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22 has been your favorite discovery so far ?
was it like to experience a comet that you co-discovered crash into Jupiter ?
I had mixed feelings when I learned that this comet would hit Jupiter . First was a feeling of dismay because I realized that I would never see that comet again — I was going to lose a comet . But than came the excitement of seeing an impact , knowing that I had discovered the impactor ! One of the things that pleased both Gene and me was the fact that our telescope on Palomar was the 18-inch but the big 200-inch telescope observed our comet impacting Jupiter . Sometimes in astronomy , bigger is more impressive , so we thought that was pretty neat . We appreciated the help that everyone gave each other in getting ready for the impact and then when the impact occurred , we couldn ’ t have been more excited . challenges have you faced personally in the field because of your gender ?
there ever a point when you wanted to quit ?
How do you make sure you are heard in a huge community of astronomers ?
Who do you think is the most influential female astronomer / astrophysicist ?
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22 has been your favorite discovery so far ?
My favorite discovery has been Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 !
was it like to experience a comet that you co-discovered crash into Jupiter ?
I had mixed feelings when I learned that this comet would hit Jupiter . First was a feeling of dismay because I realized that I would never see that comet again — I was going to lose a comet . But than came the excitement of seeing an impact , knowing that I had discovered the impactor ! One of the things that pleased both Gene and me was the fact that our telescope on Palomar was the 18-inch but the big 200-inch telescope observed our comet impacting Jupiter . Sometimes in astronomy , bigger is more impressive , so we thought that was pretty neat . We appreciated the help that everyone gave each other in getting ready for the impact and then when the impact occurred , we couldn ’ t have been more excited . challenges have you faced personally in the field because of your gender ?
I did not face challenges in my field due to gender , probably being married to Gene Shoemaker saved me from that .
there ever a point when you wanted to quit ?
I was never frustrated or wanted to quit . I was having too much fun with my work , and those years of working with Gene on something that excited us both were some of my happiest .
COURTESY OF Jean Mueller
Carolyn Shoemaker , Gene Shoemaker ( seated ) and David Levy are shown outside of Palomar Observatory , where the image that revealed Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was taken in March 1993 .
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How do you make sure you are heard in a huge community of astronomers ?
Being interested in the work of other astronomers seems to encourage a likeminded response .
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Who do you think is the most influential female astronomer / astrophysicist ?
Vera Rubin * was the most influential astronomer / astrophysicist of my time . She was in the field before I was and made many discoveries of different sorts . I just had so much admiration for her . I think most people did . She was just remarkable .
* For more information on Vera Rubin , please see the sidebar on page 44 .
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