Phil Nicholson

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Philip D. Nicholson (born 1951) 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. [1]

Contents

Career

Nicholson received his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1979. Nicholson's research centers on two main areas: orbital dynamics in planetary ring systems and infrared observational studies of planets, their satellites, and their rings. His work has included studies of the ring systems of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune via Voyager observations and ground-based stellar occultations; Earth-based observations with the 5-meter Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory of several small moons of Jupiter and Saturn discovered by the Voyager spacecraft; dynamical investigations of the planetary system around the pulsar PSR 1257 + 12, [2] and of the rotational evolution of natural satellites; and studies of the zodiacal dust bands discovered by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite in 1983.

Together with colleagues in Canada and at Harvard, he has been involved in the discovery of numerous outer satellites of Uranus, Saturn and Neptune. [3] [4] [5]

Nicholson was a member of the Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer science team on the NASA/ESA Cassini–Huygens mission to Saturn, and was the leader of a team of Cornell and Caltech astronomers studying the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into Jupiter in July 1994 using the Hale Telescope. He has served on the Committees on Planetary and Lunar Exploration and on Astronomy and Astrophysics of the National Research Council, time assignment committees for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, and scientific advisory committees for Arecibo and IPAC. He has coauthored review articles on planetary ring dynamics and on the Uranian and Neptunian ring systems.

Honors

The inner main-belt asteroid 7220 Philnicholson, discovered by Edward Bowell at Anderson Mesa in 1981, was named in his honor. [6] The official naming citation was published on 5 October 1998 ( M.P.C. 32790 ). [7]

Nicholson won the Harold Masursky Award in 2019, "for meritorious service to planetary science" in his role as editor-in-chief of Icarus. [8]

He was elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020. [9]

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">Ananke (moon)</span> Moon of Jupiter

Ananke is a retrograde irregular moon of Jupiter. It was discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Mount Wilson Observatory in 1951. It is named after the Greek mythological Ananke, the personification of necessity, and the mother of the Moirai (Fates) by Zeus. The adjectival form of the name is Anankean.

<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.

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">Skathi (moon)</span> Satellite of Saturn

Skathi, also named Saturn XXVII and originally spelled Skadi, is a natural satellite of the planet Saturn. Skathi is one of Saturn's irregular moons, in its Norse group of satellites. It was discovered on September 23, 2000, by a team of astronomers led by Brett Gladman. The team announced their discovery on December 7, 2000, along with seven other satellites of Saturn, namely; Tarvos, Ijiraq, Thrymr, Siarnaq, Mundilfari, Erriapus, and Suttungr. The moon was named after Skaði, a figure in Norse mythology, as part of an effort to diversify the largely Greek and Roman names of astronomical objects.

<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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moons of Neptune</span> Natural satellites of the planet Neptune

The planet Neptune has 16 known moons, which are named for minor water deities and a water creature in Greek mythology. By far the largest of them is Triton, discovered by William Lassell on October 10, 1846, 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself. Over a century passed before the discovery of the second natural satellite, Nereid, in 1949, and another 40 years passed before Proteus, Neptune's second-largest moon, was discovered in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallic group</span> Category of satellites of Saturn

The Gallic group is a dynamical grouping of the prograde irregular satellites of Saturn following similar orbits. Their semi-major axes range between 16 and 19 Gm, their inclinations between 36° and 41°, and their eccentricities between 0.46 and 0.53. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) reserves names taken from Gallic mythology for these moons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irregular moon</span> Captured satellite following an irregular orbit

In astronomy, an irregular moon, irregular satellite, or irregular natural satellite is a natural satellite following a distant, inclined, and often highly elliptical and retrograde orbit. They have been captured by their parent planet, unlike regular satellites, which formed in orbit around them. Irregular moons have a stable orbit, unlike temporary satellites which often have similarly irregular orbits but will eventually depart. The term does not refer to shape; Triton, for example, is a round moon but is considered irregular due to its orbit and origins.

Joseph Burns is a professor at Cornell University with a dual appointment in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and the Astronomy department. His primary area of research is dynamics in planetary sciences.

Dale P. Cruikshank is an astronomer and planetary scientist in the Astrophysics Branch at NASA Ames Research Center. His research specialties are spectroscopy and radiometry of planets and small bodies in the Solar System. These small bodies include comets, asteroids, planetary satellites, dwarf planets, and objects in the region beyond Neptune. He uses spectroscopic observations made with ground-based and space-based telescopes, as well as interplanetary spacecraft, to identify and study the ices, minerals, and organic materials that compose the surfaces of planets and small bodies.

References

  1. ↑ "Past Icarus Editorial Board Members | Division for Planetary Sciences". dps.aas.org.
  2. ↑ Rasio, F. A.; Nicholson, P. D.; Shapiro, S. L.; and Teukolsky, S. A.; "An Observational Test for the Existence of a Planetary System Orbiting PSR1257 + 12." Nature 355, 325–326 (1992)
  3. ↑ Gladman, Brett J.; Nicholson, Philip D.; Burns, Joseph A.; Kavelaars, Jj; Marsden, Brian G.; Williams, Gareth V.; et al. (April 1998). "Discovery of two distant irregular moons of Uranus" (PDF). Nature. 392 (6679): 897–899. Bibcode:1998Natur.392..897G. doi:10.1038/31890. S2CID   4315601 . Retrieved 4 May 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ Gladman, B.; Kavelaars, JJ; Holman, M.; Petit, J.-M.; Scholl, H.; Nicholson, P.; et al. (September 2000). "NOTE: The Discovery of Uranus XIX, XX, and XXI [ Erratum: 2000Icar..148..320G ]". Icarus. 147 (1): 320–324. Bibcode:2000Icar..147..320G. doi:10.1006/icar.2000.6463.
  5. ↑ Gladman, B. J.; Nicholson, P. D.; Burns, J. A.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Marsden, B. G.; Holman, M. J.; Grav, T.; Hergenrother, C. W.; Petit, J.-M.; Jacobson, R. A.; and Gray, W. J.; Discovery of 12 satellites of Saturn exhibiting orbital clustering, Nature, 412 (July 12. 2001), pp. 163–166
  6. ↑ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(7220) Philnicholson". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (7220) Philnicholson. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 584. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_6362. ISBN   978-3-540-00238-3.
  7. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "2019 Prize Recipients | Division for Planetary Sciences". dps.aas.org. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  9. ↑ "AAS Fellows". AAS. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
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