Carl A. Wirtanen

Minor planets discovered: 8 [1]
1600 Vyssotsky October 22, 1947
1685 Toro July 17, 1948
1747 Wright July 14, 1947
1863 Antinous March 7, 1948
1951 Lick July 26, 1949
2044 Wirt November 8, 1950
6107 Osterbrock January 14, 1948
(29075) 1950 DA February 22, 1950

Carl Alvar Wirtanen (November 11, 1910 – March 7, 1990) was an American astronomer and discoverer of comets and minor planets who worked at Lick Observatory.[2][3] He was of Finnish ancestry.

Wirtanen was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin.[4] After visiting the observatory in Kenosha with his violin teacher at age 12, he started grinding mirrors.[4] Wirtanen joined the staff at Lick Observatory in 1941. During the Second World War, he took a job as a physicist at the California Institute of Technology and worked on ballistics at the Naval Ordnance Test Station in the Mojave Desert. He returned to Lick Observatory after the war, remaining there until his retirement in 1978.[4]

Wirtanen discovered periodic comet 46P/Wirtanen,[5] as well as eight asteroids, including notably the Apollo asteroid (29075) 1950 DA, which may have a non-negligible probability of impacting the Earth in the year 2880. He also discovered two other Apollo asteroids: 1685 Toro and 1863 Antinous. Based on the Shane–Wirtanen survey, the Shane Wirtanen Catalogue, a count of galaxies, was his major work published in 1954.[6]

The asteroid 2044 Wirt, discovered by himself at Lick Observatory in 1950, was named in his honor in on 1 January 1981 (M.P.C. 5688). The name was proposed by his colleague Arnold Klemola.[3][7]

Wirtanen died in Santa Cruz, California in 1990 following a lengthy illness. His remains were scattered at sea.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPC-Discoverers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Obituary-by-Klemola was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference springer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d "Carl A. Wirtanen". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, CA. March 11, 1990. p. 21. Retrieved February 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "California Astronomer Discovers New Comet". Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg, FL. August 22, 1948. p. 21. Retrieved February 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Brown-1989 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPC-Circulars-Archive was invoked but never defined (see the help page).