Loren C. Ball

Loren C. Ball is an American amateur astronomer, who has discovered more than 100 asteroids while working at his Emerald Lane Observatory (843), built on the roof of his house on Emerald Lane, Decatur, Alabama. As of 2026, he has credit for 112 numbered designations with the Minor Planet Center at Harvard for the period between 2000 and 2004. None of them were co-discoveries. He is under contract with NASA through the University of Alabama in Huntsville to do outreach to school groups and organisations. As of 2024, he promotes asteroid education in schools and on social media.