Brian D. Warner

For the British South African astronomer, see Brian Warner (astronomer).
Brian D. Warner
Born
Brian Dale Warner[1]

1952 (age 71–72)[2]
Alma mater
Occupations
AwardsChambliss Amateur Achievement Award (2006)

Brian Dale Warner (born 1952) is an American amateur astronomer and computer programmer. In 2006 he was awarded the inaugural Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award by the American Astronomical Society.[3][4]

From the 1990s to 2011 Warner operated from the Palmer Divide Observatory at his home near Colorado Springs, Colorado.[5][6][3] Since 2011 he has operated from the Palmer Divide Station (U82) at the Center for Solar System Studies in Landers, California.[7]

Warner's astronomy has included extensive use of photometry to record the light curves of asteroids and variable stars.[3] His identification of five pairs of binary asteroids in the main belt contributed to the abandonment of the theory that binary asteroids only form through tidal interactions with planets.[8][4] He discovered the asteroids 70030 Margaretmiller, 34366 Rosavestal and 34398 Terryschmidt.[9]

Warner is the developer of the Minor Planet Observer (MPO) suite of astronomy software used for photometry observations of asteroids and variable stars.[10][11] He also authored the 2006 book A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis, published by Springer, on using photometry to study asteroids and variable stars.[10]

Warner studied undergraduate physics at the University of Colorado. In 2005 he was awarded a master's degree in astronomy from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.[4][12][8]

The 4.9 km (3.0 mi) wide main belt asteroid 8734 Warner is named in his honor.[2][13]

  1. ^ Warner, Brian D. (2006). A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis. New York: Springer. p. vii. ISBN 978-0-387-33391-5. OCLC 209915880.
  2. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). "(8734) Warner". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. International Astronomical Union (5th ed.). Berlin: Springer. p. 663. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. OCLC 184958390.
  3. ^ a b c Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit (2007). "Newsmakers". Science. 315 (5813): 745. ISSN 0036-8075. JSTOR 20038902. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023 – via JSTOR.
  4. ^ a b c Fienberg, Richard Tresch (January 26, 2007). "Amateur Astronomer Wins Pros' Accolades". Sky & Telescope. ISSN 0037-6604. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Zimmerman, Robert (October 2009). "Become a SUPER Amateur". Sky & Telescope. Vol. 118, no. 4. p. 35. ISSN 0037-6604.
  6. ^ "AAS names winners of awards, prizes". Physics Today. 60 (5): 81–82. May 1, 2007. Bibcode:2007PhT....60Q..81.. doi:10.1063/1.2743133. ISSN 0031-9228. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  7. ^ David, Jason (December 17, 2019). "The Biggest Little Asteroid Observatory". The Planetary Society. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Bohannon, John (October 12, 2007). "Tooled-Up Amateurs Are Joining Forces With the Professionals". Science. 318 (5848): 192–193. doi:10.1126/science.318.5848.192. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 17932268. S2CID 13016594.
  9. ^ Schmadel 2003, p. 891.
  10. ^ a b Miles, Richard (February 2004). "A practical guide to lightcurve photometry and analysis" (PDF). Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 114 (1): 38–39. ISSN 0007-0297. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  11. ^ Medkeff, Jeff (October 2001). "A Trio for Minor-Planet Oberservers". Sky & Telescope. p. 58. ISSN 0037-6604.
  12. ^ "Brian D. Warner". Space Science Institute. Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  13. ^ "8734 Warner (1997 AA)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.