Carolyn S. Shoemaker

Carolyn S. Shoemaker
Carolyn S. Shoemaker
Born	Carolyn Jean Spellmann; June 24, 1929; Gallup, New Mexico, U.S.
Died	August 13, 2021 (aged 92); Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Chico State
Known for	Co-discovery of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9
Spouse	Eugene Shoemaker (m. 1951; died 1997)
Awards	Rittenhouse Medal (1988); NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1996); James Craig Watson Medal (1998);
	Scientific career
Fields	Astronomy
Institutions	California Institute of Technology; Palomar Observatory, California;

Carolyn Jean Spellmann Shoemaker (June 24, 1929 – August 13, 2021) was an American astronomer and a co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9. She discovered 32 comets (then a record for the most by an individual) and more than 500 asteroids.

Having earned degrees in history, political science, and English literature, she had little interest in planetary science until she met and married geologist Eugene Merle Shoemaker. Her career in astronomy began when she demonstrated good stereoscopic vision, a particularly valuable quality for looking for objects in near-Earth space. Despite the fact that her degrees were not in science, having that visual ability motivated the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to hire her as a research assistant on a team led by her husband. She went on to making record-setting discoveries in the field of astronomy, as well as being awarded honorary degrees and many professional awards.

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