Nationality American Notable awards Gerard P. Kuiper Prize Notable award Gerard P. Kuiper Prize | Fields Astronomy Field Astronomy | |
 | ||
Born November 17, 1940 (age 76)
Wilmington, Delaware ( 1940-11-17 ) Alma mater Boston College
University of Wisconsin–Madison Education University of Wisconsin-Madison, Boston College | ||
Three missions to comets michael a hearn seti talks
Michael Francis A'Hearn (born November 17, 1940) is an American astronomer and astronomy professor at the University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. He is also the principal investigator for NASA's EPOXI mission.
Contents
04 10 2013 testimony of dr michael a hearn
Career
He received his B.A. in science at Boston College and his Ph.D. in Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was the principal investigator for the NASA Deep Impact mission. He has aided in the development of systems for surveying abundances in comets as well as techniques for determining the sizes of cometary nuclei which uses optical and infrared measurements.
His studies focus on comets as well as asteroids and he also supervises numerous graduate students. He is an elected fellow of the AAAS. He has authored over 100 papers published in journals and is also an avid sailor who has a commercial coast guard license.
In June 1986, the main-belt asteroid 3192 A'Hearn, discovered by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, was named after him in honor for his contributions to cometary science.
In 2008, he received the Gerard P. Kuiper Prize.