Amir Siraj

Last updated
Amir Siraj
Born2000 (age 23–24) [1]
USA [2]
Education AB, Harvard University, 2022

AM, Harvard University, 2022

MM, New England Conservatory of Music, 2023
Alma mater Harvard University, New England Conservatory of Music, Princeton University
Occupation(s) Astrophysicist, Pianist
Known forInterstellar objects [3]
Awards Forbes 30 Under 30 [4]
Scientific career
FieldsAstrophysics, Music
Website https://siraj.scholar.princeton.edu/

Amir Siraj (born in 2000) is an American astrophysicist, pianist, and science and music communicator.

Contents

Career

Astrophysics

Siraj earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Harvard University, [5] and is currently pursuing his PhD at Princeton University. [6] His research is primarily focused on interstellar objects, [7] [8] asteroids and comets, [9] [10] planetary system formation and evolution, [11] [12] supernovae, [13] black holes, [14] dark matter, [15] and the search for life in the universe. [16] Recently, he proposed the existence of unseen captured planets in the outer solar system. [17] [18] [19] [20] He discovered CNEOS 2014-01-08, [21] the first known interstellar meteor, [22] [23] and as the director of interstellar object studies at the Galileo project, is involved with the search and discovery mission for interstellar objects. [22] His research was named one of CNN's extraordinary cosmic revelations and moments in space exploration in 2022. [24] He was the youngest scientist named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2021, [4] and Astronomy magazine named him a rising star in astronomy in 2022. [25] He also contributes to Scientific American . [26]

Music

An active concert pianist, [27] Siraj is a Young Steinway Artist [28] and US Presidential Scholar in the Arts. [1] He graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a master's degree in 2023. [29] He has performed with Yo-Yo Ma at UNESCO and the United Nations General Assembly. [30] [31] [32] He played at the Atlantic Council's Global Citizen Awards for Justin Trudeau, [33] as well as at the GRAMMY Salute to Classical Music at Carnegie Hall, [34] at The Cliburn [35] and at the opening concert for the Swiss Alps Classics. [36]

At the Aspen Center for Physics, he moderated a panel discussion that brought top composers and physicists together in conversation. [37] In partnership with the National Park Foundation and From the Top, he established Music For The Parks. [38] [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Near-Earth object</span> Small Solar System body with an orbit that can bring it close to Earth

A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body orbiting the Sun whose closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 times the Earth–Sun distance. This definition applies to the object's orbit around the Sun, rather than its current position, thus an object with such an orbit is considered an NEO even at times when it is far from making a close approach of Earth. If an NEO's orbit crosses the Earth's orbit, and the object is larger than 140 meters (460 ft) across, it is considered a potentially hazardous object (PHO). Most known PHOs and NEOs are asteroids, but about 0.35% are comets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oort cloud</span> Distant planetesimals in the Solar System

The Oort cloud, sometimes called the Öpik–Oort cloud, is theorized to be a vast cloud of icy planetesimals surrounding the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 AU. The concept of such a cloud was proposed in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, in whose honor the idea was named. Oort proposed that the bodies in this cloud replenish and keep constant the number of long-period comets entering the inner Solar System—where they are eventually consumed and destroyed during close approaches to the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar System</span> The Sun and objects orbiting it

The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it. It formed about 4.6 billion years ago when a dense region of a molecular cloud collapsed, forming the Sun and a protoplanetary disc. The Sun is a typical star that maintains a balanced equilibrium by the fusion of hydrogen into helium at its core, releasing this energy from its outer photosphere. Astronomers classify it as a G-type main-sequence star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of space science</span> Overview of and topical guide to space science

The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to space science:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voyager program</span> Ongoing NASA interstellar program

The Voyager program is an American scientific program that employs two interstellar probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They were launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable planetary alignment to explore the two gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and potentially also the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune - to fly near them while collecting data for transmission back to Earth. After Voyager 1 successfully completed its flyby of Saturn and its moon Titan, it was decided to send Voyager 2 on flybys of Uranus and Neptune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astronomy</span> Scientific study of celestial objects

Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets. Relevant phenomena include supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation. More generally, astronomy studies everything that originates beyond Earth's atmosphere. Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that studies the universe as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meteoroid</span> Sand- to boulder-sized particle of debris in the Solar System

A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are distinguished as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than meteoroids are classified as micrometeoroids or space dust. Many are fragments from comets or asteroids, whereas others are collision impact debris ejected from bodies such as the Moon or Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outer space</span> Void between celestial bodies

