Suzanne W. Tourtellotte

Suzanne W. Tourtellotte (January 11, 1945 – June 20, 2013) was an American astronomer and discoverer of minor planets, a researcher at Yale University in the United States.[1][2]

Suzanne Tourtellotte
Born11 January 1945
DiedJune 20, 2013(2013-06-20) (aged 68)
NationalityAmerican
EducationMIT, Yale University
Princeton University
Known forco-discovery of 15 numbered minor planets, among them (316179) 2010 EN65
Scientific career
FieldsPlanetary astronomy

Biography

Tourtellotte graduated from MIT in 1966, and received an M.S. degree from Yale University in 1967. She continued to study for a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Princeton University in 1971.[3]

From 1998, Tourtellote was the data manager at the Yale University department of astronomy for the YALO and SMARTS consortium. She worked with Brad Schaefer on photometry of the moon Nereid.[4] In 2003 together with David L. Rabinowitz, Brad and Martha Schaefer she studied the solar phase curves and rotation states of Kuiper belt objects. In 2013; she worked on the La Silla Observatory Quest KBO survey [5]

Tourtellote was faculty member at Albertus Magnus College until 2008. She was a research scientist at the department of astronomy at Yale.[3]

She died at the age of 68 in Hamden, Connecticut.[1]

List of discovered minor planets

Tourtellotte is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the co-discovery of 15 numbered minor planets made at the Chilean La Silla Observatory in 2010, in collaboration with astronomers David L. Rabinowitz and Megan E. Schwamb.[6] Most notably are (316179) 2010 EN65 and (445473) 2010 VZ98, a Neptune trojan and a trans-Neptunian object, respectively.[7][8]

Minor planets discovered: 15 [6]
(312645) 2010 EP659 March 2010list
(316179) 2010 EN657 March 2010list
(382004) 2010 RM649 September 2010list
(445473) 2010 VZ9811 November 2010list
(471136) 2010 EO659 March 2010list
(471137) 2010 ET6513 March 2010list
(471149) 2010 FB4917 March 2010list
(471150) 2010 FC4918 March 2010list
(471151) 2010 FD4919 March 2010list
(471152) 2010 FE4919 March 2010list
(471155) 2010 GF6514 April 2010list
(471172) 2010 JC8012 May 2010list
(471196) 2010 PK6614 August 2010list
(471210) 2010 VW113 November 2010list
(499522) 2010 PL6614 August 2010list

References
  1. "Suzanne Tourtellotte Obituary - Hamden, Connecticut". Tributes.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  2. "United States Social Security Death Index". FamilySearch. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  3. "Memorial: Suzanne Tourtellotte *71". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  4. Schaefer, Bradley E.; Tourtellotte, Suzanne W.; Rabinowitz, David L.; Schaefer, Martha W. (2008). "Nereid: Light curve for 1999–2006 and a scenario for its variations". Icarus. 196 (1): 225–240. arXiv:0804.2835. Bibcode:2008Icar..196..225S. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2008.02.025. S2CID 119267757.
  5. Megan Schwamb. "The La Silla QUEST KBO Survey, Science Team". Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  6. "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  7. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 316179 (2010 EN65)" (2013-03-13 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  8. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 445473 (2010 VZ98)" (2015-10-12 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
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