Scott S. Sheppard Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Scott S. Sheppard
Website	sites.google.com/carnegiescience.edu/sheppard/home

Scott S. Sheppard is an American astronomer. He was born in 1977. He has discovered many moons, comets, and minor planets. Most of his discoveries are in the outer Solar System. This is the part of our solar system far beyond the inner planets.

Scott Sheppard works at the Carnegie Institution for Science. It is located in Washington, DC. He studied physics at Oberlin College. Later, he went to the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. While there, he started finding many small moons. These moons orbit Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

He also found the first known Neptune trojan that trails Neptune. This object is called 2008 LC₁₈. He also found the first leading Neptune trojan, 385571 Otrera. Another discovery was the first Neptune trojan with a high-angle orbit, 2005 TN₅₃. These discoveries showed that Neptune trojans often have tilted orbits. This means they were likely captured from other parts of the Solar System.

An asteroid in the main-belt was named after him. It is called 17898 Scottsheppard. This asteroid was found in 1999.

Amazing Discoveries in Space
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Amazing Discoveries in Space

Scott Sheppard has been involved in finding many small objects in our solar system. These include objects beyond Neptune, objects called centaurs, comets, and objects that pass close to Earth.

Distant Objects and Planet Nine

Sheppard was the main discoverer of 2012 VP₁₁₃. This object has one of the farthest known orbits in the Solar System. It was nicknamed "Biden." In 2014, Sheppard and Chadwick Trujillo noticed something interesting. The orbit of 2012 VP₁₁₃ was similar to other very distant objects.

They suggested that a large, unknown planet might exist. This planet could be 2 to 15 times the mass of Earth. It might be very far out, beyond 200 AU (Astronomical Units). One AU is the distance from Earth to the Sun. This idea is known as the Planet X or Planet Nine hypothesis. This hidden planet might be guiding these smaller, distant objects.

More discoveries supported this idea. Objects like 2013 FT₂₈ and 2014 SR₃₄₉ were found in 2016. These also showed that a large, unknown planet likely exists. In 2018, Sheppard and his team announced 541132 Leleākūhonua. This object was nicknamed "The Goblin." It is an inner Oort cloud object. Its orbit is very similar to other known inner Oort cloud objects. This further suggests a super-Earth planet is out there.

Comets and Dwarf Planets

Three comets are named after Scott Sheppard:

Sheppard-Trujillo (C/2014 F3)
Sheppard-Tholen (C/2015 T5)
Trujillo-Sheppard (P/2018 V5)

He has also discovered several objects that might be dwarf planets. These include 471143 Dziewanna, 2010 KZ₃₉, 2010 FX₈₆, 2013 FY₂₇, (523671) 2013 FZ₂₇, and 2015 KH₁₆₂.

In 2018, Sheppard was the lead discoverer of 2018 VG₁₈. This object was nicknamed "Farout." It is the most distant object ever observed in our Solar System. It is about 120 AU from the Sun. He also found a small moon orbiting the likely dwarf planet 2013 FY₂₇. He helped discover a moon orbiting the binary object 341520 Mors–Somnus.

Moons of Jupiter

Scott Sheppard has helped discover many moons of Jupiter. Here are some of them:

Themisto (2000)
Harpalyke (2000)
Praxidike (2000)
Chaldene (2000)
Isonoe (2000)
Erinome (2000)
Taygete (2000)
Kalyke (2000)
Megaclite (2000)
Iocaste (2000)
Dia (2000)
Euporie (2001)
Orthosie (2001)
Euanthe (2001)
Thyone (2001)
Hermippe (2001)
Pasithee (2001)
Aitne (2001)
Eurydome (2001)
Autonoe (2001)
Sponde (2001)
Kale (2001)
Arche (2002)
Eukelade (2003)
Helike (2003)
Aoede (2003)
Hegemone (2003)
Kallichore (2003)
Cyllene (2003)
Mneme (2003)
Thelxinoe (2003)
Carpo (2003)
Kore (2003)
Herse (2003)
S/2003 J 2 (2003)
Eupheme (2003)
S/2003 J 4 (2003)
Eirene (2003)
S/2003 J 9 (2003)
S/2003 J 10 (2003)
S/2003 J 12 (2003)
Philophrosyne (2003)
S/2003 J 16 (2003)
Jupiter LV (2003)
Jupiter LXI (2003)
S/2003 J 23 (2003)
S/2003 J 24 (2003)
Jupiter LXXII (2011)
Jupiter LVI (2011)
S/2011 J 3 (2011)
Jupiter LIV (2016)
Valetudo (2016)
S/2016 J 3 (2016)
S/2016 J 4 (2016)
Jupiter LIX (2017)
Jupiter LXIII (2017)
Jupiter LXIV (2017)
Pandia (2017)
Jupiter LXVI (2017)
Jupiter LXVII (2017)
Jupiter LXVIII (2017)
Jupiter LXIX (2017)
Jupiter LXX (2017)
S/2017 J 10 (2017)
S/2017 J 11 (2017)
Ersa (2018)
S/2018 J 2 (2018)
S/2018 J 3 (2018)
S/2018 J 4 (2018)
S/2021 J 1 (2021)
S/2021 J 2 (2021)
S/2021 J 3 (2021)
S/2021 J 4 (2021)
S/2021 J 5 (2021)
S/2021 J 6 (2021)
S/2022 J 1 (2022)
S/2022 J 2 (2022)
S/2022 J 3 (2022)

