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| Chad Trujillo | |
|---|---|
| Name | Chad Trujillo |
| Birth date | 1973 |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Astronomy, Planetary Science |
| Workplaces | University of Arizona, Gemini Observatory, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory |
| Alma mater | University of Arizona |
Chad Trujillo is an American astronomer and planetary scientist known for co-discovering several trans-Neptunian objects and contributing to the study of the outer Solar System. He has worked at major observatories and collaborated with international teams on surveys that expanded knowledge of the Kuiper belt and trans-Neptunian populations. Trujillo's work intersects with efforts involving space missions, ground-based telescopes, and theoretical studies of planetary dynamics.
Born in the early 1970s, Trujillo pursued undergraduate and graduate studies in astronomy and planetary science at the University of Arizona. During his doctoral and postdoctoral training he conducted observations at facilities such as the Kitt Peak National Observatory, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, and participated in programs associated with the Gemini Observatory and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. His academic mentors and collaborators included researchers affiliated with the Space Telescope Science Institute, California Institute of Technology, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Trujillo has held positions at the Gemini Observatory, the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, and research appointments tied to the University of Arizona and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. He contributed to survey projects that used instruments on the Magellan Telescopes, the Subaru Telescope, and the Very Large Telescope to search for distant Solar System objects. Trujillo collaborated with scientists from institutions such as the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research on programs to characterize trans-Neptunian objects, Centaurs, and scattered disk objects.
Trujillo co-discovered several notable trans-Neptunian objects through surveys that combined wide-field imaging and follow-up astrometry, working alongside teams that included researchers from the Minor Planet Center, the International Astronomical Union, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey consortium. His discoveries and analyses addressed orbital distributions linked to hypotheses involving distant perturbers such as the proposed Planet Nine and examined resonant interactions with Neptune and implications for the primordial Kuiper belt structure. Trujillo's publications investigated physical properties of trans-Neptunian objects using photometry and spectroscopy from facilities including the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories like the Keck Observatory and Palomar Observatory. He participated in studies of the Centaur population and objects related to the Scattered disc and the Oort cloud, contributing to debates about planetesimal formation in the early Solar System and to models of dynamical evolution influenced by giant planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Trujillo's contributions have been recognized within the planetary science and astronomical communities, with acknowledgments from organizations including the International Astronomical Union and professional societies tied to the American Astronomical Society and its divisions. Surveys and collaborative projects he helped lead received attention from institutions such as the National Science Foundation and observatory partners like the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and the Gemini Observatory.
Outside his research, Trujillo has engaged with public outreach through lectures, media interviews, and collaborations with museums and science centers including partnerships akin to those seen with the Smithsonian Institution and university outreach programs. His work has connected him with international colleagues at institutions such as the University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Universidad de Chile.
Trujillo has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed articles in journals and conference proceedings associated with the Astrophysical Journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and meetings sponsored by the American Geophysical Union. He has appeared in media reports and documentaries that discuss trans-Neptunian discoveries and the outer Solar System, collaborating with editorial teams at outlets that cover space science and astronomy.
Category:American astronomers Category:Planetary scientists Category:University of Arizona alumni