December 28, 2008 Guest –
David Levy
Program:
The Christmas Star
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David H. Levy is one of
the most successful comet discoverers in history. He has discovered 22
comets, nine of them using his own backyard telescopes. With Eugene and
Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California he discovered
Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994. That
episode produced the most spectacular explosions ever witnessed in the
solar system. Levy is currently involved with the Jarnac Comet Survey,
which is based at the Jarnac Observatory in Vail, Arizona but which has
telescopes planned for locations around the world.
Levy is the author or editor of 35 books and other products. He
won an Emmy in 1998 as part of the writing team for the Discovery
Channel documentary, "Three Minutes to Impact." As the Science Editor
for Parade Magazine, he is able to reach more than 80 million readers,
almost a quarter of the population of the United States. A contributing
editor for Sky and Telescope Magazine, he writes its monthly "Star
Trails" column, and his "Nightfall" feature appears in each issue of the
Canadian Magazine Skynews.
David Levy has
given more than 1000 lectures and major interviews, and has appeared on
many television programs, such as the Today show (4 times), Good Morning
America (twice), the National Geographic special Asteroids: Deadly
Impact, and ABC's World News Tonight, where he and the
Shoemakers were named Persons of the Week for July 22, 1994. Also, Levy
has done nationally broadcast testimonials for PBS (1995-present), and
for the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon (1998-1999). He and his
wife Wendee (pictured above) host a weekly radio show available worldwide at
www.letstalkstars.com.
In 2004 he was the Senator John Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and
American Institutions at Arizona State University. He has been awarded
five honorary doctorates, and asteroid 3673 (Levy) was named in his
honor.
Levy is President of the National Sharing the Sky Foundation, an
organization intended to inspire new generations to develop an inquiring
interest in the sciences, or in other words, to reach for the stars.
Levy resides in Vail, Arizona, with his wife, Wendee. After
teaching Physical Education in the Las Cruces school district for 26
years, in 1996 Wendee became the manager of Jarnac Observatory, and was
promoted to Director in 2004. Wendee is an integral part of our Jarnac
Comet Survey, helping to organize the program and scan the images. As
Secretary-Treasurer of the National Sharing the Sky Foundation, Wendee
plays a vital role in its activities. |