Chad Trujillo

Chad Trujillo
File:Chad Aaron Trujillo.jpg
Born	(1973-11-22) November 22, 1973
Nationality	American
Education	Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Hawaiʻi
Known for	Discovery of Eris, Sedna and other trans-Neptunian objects
Scientific career
Fields	Planetary astronomy
Institutions	Gemini Observatory Northern Arizona University

Chadwick A. Trujillo (born November 22, 1973) is an American astronomer, discoverer of minor planets and the co-discoverer of Eris, the most massive dwarf planet known in the Solar System. Trujillo works with computer software and has examined the orbits of the numerous trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which is the outer area of the Solar System that he specialized in. In late August 2005, it was announced that Trujillo, along with Michael Brown and David Rabinowitz, had discovered Eris in 2003. As a result of the discovery of the satellite Dysnomia, Eris was the first TNO known to be more massive than Pluto.

Career

Trujillo attended Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois. He received his B.Sc. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1995, and was a member of the Xi chapter of Tau Epsilon Phi, and received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Hawaiʻi in 2000. Between 2000 and 2003 Trujillo was a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech. In 2003, he started working as an astronomer at the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii. In 2013 Trujillo became head of the Adaptive Optics/Telescope Department at the Gemini Observatory, and continued until 2016. As of 2016, Trujillo is assistant professor at the department of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Northern Arizona University. He studies the Kuiper belt and the outer Solar System.

Discoveries

Minor planets discovered: 62 

see § List of discovered minor planets

Trujillo is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery and co-discovery of 54 numbered minor planets between 1996 and 2013, including many trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) from the Kuiper belt (see table). The last major TNO, Eris, was at first considered by him, his team, NASA, and many others to be the tenth planet, but the International Astronomical Union assigned it to the new classificatory category of dwarf planet. The possible dwarf planets Trujillo discovered are:

• Quaoar, co-discovered with Brown
• Sedna, co-discovered with Brown and Rabinowitz, possibly the first known inner Oort cloud object
• Orcus, co-discovered with Brown and Rabinowitz
• Eris, co-discovered with Brown and Rabinowitz – the only known TNO more massive than Pluto
• Haumea, discovery also claimed by the Sierra Nevada Observatory, Spain (also see José Luis Ortiz Moreno).
• Makemake, co-discovered with Brown and Rabinowitz in 2005, one of the first 5 official dwarf planets.

List of discovered minor planets

See also: Category:Discoveries by Chad Trujillo

The Minor Planet Center credits Chad Trujillo with the discovery and co-discovery of 57 minor planets during 1996–2013. His numerous co-discoverers were: ^A D. C. Jewitt, ^B J. X. Luu, ^C J. Chen, ^D K. Berney, ^E D. J. Tholen, ^F M. E. Brown, ^G W. Evans, ^H S. S. Sheppard, ^J D. L. Rabinowitz, ^K A. Udalski, ^L M. Kubiak, ^M R. Poleski and ^N Glenn Smith.

(15874) 1996 TL66	October 9, 1996	list [A][B][C]
(15875) 1996 TP66	October 11, 1996	list [B][A]
(15883) 1997 CR29	February 3, 1997	list [C][A]
(19308) 1996 TO66	October 12, 1996	list [A][B]
(20161) 1996 TR66	October 8, 1996	list [A][B][C]
(24952) 1997 QJ4	August 28, 1997	list [B][A][D]
(24978) 1998 HJ151	April 28, 1998	list [B][E][A]
(26375) 1999 DE9	February 20, 1999	list [B]
(33001) 1997 CU29	February 6, 1997	list [A][B][C]
50000 Quaoar	June 4, 2002	list [F]

(59358) 1999 CL158	February 11, 1999	list [B][A]
(60608) 2000 EE173	March 3, 2000	list [B][G]
65489 Ceto	March 22, 2003	list [F]
66652 Borasisi	September 8, 1999	list [B][A]
79360 Sila-Nunam	February 3, 1997	list [B][A][C]
(79969) 1999 CP133	February 11, 1999	list [B][A]
(79978) 1999 CC158	February 15, 1999	list [A][B][H]
(79983) 1999 DF9	February 20, 1999	list [B][A]
(84719) 2002 VR128	November 3, 2002	list [F]
90377 Sedna	November 14, 2003	list [F][J]

