Robert D. Stephens (born 1955) is an American amateur
astronomer and a prolific
photometrist of
minor planets at the Center for Solar System Studies , Rancho Cucamonga in California, United States.
Career
By profession, Stephens is a
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...
in California since 1978, and has co-founded the accounting firm ''Fox & Stephens Inc.'' in 1988.
Member of the
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...
and former president of the Riverside Astronomical Society,
Stephens became active in studying minor planets in 1999. Since then, he has obtained and published hundreds of rotational ±
light curves of asteroids from photometric observations taken at the CS3–Trojan Station of the
Center for Solar System Studies
This is a list of observatory codes (IAU codes or MPC codes) published by the Minor Planet Center. For a detailed description, ''see observations of small Solar System bodies''.
List
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Observat ...
,
Landers
Landers may refer to:
People
* Landers (surname), a list of people surnamed Landers (including fictional people)
Places
* Landers, California, United States
* Landers Peaks, group of peaks in the northern portion of Alexander Island, Antarct ...
, in the Southern California desert,
where he collaborates with astronomers Daniel Coley and
Brian D. Warner
This is a list of minor-planet discoverers credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of one or several minor planets (such as near-Earth and main-belt asteroids, Jupiter trojans and distant objects). , the discovery of 612,011 numb ...
. He is president of the astronomical research institution ''MoreData! Inc.'', as well as treasurer of the ''Society for Astronomical Sciences'' and the
American Association of Variable Star Observers
The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1911, focused on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers. ...
.
Awards and honors
* Stephens was the winner of the 2009-
Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award and the 2012-
Clifford W. Holmes Award The Clifford W. Holmes Award is presented annually near Big Bear City, California at the RTMC Astronomy Expo to an individual for a significant contribution to popularizing astronomy.
Established in 1978 by Richard Poremba as the Astronomy for Ame ...
.
* In 2013, he was awarded a ''Shoemaker NEO Grant'', together with astronomers
Albino Carbognani
This is a list of minor-planet discoverers credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of one or several minor planets (such as near-Earth and main-belt asteroids, Jupiter trojans and distant objects). , the discovery of 612,011 numb ...
,
Robert Holmes,
Gary Hug and
Donald P. Pray
This is a list of minor-planet discoverers credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of one or several minor planets (such as near-Earth and main-belt asteroids, Jupiter trojans and distant objects). , the discovery of 612,011 numb ...
.
* The main-belt asteroid
39890 Bobstephens, discovered by
Petr Pravec in 1998, was named in his honor.
The official was published by the
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Function
...
on July 24, 2002 ().
See also
*
American Association of Variable Star Observers
The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1911, focused on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers. ...
*
RTMC Astronomy Expo
References
External links
The Planetary Society – Robert Stephens
Center for Solar System Studies homepage
American Association of Variable Star Observers homepage
List of publications in the Astrophysics Data System
MoreData!, Inc. CAGE CODE 5U0E6, DUNS NUMBER 832907435
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Robert D.
1955 births
20th-century American astronomers
21st-century American astronomers
Living people