Talk:Donald Machholz

New comet discovery just reported

See this article in Sky & Telescope magazine. The "most recent discovery" mentioned in this article is no longer the most recent. CosineKitty (talk) 01:54, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Donald Machholz Death Location

My husband’s page has the incorrect death location.

I am Michele Machholz, spouse of Donald Machholz, astronomer and visual comet discoverer.

He died in our home in Wikieup, Arizona where we resided together.

Please help correct.

Here is supporting documentation of death location: https://astronomy.com/news/2022/08/donald-machholz-prolific-comet-hunter-dies-at-age-69

Thank you. MicheleMachholz (talk) 13:50, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Donald (Don) Machholz, an amateur astronomer who co-invented the Messier marathon and visually discovered 12 comets that now bear his name, died early yesterday morning (Aug. 9) at his home — called “Stargazer Ranch” — in Wikieup, Arizona. He was 69 years old. Here is supporting documentation of death location: https://astronomy.com/news/2022/08/donald-machholz-prolific-comet-hunter-dies-at-age-69 MicheleMachholz (talk) 14:16, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

I've marked this as an edit request so it will be seen by other editors. 331dot (talk) 14:30, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

MicheleMachholz, I ran across this edit request and took care of it. Please review it, and if there is anything about the style or wording you would like changed, I am happy to do it. I am sorry for your loss. Peacedance (talk) 17:11, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

331dot, I ran across this edit request and took care of it based on the source provIded, but don't know how to remove it from the backlog. Could you help? Thanks. Peacedance (talk) 17:09, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Don Machholz Death Location

Don’s page still states:

Born: October 7, 1952, Portsmouth, VA Died: August 9, 2022, Park Valley, AZ

He died in our home on August 9, 2022, Wikieup, AZ

Park Valley, AZ is 300 miles away.

Thank you, Michele Machholz MicheleMachholz (talk) 21:23, 17 August 2022 (UTC)

Proposed addition to Career section (sourced)

I am proposing the addition of the following sentence to the Career section, immediately after the opening sentence (“He spent more than 9,000 hours comet hunting…”): From 1978 to 2000, Machholz authored a monthly column titled Comet Comments for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), which was distributed internationally to astronomy clubs and individual observers. Source: Jake Parks, “Donald Machholz, comet hunter and co-inventor of Messier marathon, dies at age 69,” Astronomy, August 10, 2022. I have a declared conflict of interest as Machholz’s spouse and am therefore requesting review and placement by an independent editor. MicheleMachholz (talk) 02:37, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Edit request: clarification of comet discovery terminology

Request:

Request: Multiple reliable independent sources describe Donald Machholz as a “visual comet discoverer,” including Sky & Telescope, Astronomy Magazine, EarthSky, and Space.com. In astronomical literature, this terminology distinguishes direct visual comet discovery from discoveries made through automated survey programs. I am requesting that this terminology be reflected in the lead and career summary for factual and technical accuracy.

Proposed wording: “Donald Machholz was an American visual comet discoverer and amateur astronomer.”

Examples of source language:

• Sky & Telescope: “one of the world’s leading visual comet discoverers”
• EarthSky: “visual comet discoverer”
• Space.com: “comet observer” and discussion of visual comet hunting
• Astronomy Magazine: “comet hunter”

Sources:

• https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/remembering-donald-machholz-1952-2022/
• https://earthsky.org/human-world/don-machholz-1952-2022/
• https://www.space.com/comet-observer-don-macholz-tribute
• https://www.astronomy.com/science/donald-machholz-comet-hunter-and-co-inventor-of-the-messier-marathon-dies-at-age-69/

Disclosure: I have a conflict of interest as Machholz’s spouse and am therefore requesting review and implementation by an independent editor. MicheleMachholz (talk) 01:07, 21 May 2026 (UTC)