people in the thought of astronomy and what it tells us about our Earth and where it came from , well then , I ’ m excited about that .” In this installment of 10 Questions , Shoemaker discusses her work and the thrill of discovery .
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