Warren B. Offutt

Warren B. Offutt (February 13, 1928 – September 20, 2017) was an American amateur astronomer and amateur radio operator.[2]

Minor planets discovered: 18 [1]
(12438) 1996 CZFebruary 9, 1996list
(23702) 1997 QE1August 28, 1997list
(39672) 1996 BF1January 22, 1996list
(43997) 1997 QXAugust 29, 1997list
(46695) 1997 CX13February 4, 1997list
(58469) 1996 RCSeptember 7, 1996list
(58484) 1996 TO3October 8, 1996list
(73900) 1997 FDMarch 19, 1997list
(73966) 1997 XG10December 6, 1997list
(85473) 1997 LV5June 12, 1997list
(85547) 1997 XF10December 5, 1997list
(100598) 1997 QO1August 31, 1997list
(100695) 1997 YK11December 28, 1997list
(118215) 1996 BN1January 24, 1996list
(155411) 1996 DG3February 28, 1996list
(239810) 1997 EC26March 11, 1997list
(382427) 1999 CF3February 9, 1999list
(483405) 1999 CP2February 7, 1999list

Offutt is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 17 asteroids[1] and has notably collaborated with professional astronomers in observing Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). In 1999 he won the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.[3]

Offutt and his wife, Beverly (since deceased), moved from Illinois to New Mexico when he retired from engineering, specializing in precision astrometry of faint objects in the Solar System. He operates the W & B Observatory (709) in the U.S. village of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, in the Sacramento Mountains, at an altitude of 2500 m (8300 ft).[2][4]

In 1997, Offutt helped with three more major discoveries, among them confirmation of a then-newly discovered moon of Uranus, Sycorax.[5]

On 11 February 1998, the outer main-belt asteroid 7639 Offutt was named after him, just before his 70th birthday (M.P.C. 31297).[2][6]

References
  1. "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(7639) Offutt". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 607–608. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_6593. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. "Astronomical Society of the Pacific". Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  4. "IAU List of Observatories". Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  5. Gladman, Brett J.; Nicholson, Philip D.; Burns, Joseph A.; Kavelaars, Jj; Marsden, Brian G.; Williams, Gareth V.; et al. (April 1998). "Discovery of two distant irregular moons of Uranus". Nature. 392 (6679): 897–899. Bibcode:1998Natur.392..897G. doi:10.1038/31890. S2CID 4315601.
  6. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
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