Scott Sander Sheppard (born 1977) is an American
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
and a discoverer of numerous
moons,
comets
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or coma surrounding the nucleus, an ...
and
minor planet
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
s in the
outer Solar System
The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sol ...
.
He is an astronomer in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science, also known as Carnegie Science and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, is an organization established to fund and perform scientific research in the United States. This institution is headquartered in W ...
in Washington, DC. He attended
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
as an undergraduate, and received his bachelor in physics with honors in 1998.
Starting as a graduate student at the
Institute for Astronomy at the
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offic ...
, he was credited with the discovery of many
small moons of
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
,
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...
,
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It is a gaseous cyan-coloured ice giant. Most of the planet is made of water, ammonia, and methane in a Supercritical fluid, supercritical phase of matter, which astronomy calls "ice" or Volatile ( ...
, and
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...
. He has also discovered the first known trailing
Neptune trojan
Neptune trojans are bodies that orbit the Sun near one of the stable Lagrangian points of Neptune, similar to the trojans of other planets. They therefore have approximately the same orbital period as Neptune and follow roughly the same orbita ...
, , the first named leading Neptune trojan,
385571 Otrera, and the first high inclination Neptune trojan, . These discoveries showed that the Neptune trojan objects are mostly on highly inclined orbits and thus likely captured small bodies from elsewhere in the
Solar System
The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...
.
The
main-belt asteroid
17898 Scottsheppard, discovered by
LONEOS
Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) was a project designed to discover asteroids and comets that orbit near the Earth. The project, funded by NASA, was directed by astronomer Ted Bowell of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz ...
at
Anderson Mesa Station in 1999, was named in his honor.
Discoveries
Sheppard was the lead discoverer of the object with the most distant orbit known in the Solar System, (nicknamed Biden). In 2014, the similarity of the orbit of to other extreme Kuiper belt object orbits led Sheppard and
Trujillo to propose that an unknown
Super-Earth
A super-Earth is a type of exoplanet with a mass higher than Earth, but substantially below those of the Solar System's ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, which are 14.5 and 17.1 times Earth's, respectively.
The term "super-Earth" refers only to t ...
mass planet (2–15 Earth masses) in the outermost Solar System beyond 200
AU and up to 1500 AU is shepherding these smaller bodies into similar orbits (see
Planet X or
Planet Nine
Planet Nine is a List of hypothetical Solar System objects, hypothetical ninth planet in the outer region of the Solar System. Its gravitational effects could explain the peculiar clustering of orbits for a group of extreme trans-Neptunian obj ...
). The extreme trans-Neptunian objects and , announced in 2016 and co-discovered by Sheppard, further show a likely unknown massive planet exists beyond a few hundred AU in the Solar System, with being the first known high semi-major axis and high perihelion object anti-aligned with the other known extreme objects. In 2018, the announcement of the high perihelion inner Oort cloud object
541132 Leleākūhonua (nicknamed "The Goblin") by Sheppard et al., being only the third known after and Sedna, further demonstrated that a super-Earth planet in the distant Solar System likely exists as Leleākūhonua has many orbital similarities as the two other known inner Oort cloud objects.
Most notable discoveries
Sheppard has been involved in the discovery of many
small Solar System bodies
A small Solar System body (SSSB) is an object in the Solar System that is neither a planet, a dwarf planet, nor a natural satellite. The term was first IAU definition of planet, defined in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as fo ...
such as
trans-Neptunian object
A trans-Neptunian object (TNO), also written transneptunian object, is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, which has an orbital semi-major axis of 30.1 astronomical units (AU).
...
s,
centaurs
A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...
,
comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma surrounding ...
s and
near-Earth objects
A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body orbiting the Sun whose closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 times the Earth–Sun distance (astronomical unit, AU). This definition applies to the object's orbit aro ...
.
