Amy Mainzer

Last updated
Amy Mainzer
Amy mainzer.jpg
Born (1974-01-02) January 2, 1974 (age 51)
Mansfield, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Stanford University
California Institute of Technology
University of California, Los Angeles
Known forAstrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy
Scientific career
Fields Astrophysics
Institutions University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory

Amy Mainzer (born January 2, 1974) is an American astronomer, specializing in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy. She was the deputy project scientist for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and is the principal investigator for its NEOWISE extension to study minor planets [1] and for the future Near Earth Object Surveyor space telescope mission.

Contents

She also hosted segments for and served as science curriculum consultant and executive producer for the PBS Kids series Ready Jet Go!. [2]

Life

Mainzer received a B.Sc. in physics from Stanford University with honors (1996), an M.Sc. in astronomy from California Institute of Technology (2000), and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Los Angeles (2003).

Her research interests include asteroids, brown dwarfs, planetary atmospheres, debris disks, star formation, and the design and construction of new ground- and space-based instrumentation. [3]

She appears in several episodes of the History Channel series The Universe . [4] She also appears in the documentary featurette "Stellar Cartography: On Earth" included on the Star Trek Generations home video release (March 2010). Mainzer is also in the 2016 documentary about the life of Leonard Nimoy and the effect of Spock on popular culture called "For the Love of Spock", which was directed by Leonard Nimoy's son Adam Nimoy. She serves as the science consultant and host for the live-action interstitials on the PBS Kids series Ready Jet Go! . [5] She was the science advisor for the 2021 Netflix film Don't Look Up . [6]

Awards and honors

Amy Mainzer Amy Mainzer.jpg
Amy Mainzer

Asteroid

Asteroid 234750 Amymainzer, discovered by astronomers of the NEAT program at Palomar Observatory in 2002, was named after her. [9] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 July 2010 ( M.P.C. 71353). [10]

Asteroid 251627 Joyceearl was named after her grandparents. JPL  · 251627

Select publications

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">220 Stephania</span> Dark background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt

220 Stephania is a dark background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 32 km (20 mi) in diameter. It was discovered on 19 May 1881, by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Vienna Observatory. The C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 18.2 hours. It was named after Princess Stéphanie of Belgium.

4349 Tibúrcio, provisional designation 1989 LX, is a dark asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 29 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 June 1989, by German astronomer Werner Landgraf at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile.

1615 Bardwell, provisional designation 1950 BW, is a rare-type Themistian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 27 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 28 January 1950, by IU's Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States. It is named for American astronomer Conrad Bardwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer</span> NASA satellite of the Explorer program

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer was a NASA infrared astronomy space telescope in the Explorers Program launched in December 2009. WISE discovered thousands of minor planets and numerous star clusters. Its observations also supported the discovery of the first Y-type brown dwarf and Earth trojan asteroid. WISE performed an all-sky astronomical survey with images in 3.4, 4.6, 12 and 22 μm wavelength range bands, over ten months using a 40 cm (16 in) diameter infrared telescope in Earth orbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1039 Sonneberga</span> Asteroid

1039 Sonneberga, provisional designation 1924 TL, is a dark background asteroid, approximately 34 kilometers in diameter, located in the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 24 November 1924, by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named for the German city of Sonneberg, where the Sonneberg Observatory is located.

1031 Arctica, provisional designation 1924 RR, is a dark asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 75 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 6 June 1924, by Soviet−Russian astronomer Sergey Belyavsky at Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. It was named for the Arctic Sea.

1109 Tata, provisional designation 1929 CU, is a dark Hygiean asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 69 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 February 1929, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in Germany. The meaning of the asteroids's name is unknown.

1149 Volga, provisional designation 1929 PF, is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 55 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 1 August 1929, by Soviet astronomer Evgenij Skvorcov at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named after the Volga River.

1154 Astronomia, provisional designation 1927 CB, is a carbonaceous background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 60 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory on 8 February 1927. The asteroid was named for the natural science of astronomy.

