KALAMAZOO, MI — The Kalamazoo Astronomical Society will host renowned Canadian astronomer Dr. David Levy for a presentation on May 1 at 7 p.m. as part of its year-long 90th anniversary celebration.
Levy will present “A Lifetime of Comet Searching: Using the Night Sky to Support an Exhilarating Life” at the society’s general meeting in room 1104 of Rood Hall on Western Michigan University’s main campus at 2101 Wilbur Ave. The meeting will also be streamed live on Zoom.
The lecture will chronicle Levy’s astronomical career, which began on Sept. 1, 1960, when he first looked through a telescope at Jupiter. He will discuss his failures and successes, as well as two pivotal decisions that shaped his life’s work.
Levy has discovered 23 comets, including the co-discovery of Shoemaker-Levy 9, which collided with Jupiter in 1994. He is the first person to discover comets through three different methods: visually, photographically, and electronically.
Born in Montreal on May 22, 1948, Levy pursued bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature despite an early interest in astronomy. He later earned a Ph.D. from Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Feb. 28, 2010, for his thesis on celestial events in Elizabethan and Jacobean writing from 1572 to 1620.
The astronomer and science writer has authored 34 books on astronomical topics, including a biography of Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh published in 2006. His work has appeared in Sky & Telescope, Parade Magazine, Sky News, and Astronomy Magazine.
Admission is free, but registration is required for Zoom attendance. More information and registration details are available on the society’s Schedule of Events webpage.