Outer space is the expanse that exists beyond Earth's atmosphere and between celestial bodies. It contains ultra-low levels of particle densities, constituting a near-perfect vacuum of predominantly hydrogen and helium plasma, permeated by electromagnetic radiation, cosmic rays, neutrinos, magnetic fields and dust. The baseline temperature of outer space, as set by the background radiation from the Big Bang, is 2.7 kelvins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atmosphere</span> Layer of gases surrounding an astronomical body held by gravity

An atmosphere is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere is the outer region of a star, which includes the layers above the opaque photosphere; stars of low temperature might have outer atmospheres containing compound molecules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lists of planets</span>

These are lists of planets. A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a young protostar orbited by a protoplanetary disk. There are eight planets within the Solar System; planets outside of the solar system are also known as exoplanets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple Mountain Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in China

The Purple Mountain Observatory, also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Purple Mountain in the east of Nanjing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of astronomy</span> Overview of the scientific field of astronomy

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to astronomy:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avi Loeb</span> Israeli-American theoretical physicist

Abraham "Avi" Loeb is an Israeli-American theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology. Loeb is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, where since 2007 he has been Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Center for Astrophysics. He chaired the Department of Astronomy from 2011 to 2020, and founded the Black Hole Initiative in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstellar object</span> Astronomical object not gravitationally bound to a star

An interstellar object is an astronomical object in interstellar space that is not gravitationally bound to a star. This term can also be applied to an object that is on an interstellar trajectory but is temporarily passing close to a star, such as certain asteroids and comets. In the latter case, the object may be called an interstellar interloper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technosignature</span> Property that provides scientific evidence for the presence of technology

Technosignature or technomarker is any measurable property or effect that provides scientific evidence of past or present technology. Technosignatures are analogous to biosignatures, which signal the presence of life, whether intelligent or not. Some authors prefer to exclude radio transmissions from the definition, but such restrictive usage is not widespread. Jill Tarter has proposed that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) be renamed "the search for technosignatures". Various types of technosignatures, such as radiation leakage from megascale astroengineering installations such as Dyson spheres, the light from an extraterrestrial ecumenopolis, or Shkadov thrusters with the power to alter the orbits of stars around the Galactic Center, may be detectable with hypertelescopes. Some examples of technosignatures are described in Paul Davies's 2010 book The Eerie Silence, although the terms "technosignature" and "technomarker" do not appear in the book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ʻOumuamua</span> Interstellar object passed near Earth in 2017

ʻOumuamua is the first interstellar object detected passing through the Solar System. Formally designated 1I/2017 U1, it was discovered by Robert Weryk using the Pan-STARRS telescope at Haleakalā Observatory, Hawaii, on 19 October 2017, approximately 40 days after it passed its closest point to the Sun on 9 September. When it was first observed, it was about 33 million km from Earth and already heading away from the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2I/Borisov</span> Interstellar comet passing through the Solar System, discovered in 2019

2I/Borisov, originally designated C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), is the first observed rogue comet and the second observed interstellar interloper after ʻOumuamua. It was discovered by the Crimean amateur astronomer and telescope maker Gennadiy Borisov on 29 August 2019 UTC.

CNEOS 2014-01-08, also known as Interstellar meteor 1 (IM1), was a 0.45 m (1.5 ft) meteor that impacted Earth on 8 January 2014 near the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea. It was claimed to be an interstellar object in a 2019 preprint by astronomers Amir Siraj and Avi Loeb, and this was published in 2022. This was supported by the U.S. Space Command in 2022 based on the object's velocity relative to the Sun. NASA and Other astronomers doubt this, and still other experts found Earth-related explanations for the purported meteorite impact instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Galileo Project</span> Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

The Galileo Project is an international scientific research project to search for extraterrestrial intelligence or extraterrestrial technology on and near Earth and to identify the nature of anomalous Unidentified Flying Objects/Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UFOs/UAP).

