Jean Mueller

In 1983, she became the first woman to operate the historic Hooker telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory and was the first woman hired as a telescope operator at Palomar Observatory in 1985. The Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II) got under way in August 1985, with the first of the 14" photographic glass plates being pulled off the Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (then called the 48-inch Schmidt Camera). Jean Mueller was hired as the 48-Inch Night Assistant in July of that year, and worked in the capacity as observer and telescope operator for the duration. She took over 5500 photographic plates and had the honor of setting the telescope and removing the final plate from the historic Schmidt Camera on June 3, 2000, as well as discovering her last supernova, 2000cm, on that same night. Jean Mueller spent hundreds of hours (in her spare time) scanning POSS II plates under high magnification looking for comets, fast-moving asteroids, and supernovae on an X/Y stage that held the 1 mm thick glass plates. Mueller would sometimes mark over a hundred galaxies recorded on a single POSS II plate to hunt for supernova candidates. She would then compare these plates with the first Palomar Sky Survey (POSS I) of similar fields. It was during the years of the POSS II project that Jean Mueller made all of her discoveries.

• Illustration — Jean Mueller with the Samuel Oschin telescope Minor planets discovered: 13 • 4257 Ubasti — August 23, 1987 • 4558 Janesick — July 12, 1988 • 6569 Ondaatje — June 22, 1993 • 9162 Kwiila — July 29, 1987 • October 18, 1987 • 11500 Tomaiyowit — October 28, 1989 • 12711 Tukmit — January 19, 1991 • 16465 Basilrowe — March 24, 1990 • 19204 Joshuatree — June 21, 1992 • 24658 Misch — October 18, 1987 • October 5, 1988 • 3 October 1991 • 21 November 1987 • # codisc with A. Maury # codisc with J. D. Mendenhall # codisc with J. Phinney Working at Palomar Observatory, she discovered a total of 15 comets, including 7 periodic comets 120P/Mueller, 131P/Mueller, 136P/Mueller, 149P/Mueller, 173P/Mueller, 188P/LINEAR-Mueller, 190P/Mueller, and 8 non-periodic comets. She is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 13 numbered minor planets during 1987–1993, including several near-Earth objects such as the Apollo asteroids 4257 Ubasti, 9162 Kwiila, and 12711 Tukmit and the Amor asteroid 6569 Ondaatje. Mueller consulted with the Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians for the naming of 9162 Kwiila, 11500 Tomaiyowit, and 12711 Tukmit whose names honored Luiseño gods. Mueller also discovered 107 (9 listed as co-discoveries) supernovae.

Jean Mueller is an Advisor of the Meade 4M Community who supports her outreach activities.