Discovery of Quaoar
Brown and Chad Trujillo identify the large Kuiper Belt object Quaoar in Palomar survey images.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Michael Brown Biography and Timeline
Follow Michael Brown through 8 dated historical records for United States of America.
Michael Brown, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
8Distinct records
1 of 1Page
2002–2008Years on this page
2002
2004
Discovery of Orcus
Brown, Trujillo and David Rabinowitz discover Orcus, a large resonant trans-Neptunian object with an orbit similar to Pluto's.
2005
Eris Identified
Brown and colleagues identify Eris in earlier Palomar survey images after recognizing its slow motion against background stars.
Discovery of Makemake
Brown, Trujillo and Rabinowitz first observe the large Kuiper Belt object later named Makemake.
Eris Discovery Announced
Brown's team publicly announces the discovery of Eris, intensifying debate over the definition of a planet.
Discovery of Vanth
Hubble images obtained by Brown reveal a moon orbiting the large trans-Neptunian object Orcus.
2006
Discovery of Weywot
Hubble observations reveal a small moon orbiting Quaoar, later named Weywot.
2008
Makemake Named
The large Kuiper Belt object 2005 FY9 receives the name Makemake and is recognized as a dwarf planet.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.