References

  1. 1 2 "17-year-old Brookline boy wins Presidential Scholar in the Arts award". Boston 25 News. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "This Land/Our Land: A interview with 17-year-old pianist Amir Siraj". From The Top. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Research Team" . Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Forbes 30 Under 30 2021: Science". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  5. ↑ "Amir Siraj". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  6. ↑ "Amir Siraj". Department of Astrophysical Sciences. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  7. ↑ O'Kane, Caitlin (2022-04-15). "U.S. Space Command confirms interstellar meteor hit Earth". CBS News. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  8. ↑ Tomaswick, Andy (2022-11-11). "We'll Inevitably see Another Interstellar Object. Which Ones Make the Best Targets to Visit?". Universe Today. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  9. ↑ Karlis, Nicole (2021-02-17). "Why some scientists think a comet, not an asteroid, caused the dinosaurs to go extinct". Salon. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  10. ↑ Kramer, Miriam (August 24, 2021). "Interstellar objects are everywhere". Axios . Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Did the Sun have a twin? New study rewrites the star's early history". Inverse. 2020-08-20. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  12. ↑ Gough, Evan (2021-09-09). "Protoplanetary Disks Throw Out More Material Than Gets Turned Into Planets". Universe Today. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  13. ↑ Wood, Charlie (2020-04-30). "Ancient supernovas may have pierced moon rocks with star shrapnel". Popular Science. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  14. ↑ Carter, Jamie. "Is 'Planet Nine' Actually A Black Hole In The Solar System? There's Only One Way To Find Out". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  15. ↑ Overbye, Dennis (2020-09-11). "Is There a Black Hole in Our Backyard?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  16. ↑ Tillman, Nola Taylor (2020-01-22). "Interstellar Visitors Could Export Terrestrial Life to Other Stars". Eos. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  17. ↑ Ferreira, Becky. "Stolen planet could be hiding on the edge of our solar system". New Scientist. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  18. ↑ Tognetti, Laurence (2023-12-31). "How Many Planets Could Be in the Kuiper Belt?". Universe Today. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  19. ↑ Starr, Michelle (2024-01-10). "There Could Be Alien, Mars-Sized Planets Lurking Beyond Pluto". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  20. ↑ Jain, Deepa (2024-01-16). "5 Earth-like worlds may lurk in the outer reaches of the solar system, simulations suggest". livescience.com. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  21. ↑ Siraj, Amir; Loeb, Abraham (2022). "A Meteor of Apparent Interstellar Origin in the CNEOS Fireball Catalog". The Astrophysical Journal. 939 (1): 53. Bibcode:2022ApJ...939...53S. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac8eac .
  22. 1 2 Pultarova, Tereza (3 November 2022). "Confirmed! A 2014 meteor is Earth's 1st known interstellar visitor – Interstellar space rocks might be falling to Earth every 10 years". Space.com . Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  23. ↑ Roulette, Joey (2022-04-15). "Military Memo Deepens Possible Interstellar Meteor Mystery". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  24. ↑ Wattles, Ashley Strickland,Jackie (2022-12-27). "2022's extraordinary cosmic revelations and moments in space exploration". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ Lucchesi, Emilie Le Beau (2022-11-03). "Rising star in astronomy: Amir Siraj". Astronomy Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  26. ↑ "Stories by Amir Siraj". Scientific American. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  27. ↑ "On music and the universe: Advice from a Cliburn Junior alum - and now, an astrophysicist". KERA News. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  28. ↑ "Soundboard — Amir Siraj - Steinway & Sons". www.steinway.com. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  29. ↑ "Recital: Amir Siraj '23 MM, Piano | New England Conservatory". necmusic.edu. 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  30. ↑ "Creating the Future: Amir Siraj '23 MM Performs with Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax in Paris | New England Conservatory". necmusic.edu. 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  31. ↑ "UNESCO welcomes the acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma". December 8, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  32. ↑ "The Halftime Show: Song, stories, and solutions | UN Office for Partnerships". unpartnerships.un.org. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  33. ↑ Gordon, Amanda (21 September 2017). "SoftBank CEO Parties With Smart Robots During UN GA Week". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  34. ↑ "Amir Siraj performs on stage during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards -..." Getty Images. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  35. ↑ Prejean, Jeanne (2019-01-10). "JUST IN: The Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition And Festival Is Coming To Dallas And Tickets Just Went On Sale". My Sweet Charity. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  36. ↑ "Media & Press". Swiss Alps Classics. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  37. ↑ "Aspen Center for Physics: physicists Lisa Randall and Vijay Balasubramanian in conversation with composer Chris Theofanidis and John Luther Adams on music, science & creativity". Aspen Public Radio. 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  38. ↑ "The Musical Inspiration of National Parks". National Park Foundation. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  39. ↑ MacCurtain, Erin (2020-08-05). "Alumni Leadership Grant Spotlight: Music for the Parks". From the Top. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
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