90482 Orcus	February 17, 2004	list [F][J]
(91554) 1999 RZ215	September 8, 1999	list [B][A]
(118228) 1996 TQ66	October 8, 1996	list [C][A][B]
(119951) 2002 KX14	May 17, 2002	list [F]
(120178) 2003 OP32	July 26, 2003	list [F][J]
(120348) 2004 TY364	October 3, 2004	list [F][J]
(126154) 2001 YH140	December 18, 2001	list [F]
(126155) 2001 YJ140	December 20, 2001	list [F][N]
(129746) 1999 CE119	February 10, 1999	list [B][A]
(134568) 1999 RH215	September 7, 1999	list [A][B]

136199 Eris	October 21, 2003	list [F][J]
136472 Makemake	March 31, 2005	list [F][J]
(137294) 1999 RE215	September 7, 1999	list [B][A]
(137295) 1999 RB216	September 8, 1999	list [A][B]
(148112) 1999 RA216	September 8, 1999	list [A][B]
(168700) 2000 GE147	April 2, 2000	list [A][H]
(175113) 2004 PF115	August 7, 2004	list [F][J]
(181867) 1999 CV118	February 10, 1999	list [A][B]
(181868) 1999 CG119	February 11, 1999	list [B][A]
(181871) 1999 CO153	February 12, 1999	list [B][A]

(181902) 1999 RD215	September 6, 1999	list [B][A]
(208996) 2003 AZ84	January 13, 2003	list [F]
(250112) 2002 KY14	May 19, 2002	list [F]
(307251) 2002 KW14	May 17, 2002	list [F]
(307261) 2002 MS4	June 18, 2002	list [F]
341520 Mors-Somnus	October 14, 2007	list [H]
(385201) 1999 RN215	September 7, 1999	list [A][B]
385571 Otrera	October 16, 2004	list [H]
385695 Clete	October 8, 2005	list [H]
(415720) 1999 RU215	September 7, 1999	list [B][A]

(469306) 1999 CD158	February 10, 1999	list [B][A]
471143 Dziewanna	March 13, 2010	list [K][L]
(471165) 2010 HE79	April 21, 2010	list [H][M][K]
(471921) 2013 FC28	March 17, 2013	list [H]
(503858) 1998 HQ151	April 28, 1998	list [E][A][B]
(508792) 2000 FX53	March 31, 2000	list [H][A]
(523597) 2002 QX47	August 26, 2002	list [F]
(523899) 1997 CV29	February 6, 1997	list [C][A][B]
(523983) 1999 RY214	September 6, 1999	list [A][B]
(532037) 2013 FY27	March 17, 2013	list [H]

(532038) 2013 FB28	March 17, 2013	list [H]
541132 Leleākūhonua	October 13, 2015	list [E][H]

Satellites and uncredited discoveries

Object	Discovery date	Type	Credit went to..
Haumea	December 28, 2004	DP
(55565) 2002 AW197	January 10, 2002	TNO	The Palomar Observatory team with Michael Brown
2012 VP113	November 5, 2012	TNO	no official discoverers for unnumbered objects; candidate: S. S. Sheppard
(136108) Haumea I Hiʻiaka	January 26, 2005	Satellite	Michael Brown and the adaptive-optics team, D. L. Rabinowitz
(136108) Haumea II Namaka	July 30, 2005	Satellite	Michael Brown and the adaptive-optics team
(136199) Eris I Dysnomia	September 10, 2005	Satellite	Michael Brown and the adaptive-optics team: M. A. van Dam, A. H. Bouchez, D. Le Mignant, R. D. Campbell, J. C. Y. Chin, A. Conrad, S. K. Hartman, E. M. Johansson, R. E. Lafon, D. L. Rabinowitz, P. J. Stomski Jr., D. M. Summers, and P. L. Wizinowich

Honors and awards

The main-belt asteroid 12101 Trujillo is named for him. In 2006 he was named one of the Science Spectrum Magazine Trailblazer, top minority in science.

External links

• Official website