Donald C. Parker, M.D.

Don Parker, a retired physician from Coral Gables, Flori­da has had a life-long interest in astronomy and, since 1953, has built a number of telescopes ranging in diameter from three to sixteen inches. Over the years Dr. Parker came to specialize in Solar System research and planetary photography. He has taken over 20,000 photographs and electronic images of Mars and Jupiter, as support for professional astronomers at NASA, JPL, and various observatories.

Dr. Parker is a past director of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (A.L.P.O.) and currently serves on the Board of that organization. He has been an A.L.P.O. Mars Section Coordinator since 1977, and has done extensive research on the climate and meteorology of the planet Mars. 2008 is his 53^rd year of observing Mars. Parker has authored or co-authored over 150 papers on the Solar System and on planetary photography. These have been pub­lished in both amateur and profession­al journals, such as  Science, Nature, Icarus, The Astronomical Journal, and The Journal of Geophysical Research. Parker’s photographs and electronic images of the planets have appeared in numerous books and magazines throughout the world, including Encyclopedia Britannica’s 1996 Science and the Future. He is co-author of the book, Introduction to Observing and Photographing the Solar System.

In recognition of his contributions to planetary astronomy, Dr. Parker was honored by the International Astronomical Union in 1994, when an asteroid was given the name “5392 Parker.” In 2004 he was awarded the Oriental Astronomical Association’s Gold Medal for his work on Mars.