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James V. Scotti | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Vernon Scotti 1960 (age 64–65) Bandon, Oregon, U.S. |
| Education | Edmonds Woodway High School University of Arizona (BSc) |
| Occupation | Astronomer |
James Vernon Scotti (born 1960) is an Americanastronomer. He was born inBandon, Oregon, and graduated fromEdmonds Woodway High School inEdmonds, Washington in 1978. He received hisB.Sc. inAstronomy from theUniversity of Arizona inTucson in 1983. Ever since that time, he has worked on theSpacewatch project, which is one of a number of projects that look fornear-Earth asteroids (NEAs). He wrote the first automaticasteroid detection software for the project in 1984.[1]
He has discovered numerousnear-Earth asteroids, including(496816) 1989 UP, which briefly created a stir in the news media when a preliminary orbit calculation indicated the possibility ofEarth impact in 2028; further observations led to a more accurate orbit, which disproved the impact. In 1991, he discovered1991 VG, aNear-Earth object with some unusual characteristics. In 2013, he discovered2013 BS45, another NEO that moves in a loweccentricity and lowinclination orbit.
He has also recovered more than 75comets starting in 1985 (since comets are subject to non-gravitational forces due to outgassing and solar wind, it is often a challenge to predict their exact position and rediscover them each time they make a newperihelion approach). He confirmed the discovery of the well knownComet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which impactedJupiter in July 1994. He has also discovered theperiodic comets202P/Scotti,244P/Scotti,377P/Scotti,P/2010 C1 (Scotti),P/2010 H4 (Scotti),P/2010 H5 (Scotti),P/2011 A2 (Scotti),P/2013 A2 (Scotti), andP/2015 Q1 (Scotti); the later six are not yet numbered as they have only been seen at one perihelion passage. He has also discoverednon-periodic cometsC/2010 E5 (Scotti) andC/2010 F3 (Scotti).
Scotti's research interests include the origin of comets, the dynamical evolution of comets and asteroids, the near-Earth asteroids, and the outer Solar System.
Scotti is also an avid space enthusiast and is interested in the history of space exploration and particularly of theApollo Program. He has contributed to theApollo Lunar Surface Journal, which details the Apollo lunar explorations. He is also a space artist and photographer.
Asteroid3594 Scotti, discovered byEdward Bowell atAnderson Mesa Station in 1983, was named in his honor.[1] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on September 7, 1987 (M.P.C. 12211).[2]