Jean Mueller
Encyclopedia
| 4257 Ubasti 4257 Ubasti 4257 Ubasti is an Apollo asteroid and Near-Earth object discovered on August 23, 1987 by Jean Mueller at Palomar Observatory.- External links :*... |
August 23, 1987 |
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| 6569 Ondaatje
6569 Ondaatje
6569 Ondaatje is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 757.3832046 days . The asteroid was discovered on June 22, 1993....
|| June 22, 1993
|-
| 9162 Kwiila
9162 Kwiila
9162 Kwiila is an Apollo minor planet. It was discovered by Jean Mueller at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, on July 29, 1987. It is named after Kwiila, a figure from the Luiseño creation myth....
|| July 29, 1987
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| (11028) 1987 UW || October 18, 1987
|-
| 11500 Tomaiyowit
11500 Tomaiyowit
11500 Tomaiyowit is an Apollo asteroid discovered on October 28, 1989 by Jean Mueller and J. D. Mendenhall on 28 October 1989 at the Palomar Observatory.-External links:*...
|| October 28, 1989
|-
| 12711 Tukmit
12711 Tukmit
12711 Tukmit is an Apollo minor planet. It was discovered by Jean Mueller at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, on January 19, 1991. It is named after Tukmit, a figure from the Luiseño creation myth.-External links:*...
|| January 19, 1991
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| (16465) 1990 FV1 || March 24, 1990
|-
| (19204) 1992 ME || June 21, 1992
|-
| (24658) 1987 UX || October 18, 1987
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: smaller;" |
- with Alain MauryAlain MauryAlain J. Maury is a French astronomer.He discovered the periodic comet 115P/Maury as well as the non-periodic C/1988 C1 ....
- with J. D. Mendenhall
|}
Jean Mueller (born 1950) is an American astronomer.
Working at Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in San Diego County, California, southeast of Pasadena's Mount Wilson Observatory, in the Palomar Mountain Range. At approximately elevation, it is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology...
, she has discovered a total of 15 comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s, including 7 periodic comets 120P/Mueller
120P/Mueller
120P/Mueller, also known as Mueller 1, is a periodic comet in our solar system.- External links :*...
, 131P/Mueller, 136P/Mueller
136P/Mueller
136P/Mueller, also known as Mueller 3, is a periodic comet in our solar system.- External links :*...
, 149P/Mueller, 173P/Mueller
173P/Mueller
173P/Mueller, also known as Mueller 5, is a periodic comet in our solar system.- External links :*...
, 188P/LINEAR-Mueller, 190P/Mueller, and 8 non-periodic comets.
She has also discovered 10 asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s, including the Apollo asteroid
Apollo asteroid
The Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids named after 1862 Apollo, the first asteroid of this group to be discovered by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth...
s 4257 Ubasti
4257 Ubasti
4257 Ubasti is an Apollo asteroid and Near-Earth object discovered on August 23, 1987 by Jean Mueller at Palomar Observatory.- External links :*...
, (9162) Kwiila, and (12711) Tukmit and the Amor asteroid
Amor asteroid
The Amor asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids named after the asteroid 1221 Amor. They approach the orbit of the Earth from beyond, but do not cross it. Most Amors do cross the orbit of Mars...
6569 Ondaatje
6569 Ondaatje
6569 Ondaatje is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 757.3832046 days . The asteroid was discovered on June 22, 1993....
, and is the co-discoverer of two asteroids, 4558 Janesick
4558 Janesick
4558 Janesick is a Mars-crossing asteroid discovered on July 12, 1988 by Alain Maury and Jean Mueller at Palomar.- External links :*...
and 11500 Tomaiyowit
11500 Tomaiyowit
11500 Tomaiyowit is an Apollo asteroid discovered on October 28, 1989 by Jean Mueller and J. D. Mendenhall on 28 October 1989 at the Palomar Observatory.-External links:*...
.
In 1983 Jean became the first woman to operate the historic 100 inches (2.5 m) telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory, and was the first woman hired as a telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
operator at Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in San Diego County, California, southeast of Pasadena's Mount Wilson Observatory, in the Palomar Mountain Range. At approximately elevation, it is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology...
in 1985.
The Palomar Sky Survey II (POSS II) got underway in August 1985, with the first of the 14" photographic glass plates being pulled off the Palomar 48 inches (1.2 m) Schmidt Camera (now known as The Samuel Oschin telescope
Samuel Oschin telescope
The Samuel Oschin telescope is a 48-inch aperture Schmidt camera at the Palomar Observatory in northern San Diego County, California. It consists of a 49.75-inch Schmidt corrector plate and a 72-inch mirror. The instrument is strictly a camera; there is no provision for an eyepiece to look...
). Jean Mueller was hired as the 48 inches (1.2 m) Night Assistant in July of that year, and worked in the capacity as Observer/Telescope Operator for the duration. Jean took over 5500 photographic plates, and had the honor of setting the telescope and removing the very last plate from the historic Schmidt Camera
Schmidt camera
A Schmidt camera, also referred to as the Schmidt telescope, is a catadioptric astrophotographic telescope designed to provide wide fields of view with limited aberrations. Other similar designs are the Wright Camera and Lurie-Houghton telescope....
on June 3, 2000, as well as discovering her very last supernova, 2000cm on that same night.
Jean spent hundreds of hours (in her spare time) scanning POSS II plates under high magnification looking for comets, fast-moving asteroids, and supernovae on an X/Y stage that held the 1 mm thick glass plates. Mueller would sometimes mark over a hundred galaxies recorded on a single POSS II plate to hunt for supernova candidates. She would then compare these plates with the first Palomar Sky Survey (POSS I) of similar fields. It was during the years of the POSS II project that Jean Mueller made all of her discoveries.
As of 2006, she has also discovered 98 (and co-discovered 9) supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
s, and may yet surpass Fritz Zwicky
Fritz Zwicky
Fritz Zwicky was a Swiss astronomer. He worked most of his life at the California Institute of Technology in the United States of America, where he made many important contributions in theoretical and observational astronomy.- Biography :Fritz Zwicky was born in Varna, Bulgaria to a Swiss father....
's all-time record of 120 discoveries (plus 1 co-discovery).
Minor Planet 4031 Mueller
4031 Mueller
4031 Mueller is a Hungaria family asteroid named in honor of astronomer Jean Mueller for her astronomical discoveries. Discovered on February 12, 1985 by Carolyn S. Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory with the 18" Schmidt Camera, it was originally designated 1985 CL.-External links:* *...
was named in honor of Jean Mueller for her astronomical discoveries. Discovered on February 12, 1985 by Carolyn S. Shoemaker
Carolyn S. Shoemaker
Carolyn Jean Spellmann Shoemaker is an American astronomer and is a co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9. She holds the record for most comets discovered by an individual.- Personal life :...
at Palomar Observatory with the 18" Schmidt Camera, it was originally designated 1985 CL.