1213 Algeria is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 32 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by Guy Reiss at Algiers Observatory in 1931, it was named after the North African country of Algeria.

3181 Ahnert, provisional designation 1964 EC, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Freimut Börngen at the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory in Tautenburg, eastern Germany, on 8 March 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1241 Dysona</span>

1241 Dysona, provisional designation 1932 EB1, is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 77 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 March 1932, by English astronomer Harry Edwin Wood at the Union Observatory in Johannesburg, South Africa. The asteroid was named after English astronomer Frank Watson Dyson.

1372 Haremari, provisional designation 1935 QK, is a rare-type Watsonian asteroid and a suspected trojan of Ceres from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 26 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 31 August 1935, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named for all female staff members of the Astronomical Calculation Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1281 Jeanne</span> Dark asteroid from the background population of the intermediate asteroid belt

1281 Jeanne is a dark asteroid from the background population of the intermediate asteroid belt. It was discovered on 25 August 1933, by astronomer Sylvain Arend at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle, who named it after his daughter, Jeanne. The likely P-type asteroid has a rotation period of 15.2 hours and measures approximately 22 kilometers in diameter.

1416 Renauxa, provisional designation 1937 EC, is an Eon asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 29 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 March 1937, by French astronomer Louis Boyer at the Algiers Observatory in Algeria, North Africa. It was named after Joseph Renaux, an astronomer at the discovering observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1493 Sigrid</span> Dark Nysian asteroid

1493 Sigrid, provisional designation 1938 QB, is a dark Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 24 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 August 1938, by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle. It was named after Sigrid Strömgren, wife of astronomer Bengt Strömgren.

1692 Subbotina, provisional designation 1936 QD, is a dark background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 37 kilometers in diameter. The carbonaceous Cg-type asteroid has a rotation period of 9.2 hours. It was discovered by Grigory Neujmin at the Crimean Simeiz Observatory in 1936, and later named after Soviet mathematician and astronomer Mikhail Subbotin.

1724 Vladimir, provisional designation 1932 DC, is a rare-type asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 35 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 28 February 1932, by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle, Belgium. The asteroid was later named by astronomer Milorad Protić after his grandson, Vladimir.

(5645) 1990 SP is an eccentric and tumbling asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 1.7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 20 September 1990, by Scottish–Australian astronomer Robert McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory in Canberra, Australia. Scientists have said that it has a '1 in 364 billion chance' of colliding with the Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(7335) 1989 JA</span> Near-Earth asteroid in 2022

(7335) 1989 JA is a stony asteroid of the Apollo group, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid, approximately 1 kilometer in diameter. It was discovered on 1 May 1989, by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at the U.S. Palomar Observatory in California. On 27 May 2022, the asteroid made a close approach 0.027 astronomical units from Earth. During the close approach, optical observations detected signs of an orbiting satellite, which was later confirmed by radar imaging at NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar in California.

References

  1. ↑ "NASA's NEOWISE Completes Scan for Asteroids and Comets – NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory". jpl.nasa.gov. February 1, 2011. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  2. ↑ [ bare URL ]
  3. ↑ "Science – Evolution of Galaxies: People: Amy Mainzer". science.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Amy Mainzer". CBS Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  5. ↑ "PBS KIDS Announces Premiere Date for New Animated Series READY JET GO! - PBS About". PBS KIDS Announces Premiere Date for New Animated Series READY JET GO! - PBS About..
  6. ↑ "Hollywood Can Take on Science Denial: Don't Look up is a Great Example". Scientific American .
  7. ↑ Mainzer, Amy. "Science - Structure of the Universe (3266): People: Amy Mainzer". science.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  8. ↑ "AAS Names 24 New Fellows for 2025". American Astronomical Society. January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  9. ↑ "234750 Amymainzer (2002 NX69)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  10. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved October 22, 2018.

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