# David L. Rabinowitz

David Lincoln Rabinowitz (born 1960) is an American astronomer, discoverer of minor planets and researcher at Yale University.

## Career

David Rabinowitz has built CCD cameras and software for the detection of near-Earth and Kuiper belt objects, and his research has helped reduce the assumed number of near-Earth asteroids larger than 1 km by half, from 1,000–2,000 to 500–1,000. He has also assisted in the detection of distant solar system objects, supernovae, and quasars, thereby helping to understand the origin and evolution of the Solar System and the dark energy driving the accelerated expansion of the universe.
Collaborating with Michael Brown and Chad Trujillo of the Quasar Equatorial Survey Team, he has participated in the discovery of several possible dwarf planets such as 90377 Sedna (possibly the first known inner Oort cloud object), 90482 Orcus, Eris (more massive than Pluto), Haumea, and Makemake, though no-one would get credit for Haumea.
Together with Tom Gehrels of the University of Arizona and his Spacewatch team, Rabinowitz discovered or co-discovered other astronomical objects including 5145 Pholus – a Centaur, credited by the MPC to Spacewatch– and the unnumbered Apollo near-Earth object 1991 BA, which remains uncredited.

## Awards and honors

The minor planet 5040 Rabinowitz, a Phocaea asteroid discovered by Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in 1972, was named in his honor and for his work at Spacewatch.

## List of discovered minor planets

David Rabinowitz is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery and co-discovery of 34 minor planets during 1989–2010.
| 90377 Sedna | 14 November 2003 | list |
| 90482 Orcus | February 17, 2004 | list |
| (120178) 2003 OP32 | July 26, 2003 | list |
| (120348) 2004 TY364 | October 3, 2004 | list |
| 136199 Eris | October 21, 2003 | list |
| 136472 Makemake | March 31, 2005 | list |
| (175113) 2004 PF115 | August 7, 2004 | list |
| (187661) 2007 JG$_{43}$ | May 10, 2007 | list |
| 225088 Gonggong | July 17, 2007 | list |
| 229762 Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà | July 17, 2007 | list |
| (305543) 2008 QY$_{40}$ | August 25, 2008 | list |
| (312645) 2010 EP$_{65}$ | March 9, 2010 | list |
| (316179) 2010 EN65 | March 7, 2010 | list |
| (349933) 2009 YF$_7$ | December 19, 2009 | list |
| (353222) 2009 YD$_7$ | December 16, 2009 | list |
| (382004) 2010 RM$_{64}$ | September 9, 2010 | list |
| (386723) 2009 YE7 | December 17, 2009 | list |
| (445473) 2010 VZ98 | November 11, 2010 | list |
| (471136) 2010 EO$_{65}$ | March 9, 2010 | list |
| (471137) 2010 ET$_{65}$ | March 13, 2010 | list |
| (471149) 2010 FB$_{49}$ | March 17, 2010 | list |
| (471150) 2010 FC$_{49}$ | March 18, 2010 | list |
| (471151) 2010 FD$_{49}$ | March 19, 2010 | list |
| (471152) 2010 FE$_{49}$ | March 19, 2010 | list |
| (471155) 2010 GF$_{65}$ | April 14, 2010 | list |
| (471172) 2010 JC$_{80}$ | May 12, 2010 | list |
| (471196) 2010 PK$_{66}$ | August 14, 2010 | list |
| (471210) 2010 VW$_{11}$ | November 3, 2010 | list |
| (496816) 1989 UP | October 27, 1989 | list |
| (499522) 2010 PL$_{66}$ | August 14, 2010 | list |
| (504555) 2008 SO$_{266}$ | September 24, 2008 | list |
| (523618) 2007 RT$_{15}$ | September 11, 2007 | list |
| (523629) 2008 SP$_{266}$ | September 26, 2008 | list |
| (528381) 2008 ST$_{291}$ | September 24, 2008 | list |
| Co-discovery made with: $^A$ M. E. Brown $^B$ C. Trujillo $^C$ M. E. Schwamb $^D$ S. Tourtellotte $^E$ J. V. Scotti |||
1992AD is with a comet-like orbit of 92.26 years without a tail, which orbits between Saturn and Neptune. It was discovered by Rabinowitz in 1992 and was officially named Pholus. Another body that he discovered in 1993 was named Nessus with an orbit of 123.2 years. This one orbits between Saturn and Pluto.