David Rankin (astronomer)

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David Rankin
Rankin at Mt. Lemmon Survey in 2023
Born1984 (age 41–42)[1]
Alma materUniversity of Utah (BS)[2]
Children2
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsCatalina Sky Survey[3]
Websiterankinstudio.com
Signature
Minor planets discovered: 4[4]
see § List of discovered minor planets

David O. Rankin[5] (born 1984) is an American astronomer, fossil hunter, and discoverer of asteroids. He works as an R&D Operations Engineer at the Catalina Sky Survey. Among the minor planets he has discovered is 2022 WJ1, a small meteoroid that impacted the Earth on November 19, 2022, near Toronto, Ontario.

Early life and education

Rankin was born in 1984.[1] He grew up in Big Water, Utah, United States.[6]

He holds a B.S. in Natural resource management from the University of Utah with minors in Earth science and Middle Eastern studies.[2]

Career

From a young age, he has been interested in fossil hunting. Rankin has discovered several important specimens from the Tropic Shale:[5] In 1998, at the age of 14, he found a well preserved specimen of Brachauchenius lucasi.[7][8][9] In 2001, he discovered the fossil of a new species of plesiosaur,[10] which was named Eopolycotylus rankini after him.[5][11] Two years later, he co-discovered Nothronychus graffami, a new species of therizinosaur.[7][12] In 2017, he found a new site of 220,000-year-old pleistocene deposits at lower Wahweap Creek, which bears some of the oldest mammoth fossils in the Colorado Plateau.[13][14]

Rankin has been a park ranger and a videography intern at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.[7][15] He is a self-described "flash flood chaser" and has worked on improving forecasting for flash floods in southern Utah.[16][17][18] Rankin is an ambassador for the telescope manufacturer Explore Scientific.[19][20]

Astronomy

Rankin began to observe asteroids as an amateur astronomer in 2015.[21] Since February 2016, he reported observations to the Minor Planet Center from his home observatory in Big Water (observatory code V03).[22] Later that year, he discovered his first Near Earth asteroid, provisionally designated 2016 XD1, which he named Cecily after his wife.[23][21] In 2019, he moved to Tucson where he was hired by the Catalina Sky Survey, becoming a professional astronomer.[21][24]

In 2025, Rankin became one of the initial members of the Minor Planet Center's (MPC's) newly formed Singleton and archival observations committee, to help the MPC develop policy recommendations for the evaluation and publication of archival data.[25][26]

Personal life

Rankin was raised a Mormon, but he is no longer associated with the church.[10] He is married and has two sons.[23]

List of discovered minor planets and comets

Orbit of comet 501P/Rankin
Life reconstruction of Eopolycotylus rankini

As of May 2026, Rankin is personally credited with discovering four minor planets (all from Big Water)[4] and 15 comets (including one from Saguaro Observatory at his home in Tucson):[27][28]

605911 CecilyDecember 3, 2016list
771739 JosephAugust 31, 2016list
771914 DawsoncharlesDecember 29, 2016list
788573 IsaiahDecember 30, 2016list
501P/RankinJune 15, 2024list
C/2020 B3 (Rankin)January 29, 2020list
C/2020 K6 (Rankin)May 26, 2020list
C/2020 R6 (Rankin)September 15, 2020list
C/2020 U3 (Rankin)October 22, 2020list
P/2020 V4 (Rankin)November 15, 2020list
P/2020 W1 (Rankin)November 16, 2020list
C/2021 C1 (Rankin)February 11, 2021list
P/2021 R5 (Rankin)September 9, 2021list
C/2021 V1 (Rankin)November 5, 2021list
P/2022 W1 (Rankin)November 18, 2022list
P/2024 S2 (Rankin)September 30, 2024list
P/2024 T1 (Rankin)October 2, 2024list
P/2024 T2 (Rankin)October 4, 2024list
C/2025 V2 (Rankin)November 2, 2025list

In addition, he has discovered numerous Near Earth objects at Catalina,[10][29] including the small impactor 2022 WJ1, the 6th asteroid in history to be discovered before it collided with the Earth.[30][31][a]

Awards and honors

Eopolycotylus rankini, a species of plesiosaur, is named after him.[5][11] In 2019, the main belt asteroid 62701 Davidrankin was named in his honor.[1]