Moons of Saturn

Scott Sheppard has also helped discover many moons of Saturn. Here are some of them:

Narvi (2003)
Fornjot (2004)
Farbauti (2004)
Aegir (2004)
Bebhionn (2004)
Hati (2004)
Bergelmir (2004)
Fenrir (2004)
Bestla (2004)
S/2004 S 7 (2004)
S/2004 S 12 (2004)
S/2004 S 13 (2004)
S/2004 S 17 (2004)
Hyrrokkin (2004)
Gridr (2004)
S/2004 S 21 (2004)
Angrboda (2004)
Skrymir (2004)
S/2004 S 24 (2004)
Gerd (2004)
Saturn LVIII (2004)
Eggther (2004)
S/2004 S 28 (2004)
Saturn LX (2004)
Beli (2004)
S/2004 S 31 (2004)
Gunnlod (2004)
Thiazzi (2004)
Saturn LXIV (2004)
Alvaldi (2004)
S/2004 S 36 (2004)
S/2004 S 37 (2004)
Geirrod (2004)
S/2004 S 39 (2004)
S/2004 S 40 (2004)
S/2004 S 41 (2004)
S/2004 S 42 (2004)
S/2004 S 43 (2004)
S/2004 S 44 (2004)
S/2004 S 45 (2004)
S/2004 S 46 (2004)
S/2004 S 47 (2004)
S/2004 S 48 (2004)
S/2004 S 49 (2004)
S/2004 S 50 (2004)
S/2004 S 51 (2004)
S/2004 S 52 (2004)
S/2004 S 53 (2004)
S/2004 S 54 (2004)
S/2004 S 55 (2004)
S/2004 S 56 (2004)
S/2004 S 57 (2004)
S/2004 S 58 (2004)
S/2004 S 59 (2004)
S/2004 S 60 (2004)
S/2004 S 61 (2004)
S/2005 S 4 (2005)
S/2005 S 5 (2005)
S/2005 S 6 (2005)
S/2005 S 7 (2005)
Kari (2006)
Loge (2006)
Surtur (2006)
Skoll (2006)
Greip (2006)
Jarnsaxa (2006)
S/2006 S 1 (2006)
S/2006 S 3 (2006)
S/2006 S 9 (2006)
S/2006 S 10 (2006)
S/2006 S 11 (2006)
S/2006 S 12 (2006)
S/2006 S 13 (2006)
S/2006 S 14 (2006)
S/2006 S 15 (2006)
S/2006 S 16 (2006)
S/2006 S 17 (2006)
S/2006 S 18 (2006)
S/2006 S 19 (2006)
S/2006 S 20 (2006)
S/2006 S 21 (2006)
S/2006 S 22 (2006)
S/2006 S 23 (2006)
S/2006 S 24 (2006)
S/2006 S 25 (2006)
S/2006 S 26 (2006)
S/2006 S 27 (2006)
S/2006 S 28 (2006)
S/2006 S 29 (2006)
Tarqeq (2007)
S/2007 S 2 (2007)
S/2007 S 3 (2007)
S/2007 S 5 (2007)
S/2007 S 6 (2007)
S/2007 S 7 (2007)
S/2007 S 8 (2007)
S/2007 S 9 (2007)
S/2007 S 10 (2007)
S/2007 S 11 (2007)
S/2019 S 3 (2019)
S/2019 S 9 (2019)
S/2019 S 11 (2019)
S/2019 S 17 (2019)
S/2019 S 18 (2019)
S/2019 S 21 (2019)
S/2019 S 24 (2019)
S/2019 S 25 (2019)
S/2019 S 27 (2019)
S/2019 S 29 (2019)
S/2019 S 31 (2019)
S/2019 S 33 (2019)
S/2019 S 34 (2019)
S/2019 S 40 (2019)
S/2019 S 42 (2019)
S/2019 S 43 (2019)
S/2020 S 1 (2020)
S/2020 S 8 (2020)
S/2020 S 26 (2020)
S/2020 S 27 (2020)

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Moons of Uranus and Neptune

Sheppard has also discovered moons orbiting the ice giants.

For Uranus, he discovered Margaret (2003) and Ferdinand (2003). He also found S/2023 U 1 (2023).
For Neptune, he discovered Psamathe (2003). He also found S/2002 N 5 (2021) and S/2021 N 1 (2021).

Scott S. Sheppard facts for kids

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