Charles W. Juels

Charles W. Juels, born in New York City in nineteen forty-four, was a remarkable figure who seamlessly blended the worlds of psychiatry and astronomy. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, he pursued a career in medicine, graduating from Cincinnati College of Medicine in nineteen sixty-nine. His professional life as a psychiatrist flourished in Phoenix, Arizona, where he dedicated himself to the mental well-being of his patients.

Upon retiring from his psychiatric practice, Juels embarked on a new adventure in astronomy. He established the Fountain Hills Observatory in Fountain Hills, Arizona, where he quickly made a name for himself as an amateur astronomer. In just eighteen months, he discovered sixty-five numbered minor planets, showcasing his exceptional talent and passion for celestial exploration.

Between nineteen ninety-nine and two thousand three, Juels was credited with the discovery of four hundred seventy-five minor planets, earning him a prominent place among the world's leading discoverers according to the Minor Planet Center. His contributions to astronomy were further recognized in December two thousand two when he and Paulo R. Holvorcem received the prestigious Harvard–Smithsonian 2003 Comet Award for their joint discovery of the near-parabolic comet C/2002 Y1.

Charles W. Juels passed away on January twenty-first, two thousand nine, at the age of sixty-four. In recognition of his significant contributions to the field, the main-belt asteroid 20135 Juels was named in his honor, with the naming citation published on March ninth, two thousand one.