*Three comets are named after him which are
Sheppard-Trujillo (C/2014 F3),
Sheppard-Tholen (C/2015 T5) and comet Trujillo-Sheppard (P/2018 V5).
*The
possible dwarf planets discovered by Sheppard are
471143 Dziewanna, , , , and .
*In 2018, Sheppard was the lead discoverer of the most distant observed object in the Solar System and first object observed beyond 100 AU, dwarf planet (nicknamed Farout), which is around 120 AU from the Sun.
*He discovered a
minor-planet moon
A minor-planet moon is an astronomical object that orbits a minor planet as its natural satellite. , there are 457 minor planets known or suspected to have moons. Discoveries of minor-planet moons (and binary objects, in general) are important ...
around likely dwarf planet .
*He is also a co-discoverer of a minor-planet moon orbiting the binary trans-Neptunian object
341520 Mors–Somnus.
*Among the numerous
irregular moons of the major planets in whose discovery he has been involved are:
;Jupiter
Discovered
moons of Jupiter
There are 97 Natural satellite, moons of Jupiter with confirmed orbits . This number does not include a number of meter-sized moonlets thought to be shed from the inner moons, nor hundreds of possible kilometer-sized outer irregular moons that ...
(
full list):
*
Themisto (2000), first seen but lost in 1975 by
Charles Kowal
*
Harpalyke (2000)
*
Praxidike (2000)
*
Chaldene (2000)
*
Isonoe (2000)
*
Erinome (2000)
*
Taygete
In Classical Greek mythology, Taygete , , ) was a nymph, one of the Pleiades according to the '' Bibliotheca'' (3.10.1) and a companion of Artemis, in her archaic role as '' potnia theron'', "Mistress of the animals", with its likely roots in pr ...
(2000)
*
Kalyke (2000)
*
Megaclite (2000)
*
Iocaste (2000)
*
Dia (2000)
*
Euporie
In Greek mythology, the Horae (), Horai () or Hours (, ) were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time.
Etymology
The term ''hora'' comes from the Proto-Indo-European ("year").
Function
The Horae were originally the p ...
(2001)
*
Orthosie (2001)
*
Euanthe (2001)
*
Thyone (2001)
*
Hermippe (2001)
*
Pasithee (2001)
*
Aitne (2001)
*
Eurydome (2001)
*
Autonoe (2001)
*
Sponde (2001)
*
Kale
Kale (), also called leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars primarily grown for their Leaf vegetable, edible leaves; it has also been used as an ornamental plant. Its multiple different cultivars vary quite ...
(2001)
*
Arche
In philosophy and science, a first principle is a basic proposition or assumption that cannot be deduced from any other proposition or assumption. First principles in philosophy are from first cause attitudes and taught by Aristotelians, and nuan ...
(2002)
*
Eukelade (2003)
*
Helike
Helike (; , pronounced , modern ) was an ancient Greek polis or city-state that was submerged by a tsunami in the winter of 373 BC.
It was located in the Regional units of Greece, regional unit of Achaea, northern Peloponnesos, two kilometres ( ...
(2003)
*
Aoede (2003)
*
Hegemone (2003)
*
Kallichore (2003)
*
Cyllene (2003)
*
Mneme (2003)
*
Thelxinoe (2003)
*
Carpo (2003)
*
Kore (2003)
*
Herse (2003)
*
S/2003 J 2 (2003)
*
Eupheme (2003)
*
S/2003 J 4 (2003)
*
Eirene (2003)
*
S/2003 J 9 (2003)
*
S/2003 J 10 (2003)
*
S/2003 J 12 (2003)
*
Philophrosyne (2003)
*
S/2003 J 16 (2003)
*
Jupiter LV (2003)
*
Jupiter LXI (2003)
*
S/2003 J 23 (2003)
*
S/2003 J 24 (2003)
*
Jupiter LXXII (2011)
*
Jupiter LVI (2011)
*
S/2011 J 3 (2011)
*
Jupiter LIV (2016)
*
Valetudo (2016)
*
S/2016 J 3 (2016)
*
S/2016 J 4 (2016)
*
Jupiter LIX (2017)
*
Jupiter LXIII (2017)
*
Jupiter LXIV (2017)
*
Pandia
In Greek mythology, the goddess Pandia or Pandeia (, meaning "all brightness") was a daughter of Zeus and the goddess Selene, the Greek personification of the moon. From the '' Homeric Hymn to Selene'', we have: "Once the Son of Cronos euswas j ...