Notes

  1. The five previously predicted impactors are: 2008 TC3, 2014 AA, 2018 LA, 2019 MO, and 2022 EB5.

References

  1. "New Names of Minor Planets" (PDF). Minor Planet Circulars (112432). Minor Planet Center: 4. April 6, 2019. David Rankin (b. 1984) is an American amateur astronomer. He provides follow-up observations of Near Earth asteroids to the Minor Planet Center.
  2. David Rankin. "Education". rankinstudio.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2026.
  3. "David Rankin – R&D Operations Engineer". The University of Arizona. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. Archived from the original on February 11, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  4. "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. May 30, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  5. L. B. Albright; D. D. Gillette; A. L. Titus (2007). "Plesiosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) Tropic Shale of southern Utah, part 2: Polycotylidae". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (1): 41–58. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[41:PFTUCC]2.0.CO;2. [named] for David O. Rankin of Big Water, Utah, discoverer of this and several other important specimiens from the Tropic Shale
  6. Marsha Holland (October 26, 2018), "Scott Richardson, Field Paleontologist & Technician", Life work, discoveries and work on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Cannonville: Southern Utah University, p. 9, retrieved February 18, 2026, David Rankin is Big Water born and raised. Museum of Northern Arizona took him under their wing. He was still 15 or 16, still rebellious then. They brought him to Flagstaff to go to the Arts and Leadership Academy. (Download link)
  7. Andrew Hoekstraur (August 2021). "A Tale of Discoveries at Big Water, Utah" (PDF). Delvings Newsletter. 74 (8). Delvers Gem & Mineral Society: 4–5. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 15, 2026.
  8. Kerry Fehr-Snyder (July 28, 2000). "Fossils of seagoing dinosaur show creatures roamed area 93 million years ago". The Arizona Republic. edition.cnn.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2001.
  9. L. Barry Albright III; David D. Gillette; Alan L. Titus (2007). "Plesiosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) Tropic Shale of southern Utah, part 1: New records of the pliosaur Brachauchenius lucasi". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (1): 31–40. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[31:PFTUCC]2.0.CO;2.
  10. Levi Christiansen (December 18, 2025). "From a Remote Observatory, He's Defending Our Planet. Get a Glimpse Inside the Life of a Doomsday Asteroid Hunter". smithsonianmag.com. Supercluster. Archived from the original on December 24, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  11. David Rankin. "Eopolycotylus rankini, A New Species of Plesiosaur". rankinstudio.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.
  12. David Rankin. "Discoveries". rankinstudio.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2025.
  13. John Hollenhorst (June 8, 2019). "'Mammoth' discovery made at a secret Utah location". Deseret News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  14. Noah Slade (December 2022), "Pleistocene Deposits of Lower Wahweap Creek and Its Tributaries, Southern Utah", All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023, no. 8628, Utah State University, doi:10.26076/8357-3c56
  15. "Technology Subcommittee White Paper" (PDF). National Park System Advisory Board – Education Committee. October 2012. pp. 13–16. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  16. Tay Wiles (October 13, 2014). "Flash flood chaser: One man's obsession improves forecasting in southern Utah". High Country News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  17. Patrick McCarthy (January 27, 2017). "Flood-Chaser Documents Flash Floods on Video. YouTube Videographer Shows the Speed and Power of Flash Floods As They Flow Through Utah Canyons". offgridweb.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  18. Jason Samenow (July 22, 2013). "Debris-loaded flash flood tears through southern Utah". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. David Rankin, a self-described "flood chaser" ("As far as I know, I pioneered it [flood chasing]," he said) and photographer/narrator of the video above, said these debris floods are common in southern Utah.
  19. "Explore Alliance Ambassadors - David Rankin". Explore Scientific. 2023. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  20. "132nd Global Star Party - "Asteroids Unveiled" - Explore Alliance". Explore Scientific. September 26, 2023. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  21. Gregory J. Leonard (January 7, 2023). "Once Again the Catalina Sky Survey Discovers an Earth-Impacting Asteroid". The University of Arizona. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  22. "New Observatory Codes" (PDF). Minor Planet Circulars (97571). Minor Planet Center: 1. February 22, 2016.
  23. "(605911) Cecily = 2016 XD1". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved February 15, 2026. Cecily Rankin (b. 1987) holds a B.S. in advanced radiologic sciences. She is the wife of the discoverer and mother of their two boys.
  24. Jost Jahn. "M.P.E.C. statistics for measurer D. Rankin". mpec.jostjahn.de. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  25. "Newsletter - July 2025" (PDF). Minor Planet Center. July 31, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  26. "Singleton and archival observations committee (SARC)". Minor Planet Center. Archived from the original on November 16, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  27. "Small-Body Database Lookup". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  28. "2024 S2 (P/Rankin)". BAA Comet Section : Comets discovered in 2024. British Astronomical Association. December 24, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  29. Jessie Wilde (March 7, 2025). "Asteroid Hunters". theamericanscholar.org. Phi Beta Kappa. Archived from the original on December 12, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  30. Robin George Andrews (October 1, 2024). How to Kill an Asteroid: The Real Science of Planetary Defense. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-324-05020-9. Finding a solitary asteroid moments before [it hits Earth] is a considerably rarer marvel: Rankin was just the sixth person in all human history to have this exclusive experience.
  31. Jace Dela Cruz (November 22, 2022). "Astronomers Discover an Asteroid 3 Hours Before Crashing into Lake Ontario, Canada". Tech Times. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2026.