David H. Levy is one of the most successful comet discoverers in history. He has discovered 22 comets, nine of them using his own backyard telescopes. Together with Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California he discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994 producing the most spectacular explosions ever witnessed in the solar system. He is involved with the Jarnac Comet Survey, and Science Editor for Parade magazine, and contributing editor for Sky and Telescope. He has been awarded five honorary doctorates, and asteroid 3673 (Levy) was named in his honor. His other recent books include David Levy's Guide to Observing and Discovering Comets and David Levy's Guide to Variable Stars (Cambridge University Press).
