Bob recently had a minor planet named after him by the International Astronomical Union, based on his contributions to the science. It is a newly-discovered asteroid in the belt between Mars and Jupiter!
Robert A. Garfinkle, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, is the historian of the Britisth Astronomical Association, book reviewer for the Journal of the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers. He is an internationally recognized independent scholar on the history of astronomy and is a highly regarded amateur astronomer. He is the author of the international best-selling astronomy book Star-Hopping: Your Visa to Viewing the Universe (CUP, 1994, 1997), a co-author of Advanced Skywatching (The Nature Company; Time-Life Books, 1997). Garfinkle is a life member of the California Writers Club (CWC) and is a past president. He is also the co-founder and first President of the new Fremont Area Writers (2008–2010), which is now the eighteenth branch of the CWC. In 2009, Garfinkle received the prestigious Jack London Award for outstanding service to his branch and CWC . He is also on the board of the Niles District Silent Film Museum, in Fremont, CA, where Tom Mix, Charlie Chaplin, and Gloria Swanson made their first films. His new book, forthcoming next year, is Luna Cognita, A Comprehensive Observers’ Handbook of the Known Moon.