Matthew J. Holman

Last updated
Matthew Holman
Born1967
Alma mater Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Known for Planetary science
Awards Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 1998
Scientific career
Fields Astrophysics
Institutions Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Matthew J. Holman (born 1967) is a Smithsonian astrophysicist and lecturer at Harvard University. Holman studied at MIT, where he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1989 and his PhD in planetary science in 1994. He was awarded the Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 1998. [1]

Contents

From 25 January 2015 to 9 February 2021, he held the position of an interim director of IAU's Minor Planet Center (MPC), after former director Timothy B. Spahr had stepped down. Holman was followed by Matthew Payne as new director of the MPC. [2] [3]

He was a Salina Central High School (Kansas) classmate and fellow debate team member of Joe Miller, Alaskan Senate candidate. The main-belt asteroid 3666 Holman was named in his honour in 1999 ( M.P.C. 34619). [1] [4]

Discoveries

Minor planets discovered: 11 [5]
(44594) 1999 OX3 21 July 1999 list [A] [B] [C]
(45802) 2000 PV295 August 2000 list
(54520) 2000 PJ305 August 2000 list
(60620) 2000 FD827 March 2000 list [A] [B] [C]
(60621) 2000 FE8 27 March 2000 list [A] [B] [C]
(76803) 2000 PK305 August 2000 list
(182222) 2000 YU116 December 2000 list [B] [D]
(182223) 2000 YC217 December 2000 list [B] [D]
(468422) 2000 FA827 March 2000 list [A] [B] [C]
(469333) 2000 PE305 August 2000 list
(506439) 2000 YB216 December 2000 list [B] [D]
Co-discovery made with:
A J. J. Kavelaars  ·B B. Gladman  ·C J.-M. Petit  ·D T. Grav

For the period between 1999 and 2000, Holman is credited by the MPC with the discovery and co-discovery of several trans-Neptunian objects such as (44594) 1999 OX3 and (60621) 2000 FE8 (see table) and has been an active observer of centaurs. [1] [5]

He was also part of a team that discovered numerous irregular moons: [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caliban (moon)</span> Moon of Uranus

Caliban is the second-largest retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered on 6 September 1997 by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 200-inch Hale Telescope together with Sycorax and given the temporary designation S/1997 U 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Themisto (moon)</span> Outer moon of Jupiter

Themisto, also known as Jupiter XVIII, is a small prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 1975, subsequently lost, and rediscovered in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Setebos (moon)</span> Moon of Uranus

Setebos is one of the outermost retrograde irregular satellites of Uranus. It was discovered on 18 July 1999 by John J. Kavelaars et al. and provisionally designated S/1999 U 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callirrhoe (moon)</span> Moon of Jupiter

Callirrhoe (; Greek: Καλλιρρόη), also known as Jupiter XVII, is one of Jupiter's outer natural satellites. It is an irregular moon that orbits in a retrograde direction. Callirrhoe was imaged by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak National Observatory from October 6 through November 4, 1999, and originally designated as asteroid 1999 UX18. It was discovered to be in orbit around Jupiter by Tim Spahr on July 18, 2000, and then given the designation S/1999 J 1. It was the 17th confirmed moon of Jupiter.

Sycorax is the largest irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered in September, 1997 on the Hale Telescope in California. Sycorax's orbit is retrograde, irregular, and much more distant than that of Oberon, the furthest of Uranus' regular moons. With a diameter of over 150 kilometres (93 mi), it is the largest irregular moon of Uranus. It has been theorized that Sycorax is a captured object, as opposed to one formed with Uranus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiviuq (moon)</span> Moon of Saturn

Kiviuq is a prograde irregular satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by J. J. Kavelaars et al. in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 5. It was named after Kiviuq, a hero of Inuit mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ijiraq (moon)</span> Moon of Saturn

Ijiraq, or Saturn XXII (22), is a small prograde irregular satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by the team of Brett Gladman, John J. Kavelaars, et al. in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 6. It was named in 2003 after the ijiraq, a creature in Inuit mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paaliaq</span> Moon of Saturn

Paaliaq is a prograde irregular satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by J. J. Kavelaars, Brett J. Gladman, Jean-Marc Petit, Hans Scholl, Matthew J. Holman, Brian G. Marsden, Philip D. Nicholson and Joseph A. Burns in early October 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 2. It was named in August 2003 after a fictional shaman in the book The Curse of the Shaman, written by Michael Kusugak, who supplied Kavelaars with the names of giants from Inuit mythology that were used for other Saturnian moons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albiorix (moon)</span> Moon of Saturn

Albiorix is a prograde irregular satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by Holman and colleagues in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erriapus</span> Moon of Saturn

