He has discovered numerous
near-Earth asteroids, including
(496816) 1989 UP, which briefly created a stir in the news media when a preliminary orbit calculation indicated the possibility of
Earth impact in 2028; further observations led to a more accurate orbit, which disproved the impact. In 1991, he discovered
1991 VG, a
Near-Earth object with some unusual characteristics. In 2013, he discovered , another NEO that moves in a low
eccentricity and low
inclination orbit. He has also recovered more than 75
comets starting in 1985 (since comets are subject to non-gravitational forces due to outgassing and solar wind, it is often a challenge to predict their exact position and rediscover them each time they make a new
perihelion approach). He confirmed the discovery of the well known
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which impacted
Jupiter in July 1994. He has also discovered the
periodic comets 202P/Scotti,
244P/Scotti,
377P/Scotti,
P/2010 C1 (Scotti),
P/2010 H4 (Scotti),
P/2010 H5 (Scotti),
P/2011 A2 (Scotti),
P/2013 A2 (Scotti), and
P/2015 Q1 (Scotti); the later six are not yet numbered as they have only been seen at one perihelion passage. He has also discovered
non-periodic comets C/2010 E5 (Scotti) and
C/2010 F3 (Scotti). Scotti's research interests include the origin of comets, the dynamical evolution of comets and asteroids, the near-Earth asteroids, and the outer Solar System. Scotti is also an avid space enthusiast and is interested in the history of space exploration and particularly of the
Apollo Program. He has contributed to the
Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, which details the Apollo lunar explorations. He is also a space artist and photographer. == Awards and honors==