Name Robert McNaught | Role Astronomer | |
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Discovered 6870 Pauldavies, (27723) 1990 QA, (19146) 1989 YY Similar People Andrea Boattini, Edouard Lucas, Damocles, Bobbie Vaile, Paul Davies | ||
Discovered Jan 03 2013 C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)
Robert H. McNaught (born in Scotland in 1956) is a Scottish-Australian astronomer at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Australian National University (ANU). He has collaborated with David J. Asher of the Armagh Observatory.
Contents
- Discovered Jan 03 2013 C2013 A1 Siding Spring
- Work
- Other work
- Funding issues
- List of cometary discoveries
- Long period
- Short period
- Co discoveries
- Groups
- List of discovered minor planets
- References
The inner main-belt asteroid 3173 McNaught, discovered by Edward Bowell at Anderson Mesa Station in 1981, was named after him by its discoverer, following a suggestion by David Seargent.
Work
McNaught is a prolific discoverer of asteroids and comets, described as "the world's greatest comet discoverer" and he participated in the Siding Spring Survey (SSS) using the ANU's Uppsala Southern Schmidt Telescope. He discovered the Great Comet C/2006 P1 on 7 August 2006, the brightest comet in several decades, which became easily visible to the naked eye for observers in the Southern Hemisphere. The SSS was the only active Near Earth Object survey in the Southern Hemisphere. The survey ended in 2013 after funding dried up.
McNaught previously worked on the Anglo-Australian Near-Earth Asteroid Survey from 1990–1996.
Other work
McNaught worked at the University of Aston's satellite-tracking camera originally outside Evesham in 1982, thereafter at Herstmonceux and more recently at Siding Spring. In his spare time he successfully conducts patrols for novae, identifies images of prenovae and unusual variable stars on survey plates, measures their positions, makes astrometric observations of comets and minor planets and photometric observations of comets and novae. He also carries out extensive observational and computational work on meteors, as well as on occultations by minor planets.
Funding issues
On 11 July 2012 it was announced that McNaught's funding from NASA was to be cut and he would be temporarily funded from the ANU. In late 2012, the ANU advised that it could no longer support the program and that funds would not be available from January 2013.
List of cometary discoveries
In total, McNaught has discovered 82 comets.
Long-period
McNaught has discovered 44 long-period comets:
Short period
McNaught has discovered 26 short-period comets:
Co-discoveries
McNaught is the co-discoverer of the following comets:
Groups
List of discovered minor planets
As of 2016, Robert McNaught is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery and co-discovery of 483 minor planets during 1975–2005.