Felix Hormuth


Felix Hormuth is a German astronomer, working at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy until 2016, and a prolific discoverer of minor planets. During his stay at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain, he has discovered many asteroids, including a Jupiter trojan and two near-Earth objects, such as the 15-meter Amor asteroid, using MPIA's 1.23-meter reflector telescope.

Career

Hormuth has worked with data obtained by the Infrared Space Observatory, was involved in the measurement campaign of the Very Large Telescope's GRAVITY-interferometer, and participated in the construction of optical instruments used at the NTT in La Silla, Chile. As of 2016, he is a project manager at MPIA, working for the Institute's hardware contribution to ESA's space-based Euclid mission, which will accurately measure the acceleration of the universe for the study of dark energy and dark matter.
The Minor Planet Center ranks him 127th for a total of 75 credited discoveries of numbered asteroid during 2003–2009. Hormuth has named his discovered main-belt asteroids 241475 Martinagedeck and 342843 Davidbowie after actors and songwriter Martina Gedeck and David Bowie, respectively. He has also named 18610 Arthurdent after the character in Douglas Adams's radio play and book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Honors and awards

The asteroid 10660 Felixhormuth was named in his honor by astronomers Lothar Kurtze and Lutz Schmadel. The outer main-belt asteroid, provisionally designated 4348 T-1, was discovered by Dutch and Dutch–American astronomers during the Palomar–Leiden trojan survey in 1971. Based on an absolute magnitude of 13.9, it measures about 4 to 10 kilometers in diameter.

List of discovered minor planets

189202 Calar Alto17 September 2003
196640 Mulhacén17 September 2003
202736 Julietclare18 May 2007
209083 Rioja17 September 2003
210432 Dietmarhopp8 December 2008
210433 Ullithiele21 December 2008
210444 Frithjof16 January 2009
212991 Garcíalorca23 February 2009
215044 Joãoalves20 February 2009
23 December 2008
239672 SOFIA21 December 2008
241475 Martinagedeck25 January 2009
241509 Sessler22 February 2009
246759 Elviracheca11 February 2009
23 March 2009
257234 Güntherkurtze26 February 2009
281764 Schwetzingen24 February 2009
22 February 2009
23 February 2009
293934 MPIA8 October 2007
22 December 2008
13 February 2009
22 February 2009
23 February 2009
23 February 2009

12 February 2009
17 February 2009
22 February 2009
18 December 2008
22 February 2009
15 January 2009
26 February 2009
23 February 2009
23 March 2009
14 February 2009
26 February 2009
19 March 2009
429031 Hannavonhoerner11 February 2009
429032 Sebvonhoerner12 February 2009
429033 Günterwendt13 February 2009
431397 Carolinregina14 April 2007
435950 Bad Königshofen21 February 2009
23 February 2009
24 February 2009
25 February 2009
24 January 2009
456731 Uligrözinger8 October 2007
13 February 2009
22 February 2009
17 February 2009