(2017)
*
Jupiter LXVI (2017)
*
Jupiter LXVII (2017)
*
Jupiter LXVIII (2017)
*
Jupiter LXIX (2017)
*
Jupiter LXX (2017)
*
S/2017 J 10 (2017)
*
S/2017 J 11 (2017)
*
Ersa
In Greek mythology, according to Plutarch, the 7th century BC Greek poet Alcman said that Ersa or Herse (, , literally " dew"), the personification of dew, is the daughter of Zeus and the Moon (Selene).Hardp. 46 ní Mheallaighp. 26 Keightley ...
(2018)
*
S/2018 J 2 (2018)
*
S/2018 J 3 (2018)
*
S/2018 J 4 (2018)
*
S/2021 J 1 (2021)
*
S/2021 J 2 (2021)
*
S/2021 J 3 (2021)
*
S/2021 J 4 (2021)
*
S/2021 J 5 (2021)
*
S/2021 J 6 (2021)
*
S/2022 J 1 (2022)
*
S/2022 J 2 (2022)
*
S/2022 J 3 (2022)
;Saturn
Discovered
moons of Saturn
The moons of Saturn are numerous and diverse, ranging from tiny moonlets only tens of meters across to the enormous Titan (moon), Titan, which is larger than the planet Mercury (planet), Mercury. There are 274 natural satellite, moons with con ...
(
full list):
*
Narvi (2003)
*
Fornjot (2004)
*
Farbauti (2004)
*
Aegir (2004)
*
Bebhionn (2004)
*
Hati (2004)
*
Bergelmir (2004)
*
Fenrir
Fenrir (Old Norse 'fen-dweller')Orchard (1997:42). or Fenrisúlfr (Old Norse "Fenrir's wolf", often translated "Fenris-wolf"),Simek (2007:81). also referred to as Hróðvitnir (Old Norse "fame-wolf")Simek (2007:160). and Vánagandr (Old Nors ...
(2004)
*
Bestla
Bestla (Old Norse: ) is a jötunn in Norse mythology, and the mother of the gods Odin, Vili and Vé (by way of Borr). She is also the sister of an unnamed man who assisted Odin, and the daughter (or granddaughter depending on the source) of the j ...
(2004)
*
S/2004 S 7 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 12 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 13
S/2004 S 13 is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on 4 May 2005 from observations taken between 12 December 2004 and 9 March 2005.
S/2004 S 13 ...
(2004)
*
S/2004 S 17 (2004)
*
Hyrrokkin (2004)
*
Gridr (2004)
*
S/2004 S 21 (2004)
*
Angrboda (2004)
*
Skrymir (2004)
*
S/2004 S 24 (2004)
*
Gerd
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a chronic upper gastrointestinal disease in which stomach content persistently and regularly flows up into the esophagus, resulting in symptoms and/or ...
(2004)
*
Saturn LVIII (2004)
*
Eggther (2004)
*
S/2004 S 28 (2004)
*
Saturn LX (2004)
*
Beli (2004)
*
S/2004 S 31 (2004)
*
Gunnlod (2004)
*
Thiazzi (2004)
*
Saturn LXIV (2004)
*
Alvaldi (2004)
*
S/2004 S 36 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 37
S/2004 S 37 is a natural satellite of Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth ...
