Biography - David Levy

          David Levy is not only an astronomer but he is also a writer in the areas of science. Levy 

was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on May 22, 1948. Despite having an interest in astronomy from an early age, he pursued and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English 

literature. In 1967 he almost got expelled from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's 

Montreal Centre after an argument with some members of its administration. "Levy will never 

amount to anything," one senior official of the RASC remarked in 1968. Years later, Levy began 

a correspondence with Isabel Williamson, the one that he started the quibble with. These 

letters turned into visits, the presentation of the National Service Award to Miss Williamson, and 

the naming of the Montreal Centre's Observatory after her. Levy went on to discover 22 comets, whether it was him alone or with her is uncertain. He has written 34 books, mostly on astronomical subjects, such as The Quest for Comets and his tribute to Gene Shoemaker in Shoemaker by Levy. He has provided periodic articles for Sky and Telescope magazine, as well as Parade Magazine, Sky News and Astronomy Magazine.

Periodic comets that Levy co-discovered include 118P/Shoemaker-Levy, 129P/Shoemaker-Levy, 135P/Shoemaker-Levy, 137P/Shoemaker-Levy, 138P/Shoemaker-Levy, 145P/Shoemaker-Levy, and 181P/Shoemaker-Levy. Levy is the sole discoverer of two periodic comets P/1991 L3 and P/2006T1. He was also the first to discover comets visually, photographically , and electronically, which I think is quite the impressive feat!

On February 28, 2010, Levy was awarded a Ph. D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his successful completion of his thesis "The Sky in Early Modern English Literature: A Study of Allusions to Celestial Events in Elizabethan and Jacobean Writing, 1572-1620."

At this point in his life, Levy lives in Vail, Arizona and is married to Wendee Levy. Levy and his wife host a weekly internet radio talk show on astronomy. Along with this he is also President of the National Sharing the Sky Foundation which seeks to promote intelligent awareness of astronomy and related sciences.