Charles T. Kowal
Charles Thomas Kowal | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 8, 1940 |
| Died | November 28, 2011 (aged 71) |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Known for | Discovery of outer Solar System objects |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Caltech's Hale Observatory, STScI, APL |
| see § List of discovered minor planets |
Charles Thomas Kowal (November 8, 1940 – November 28, 2011) was an American astronomer known for his observations and discoveries in the Solar System. As a staff astronomer at Caltech's Mount Wilson and Palomar Mountain observatories between 1961 and 1984, he found the first of a new class of Solar System objects, the centaurs, discovered two moons of the planet Jupiter, and discovered or co-discovered a number of asteroids, comets and supernovae. He was awarded the James Craig Watson Medal for his contributions to astronomy in 1979.