(2004)
*
Geirrod (2004)
*
S/2004 S 39 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 40 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 41 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 42 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 43 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 44 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 45 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 46 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 47 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 48 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 49 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 50 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 51 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 52 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 53 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 54 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 55 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 56 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 57 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 58 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 59 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 60 (2004)
*
S/2004 S 61 (2004)
*
S/2005 S 4 (2005)
*
S/2005 S 5 (2005)
*
S/2005 S 6 (2005)
*
S/2005 S 7 (2005)
*
Kari (2006)
*
Loge (2006)
*
Surtur (2006)
*
Skoll (2006)
*
Greip (2006)
*
Jarnsaxa (2006)
*
S/2006 S 1
S/2006 S 1 is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, and Brian G. Marsden on June 26, 2006 from observations taken between January 4 and April 30, 2006. S/2006 S 1 is abou ...
(2006)
*
S/2006 S 3 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 9
S/2006 S 9 is a natural satellite of Saturn. Its discovery was announced by Scott S. Sheppard, David C. Jewitt, Jan Kleyna, Edward Ashton, Brett J. Gladman, Jean-Marc Petit and Mike Alexandersen on May 3, 2023 from observations taken betwee ...
(2006)
*
S/2006 S 10 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 11 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 12 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 13 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 14 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 15 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 16 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 17 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 18 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 19 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 20 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 21 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 22 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 23 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 24 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 25 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 26 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 27 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 28 (2006)
*
S/2006 S 29 (2006)
*
Tarqeq (2007)
*
S/2007 S 2 (2007)
*
S/2007 S 3 (2007)
*
S/2007 S 5 (2007)
*
S/2007 S 6 (2007)
*
S/2007 S 7 (2007)
*
S/2007 S 8 (2007)
*
S/2007 S 9 (2007)
*
S/2007 S 10 (2007)
*
S/2007 S 11 (2007)
*
S/2019 S 3 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 9 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 11 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 17 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 18 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 21 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 24 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 25 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 27 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 29 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 31 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 33 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 34 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 40 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 42 (2019)
*
S/2019 S 43 (2019)
*
S/2020 S 1 (2020)
*
S/2020 S 8 (2020)
*
S/2020 S 26 (2020)
*
S/2020 S 27 (2020)
; Uranus
Discovered
moons of Uranus
Uranus, the seventh planet of the Solar System, has 28 confirmed moons. The 27 with names are named after characters that appear in, or are mentioned in, William Shakespeare's plays and Alexander Pope's poem '' The Rape of the Lock''. Uranus's ...
(
full list):
*
Margaret
Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
(2003)
*
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
(2003), first seen but lost in 2001 by Holman et al.
*
S/2023 U 1 (2023)
; Neptune
Discovered
moons of Neptune
The planet Neptune has 16 known natural satellite, moons, which are named for minor List of water deities, water deities and a Hippocampus (mythology), water creature in Greek mythology.This is a IAU guideline that will be followed at the naming ...
(
full list):
*
Psamathe Psamathe may refer to:
Greek mythology
* Psamathe (Nereid)
* Psamathe (Crotopus), Daughter of Crotopus
Other
* Psamathe (moon), moon of Neptune
* Psamathe (polychaete), ''Psamathe'' (polychaete), polychaete worm genus
* Psamathe (Leighton), '' ...
(2003)
*
S/2002 N 5 (2021), first seen but lost in 2002 by Holman et al.
*
S/2021 N 1 (2021)
See also
*
References
External links
Scott Sheppard's web site Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science, also known as Carnegie Science and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, is an organization established to fund and perform scientific research in the United States. This institution is headquartered in W ...
Scott S. Sheppard – Curriculum Vitae Carnegie Institution for Science
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheppard, Scott S.
1977 births
Living people
20th-century American astronomers
21st-century American astronomers
American planetary scientists
*
Discoverers of moons
Discoverers of trans-Neptunian objects
Oberlin College alumni
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni