Michael Rudenko

Michael Rudenko is a staff member of the Minor Planet Center, located at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Minor Planet Center is the single worldwide location for receipt and distribution of positional measurements of minor planets, comets and outer irregular natural satellites of the major planets. It is responsible for the identification, designation and orbit computation for all of these objects. This involves maintaining the master files of observations and orbits, keeping track of the discoverer of each object, and announcing discoveries to the rest of the world via electronic circulars and an extensive website.  During the 1980s he undertook a visual comet hunting program, discovering three comets with the aid of a 6-inch refractor.