Shoemaker, Eugene Merle (1928-1997), was an American geologist and astronomer. He almost single-handedly founded astrogeology, the study of the geology of the planets and their satellites. His research alerted the public to the danger of Earth’s being hit by a comet or an asteroid.
In the late 1950’s, Shoemaker became interested in collisions of asteroids and comets with planets and satellites. He proved that Meteor Crater in Arizona was formed when an asteroid struck Earth. In the early 1960’s, Shoemaker began to study the craters of the moon. He also worked with the astronauts who were to go on the Apollo missions to the moon.
From 1973 to 1994, Shoemaker conducted photographic surveys of the sky. His early surveys were conducted with the American astronomer Eleanor Helin. Shoemaker’s wife, Carolyn, later assisted with the surveys. Shoemaker and his wife discovered 32 comets and many asteroids. In 1993, they and the Canadian-born American astronomer David H. Levy discovered Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which in 1994 collided dramatically with Jupiter.
Shoemaker was born on April 28, 1928, in Los Angeles. He received a bachelor’s degree in geology from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1947 and a master’s degree from Caltech in 1948. In 1960, he received a Ph.D. from Princeton University. During most of the time from 1948 to 1993, he served with the United States Geological Survey. From 1968 to 1985, he was also a professor of geology at Caltech. He died on July 18, 1997.
See also Asteroid (Measuring asteroids) ; Meteor Crater .