Erriapus, or Saturn XXVIII (28), is a prograde irregular satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by Brett Gladman, John J. Kavelaars and colleagues in 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 10. It was named Erriapo in August 2003 after Erriapus, a giant in Gaulish mythology; the name was changed from dative Erriapo to nominative Erriapus per IAU conventions in late 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siarnaq</span> Moon of Saturn

Siarnaq, also designated Saturn XXIX, is the second-largest irregular moon of Saturn. It was discovered on 23 September 2000 by a team of astronomers led by Brett J. Gladman. It was named after the Inuit goddess of the sea, Siarnaq, who is more commonly known as Sedna. Siarnaq is the largest member of Saturn's Inuit group of prograde irregular moons, which orbit far from Saturn in the same direction as the planet's rotation. The moons of the Inuit group are believed to have originated as fragments from the collisional breakup of a larger progenitor moon after it was gravitationally captured into orbit around Saturn several billion years ago. Several other small Inuit group moons share similar orbits to Siarnaq, indicating that the moon had experienced another collision after forming from its progenitor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarvos (moon)</span> Moon of Saturn

Tarvos, or Saturn XXI, is a prograde irregular satellite of Saturn. It was discovered by John J. Kavelaars et al. on September 23, 2000, and given the temporary designation S/2000 S 4. The name, given in August 2003, is after Tarvos, a deity depicted as a bull god carrying three cranes alongside its back from Gaulish mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephano (moon)</span> Moon of Uranus

Stephano is a retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was discovered by Brett J. Gladman, et al. in 1999, and given the provisional designation S/1999 U 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferdinand (moon)</span> Moon of Uranus

Ferdinand is the outermost retrograde irregular satellite of Uranus. It was first seen near Uranus by Matthew J. Holman, John J. Kavelaars, Dan Milisavljevic, and Brett J. Gladman on August 13, 2001 and reobserved on September 21, 2001. The object was then lost with no confirmation it was actually orbiting around Uranus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halimede (moon)</span> Moon of Neptune


Halimede, or Neptune IX, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Neptune. It was discovered by Matthew J. Holman, John J. Kavelaars, Tommy Grav, Wesley C. Fraser and Dan Milisavljevic on August 14, 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laomedeia</span> Moon of Neptune

Laomedeia, also known as Neptune XII, is a prograde irregular satellite of Neptune. It was discovered by Matthew J. Holman, et al. on August 13, 2002. Before the announcement of its name on February 3, 2007, it was known as S/2002 N 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neso (moon)</span> Outer moon of Neptune

Neso, also known as Neptune XIII, is the second-outermost known natural satellite of Neptune, after S/2021 N 1. It is a retrograde irregular moon discovered by Matthew J. Holman, Brett J. Gladman, et al. on 14 August 2002, though it went unnoticed until 2003. Neso is the second-most distant moon of Neptune, with an average orbital distance of nearly 49.6 million km. At its farthest point of its orbit, the satellite is more than 72 million km from Neptune. This distance exceeds Mercury's aphelion, which is approximately 70 million km from the Sun.

Hans Scholl is a German astronomer, who worked at the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut in Heidelberg, Germany, and at the Côte d'Azur Observatory in Nice, France. In 1999, he was part of a team that discovered three moons of Uranus: Prospero, Setebos and Stephano. He has also co-discovered 55 minor planets together with Italian astronomer Andrea Boattini at ESO's La Silla Observatory site in northern Chile during 2003–2005.

Philip D. Nicholson is an Australian-born professor of astronomy at Cornell University in the Astronomy department specialising in Planetary Sciences. He was editor-in-chief of the journal Icarus between 1998 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S/2002 N 5</span> Outer moon of Neptune

S/2002 N 5 is a prograde irregular satellite of Neptune. It was discovered on 14 August 2002 by Matthew Holman, John J. Kavelaars, Tommy Grav, and Wesley Fraser using the 4.0-meter Víctor M. Blanco Telescope at Cerro Tololo Observatory, Chile, but it became lost and was not observed again until Scott S. Sheppard rediscovered it on 3 September 2021. The discovery of S/2002 N 5 was announced on 23 February 2024, after observations were collected over a long enough time to confirm the satellite's orbit. S/2002 N 5 orbits Neptune at an average distance of over 23 million km (14 million mi) and takes almost 9 Earth years to complete its orbit.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3666) Holman". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3666) Holman. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 308. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3664. ISBN   978-3-540-00238-3.
  2. "About the MPC – Staff". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  3. "MPEC 2021-D60". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. Minor Planet Center. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  6. "JPL Solar System Dynamics: Planetary Satellite Discovery Circumstances". Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 28 October 2016.