Paul Wiegert

Summary

Minor planets discovered: 85 [1]
see § List of discovered minor planets

Paul Arnold Wiegert (born 1967) is a Canadian astronomer, discoverer of minor planets and professor at the University of Western Ontario.[2]

Wiegert studies unusual orbits of both observed objects and theorised classes of objects, for example, one early paper[3] considers not-known-to-exist planets orbiting the nearby Alpha Centauri star system, while later papers extend that case to more general planetary stability in general binary systems (as exoplanet studies are finding increasingly frequently). This work in particular should be of interest to science fiction authors inventing universes.

Other areas of work include identifying the orbits of minor planets in the Solar System, which by virtue of their potential instability could realistically become major threats to civilization when one impacts on Earth again, as they have in the past. The Minor Planet Center credits him with the discovery of 80 numbered minor planets between 2003 and 2008.[1] Wiegert was also involved in the discovery of 3753 Cruithne, Earth's first known Trojan asteroid.[2][4]

He was also the a member of the team that identified 524522 Zoozve, as a quasi-satellite of Venus, in 2004, two years after the actual discovery of the object.[5][6]

The outer main-belt asteroid 15068 Wiegert was named in his honor.[2]

List of discovered minor planets edit

172996 Stooke 25 May 2006 list
199763 Davidgregory 1 May 2006 list
204786 Wehlau 25 May 2006 list
(229280) 2005 BN47 16 January 2005 list
233472 Moorcroft 25 May 2006 list
236616 Gray 1 May 2006 list
254422 Henrykent 9 November 2004 list[A]
261930 Moorhead 25 May 2006 list
262536 Nowikow 26 October 2006 list[A]
263251 Pandabear 6 January 2008 list[A]
273230 de Bruyn 1 May 2006 list
273262 Cottam 25 May 2006 list
277883 Basu 1 May 2006 list
(281067) 2006 KU130 25 May 2006 list
(282630) 2005 RL50 3 September 2005 list
(290156) 2005 QL183 27 August 2005 list
(290181) 2005 RZ50 3 September 2005 list
(291824) 2006 KH133 25 May 2006 list
(292856) 2006 UE341 26 October 2006 list
(298762) 2004 HT77 26 April 2004 list
(299518) 2006 CX63 2 February 2006 list
(299631) 2006 JP68 1 May 2006 list
(304122) 2006 JY73 1 May 2006 list
(304557) 2006 UL352 26 October 2006 list
(305344) 2008 AB122 6 January 2008 list
(306257) 2011 RF3 25 May 2006 list
(307681) 2003 SA425 25 September 2003 list
(308753) 2006 JD79 1 May 2006 list
(309426) 2007 TX412 25 May 2006 list
(311604) 2006 KD137 25 May 2006 list
(312676) 2010 MF36 19 January 2007 list
(315529) 2008 AN120 6 January 2008 list
(317843) 2003 SH424 25 September 2003 list
(317844) 2003 SU426 25 September 2003 list
(319358) 2006 CE64 2 February 2006 list
(319455) 2006 KB142 25 May 2006 list
(322569) 2011 YQ65 14 September 2007 list
(324208) 2006 AS103 7 January 2006 list
(324327) 2006 JB72 1 May 2006 list
(327559) 2006 CS63 2 February 2006 list
(331824) 2003 SU424 25 September 2003 list
(335013) 2004 HW76 26 April 2004 list
(339395) 2005 BA48 16 January 2005 list
(340538) 2006 JJ73 1 May 2006 list
(344700) 2003 SV423 25 September 2003 list
(344918) 2004 RY347 12 September 2004 list
(345702) 2006 UL357 27 October 2006 list
(349018) 2006 UD352 26 October 2006 list
(350205) 2012 QE2 25 May 2006 list
(351475) 2005 PH27 10 August 2005 list
(353730) 2011 WN114 24 November 2005 list
(355145) 2006 UZ343 26 October 2006 list
(358712) 2008 AO121 6 January 2008 list
(360106) 2013 CM13 25 May 2006 list
(362643) 2011 SZ185 25 May 2006 list
(362683) 2011 UD93 1 May 2006 list
(363834) 2005 PH25 5 August 2005 list
(364179) 2006 KU138 25 May 2006 list
(365879) 2011 UC318 25 May 2006 list
(371548) 2006 UY349 26 October 2006 list
(376299) 2011 FC138 15 December 2004 list
(376303) 2011 FK148 14 September 2007 list
(376674) 2013 QD29 16 January 2005 list
(377395) 2004 RW349 12 September 2004 list
(377959) 2006 JK61 1 May 2006 list
(387984) 2005 ON29 31 July 2005 list
(391240) 2006 KP134 25 May 2006 list
(393652) 2004 PN116 12 August 2004 list
(394654) 2008 AS120 6 January 2008 list
(400015) 2006 KH126 25 May 2006 list
(402361) 2005 VV134 1 November 2005 list
(405285) 2003 SV424 25 September 2003 list
(405915) 2006 JP70 1 May 2006 list
(416605) 2004 PV116 12 August 2004 list
(422054) 2014 QE366 16 January 2005 list
important;
(434357) 2004 RC350 12 September 2004 list
(434709) 2006 CJ69 3 February 2006 list[A]
(438334) 2006 KD139 25 May 2006 list
(441316) 2008 AV125 6 January 2008 list
(444474) 2006 KL142 25 May 2006 list
(470002) 2006 KW137 25 May 2006 list
(476348) 2008 AT123 6 January 2008 list
(489211) 2006 JH74 1 May 2006 list
(493446) 2014 WJ361 25 May 2006 list
(497593) 2006 JU69 1 May 2006 list
Co-discovery made with:
A A. Papadimos

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). "(15068) Wiegert [3.99, 0.22, 1.7]". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (15068) Wiegert, Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2003–2005. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 90–91. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-34361-5_923. ISBN 978-3-540-34361-5.
  3. ^ Wiegert, Paul A.; Holman, Matt J. (April 1997). "The Stability of Planets in the Alpha Centauri System". Astronomical Journal. 113: 1445–1450. arXiv:astro-ph/9609106. Bibcode:1997AJ....113.1445W. doi:10.1086/118360. S2CID 18969130. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  4. ^ Connors, M. G.; Wiegert, P.; Veillet, C. (December 2011). "Discovery of an Earth Trojan Asteroid". American Geophysical Union. 23: P23C–1727. Bibcode:2011AGUFM.P23C1727C. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Discovery of the first quasi-satellite of Venus". Tuorla Observatory. 17 August 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  6. ^ Mikkola, S.; Brasser, R.; Wiegert, P.; Innanen, K. (2004). "Asteroid 2002 VE68, a quasi-satellite of Venus". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 351 (3): L63–L65. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.351L..63M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07994.x.

External links edit