David H. Levy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David H. Levy
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Giving a lecture at JPL in 1994
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| Born | May 22, 1948 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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| Alma mater | Acadia (Nova Scotia) University (B.A.); Queens University (Kingston, Ontario) (M.A.); Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Ph.D.) |
| Known for | Co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 |
| Spouse(s) | Wendee Esther Wallach-Levy |
David Howard Levy (born May 22, 1948) is a Canadian astronomer and science writer. He is famous for discovering many comets and minor planets. One of his most well-known discoveries was Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 in 1993. This comet later crashed into the giant planet Jupiter in 1994, which was a huge event in astronomy!
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About David Levy
David Levy was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1948. He loved astronomy from a young age. Even though he studied English literature in college, his passion for the stars never faded.
He went on to discover 23 comets. Some he found by himself, and others he found with fellow astronomers Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker. David Levy has also written 34 books, mostly about space and astronomy. These include The Quest for Comets and a book about Pluto's discoverer, Clyde Tombaugh. He also writes articles for popular magazines like Sky and Telescope and Astronomy Magazine.
Some of the comets David Levy helped discover include 118P/Shoemaker–Levy, 129P/Shoemaker–Levy, and the famous Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9. He also discovered two comets all by himself: 255P/Levy and P/1991 L3.
In 2011, David Levy earned a Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His studies were about how the sky and space were mentioned in old English literature.
David Levy lives in Vail, Arizona. He was married to Wendee Levy from 1997 until she passed away in 2022. They even hosted a weekly online radio show about astronomy together! David Levy is also the President of the National Sharing the Sky Foundation. This group helps people learn more about astronomy.
His autobiography, "A Nightwatchman's Journey: The Road Not Taken," was published in 2019. It tells the story of his life and discoveries.
Awards and Honors
David Levy has received many awards for his work in astronomy. An asteroid, 3673 Levy, was named after him! This is a special way to honor someone in the space world.
He received the C.A. Chant Medal in 1980 from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. In 1993, he won the Amateur Achievement Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. This award is given to amateur astronomers who make big contributions.
In 2007, he received the Edgar Wilson Award for discovering comets. A special telescope called "The Comet Hunter" was even co-designed by him in 2008.
David Levy also won a News & Documentary Emmy Award in 1998. He won it for writing the script of a documentary called 3 Minutes to Impact. This film was about the comet that hit Jupiter.
Discoveries
David Levy has discovered many objects in space. He has found 23 comets and 61 minor planets.
Comets
David Levy has discovered many comets, both by looking through telescopes himself and by studying photographic plates with a team.
- Comets he found by himself:
* Comet Levy-Rudenko (1984) * Comet Levy (1987, 1988, 1990) * Periodic Comet Levy (1991) * Periodic Comet 255P/Levy (2006)
- Comets he found with the Shoemaker team:
* Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 1 (1990) * Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 3 (1991) * Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 4 (1991) * Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 7 (1991) * Periodic Comet Shoemaker-Levy 8 (1992) * The famous Periodic Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 (1993), which hit Jupiter!
Other Discoveries
David Levy has also helped discover other interesting things in space:
- Nova Cygni 1975 and Nova Cygni 1978 (these are stars that suddenly become much brighter)
- Comet Hartley-IRAS (1983)
- Asteroid 5261 Eureka, which is a special type of asteroid called a Mars Trojan (it shares Mars's orbit). He found this with Henry E. Holt.
Minor Planets
David Levy has discovered 61 minor planets. Some of the notable ones include:
- 5261 Eureka
- 6398 Timhunter
- 13123 Tyson
- 29292 Conniewalker
See also
In Spanish: David Levy (astrónomo) para niños
- Carolyn S. Shoemaker
- Eugene Merle Shoemaker
- List of minor planet discoverers
