Robert J. Nemiroff

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Robert J. Nemiroff is an Astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at Michigan Technological University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Astronomy and Astrophysics in 1987 and his B.S. from Lehigh University in Engineering Physics in 1982. [1] He is an active researcher with interests that include gamma-ray bursts, gravitational lensing, and cosmology, and is the cofounder and coeditor of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), [2] the home page of which receives over a million hits a day, approximately 20% of nasa.gov traffic. [3] He is married and has one daughter. [4]

Contents

Research

Nemiroff's research interests include gamma-ray bursts, gravitational lensing, sky monitoring, and cosmology. Among other findings, his research on gamma-ray bursts:

In 1999 Nemiroff and colleague Bruce Rafert published a paper showing that continuous astronomical sky monitors could soon become a reality. [10] With students, Nemiroff's initial night sky monitor was an automatically repeating SLR camera with a fisheye lens deployed to Michigan Technological University in 1999, [11] Nemiroff then led a group that designed, built, and deployed the first astronomical all sky optical web monitor, dubbed a CONtinuous CAMera (CONCAM), and in 2000 deployed it to Kitt Peak National Observatory. [12] By the mid-2000s, most major astronomical observatories deployed CONCAM or CONCAM-like devices together capable of monitoring most of the night sky most of the time. [13] Astronomical all sky web monitors are now common at astronomical observing sites. [14] Subsequent collaborative efforts in astronomical deep-sky monitoring now include Pan-STARRs and LSST.

In 1986, he predicted the likelihood of microlensing [15] and calculated basic microlensing induced light curves for several possible lens-source configurations in his 1987 thesis. [16] Among his microlensing findings, he, along with others:

Nemiroff and graduate student Bijunath R. Patla showed that the Sun is a "very interesting gravitational lens," [19] [20] and Nemiroff found that GRB pulses start at the same time at every energy and that they are scale invariant over energy. [21]

His complete publication list is available from ADS.

Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)

Nemiroff is one of two creators and editors of the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) website. Started in 1995 by Nemiroff and Dr. Jerry T. Bonnell, APOD is consistently among the most popular astronomy sites. [22] Its home page typically receives over one million hits per day; [23] APOD has served over one billion images [24] since its start. It is translated into more than 20 languages and has social media outlets on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and various apps. [25]

Nemiroff and Bonnell were awarded the 2015 Klumpke-Roberts Award by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific "for outstanding contributions to public understanding and appreciation of astronomy" for their work on APOD. [26] [27]

Astrophysics Source Code Library (ASCL)

Nemiroff and John Wallin established the Astrophysics Source Code Library (ASCL), an online registry of scientist-written software used in astronomy or astrophysics research, in 1999. [28] The ASCL improves the transparency of astrophysics research by making the software used in research discoverable for examination. [29]

Books

Recognition and awards

He was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2022 "for exceptional daily astronomy outreach for over 25 years, primarily through the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) website, which has served billions of space-related images with explanations translated daily into over 20 languages". [30] In 2023, an asteroid formerly known as 2002 GB185 was named "(270558) Nemiroff" in recognition of his role in APOD. [31]

Nemiroff and Bonnell were awarded the inaugural International Astronomical Union (IAU) Astronomy Outreach Prize [32] in 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamma-ray burst</span> Flashes of gamma rays from distant galaxies

In gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the most energetic and luminous electromagnetic events since the Big Bang. Bursts can last from ten milliseconds to several hours. After an initial flash of gamma rays, a longer-lived "afterglow" is usually emitted at longer wavelengths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abell 2218</span> Galaxy cluster in the constellation Draco

Abell 2218 is a large cluster of galaxies over 2 billion light-years away in the constellation Draco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3C 279</span> Optically violent variable quasar in the constellation Virgo

3C 279 is an optically violent variable quasar (OVV), which is known in the astronomical community for its variations in the visible, radio and x-ray bands. The quasar was observed to have undergone a period of extreme activity from 1987 until 1991. The Rosemary Hill Observatory (RHO) started observing 3C 279 in 1971, the object was further observed by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory in 1991, when it was unexpectedly discovered to be one of the brightest gamma ray objects in the sky. It is also one of the brightest and most variable sources in the gamma ray sky monitored by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. It was used as a calibrator source for Event Horizon Telescope observations of M87* that resulted in the first image of a black hole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centaurus A</span> Radio galaxy in the constellation Centaurus

Centaurus A is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered in 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop from his home in Parramatta, in New South Wales, Australia. There is considerable debate in the literature regarding the galaxy's fundamental properties such as its Hubble type and distance. NGC 5128 is one of the closest radio galaxies to Earth, so its active galactic nucleus has been extensively studied by professional astronomers. The galaxy is also the fifth-brightest in the sky, making it an ideal amateur astronomy target. It is only visible from the southern hemisphere and low northern latitudes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messier 74</span> Face-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces

Messier 74 is a large spiral galaxy in the equatorial constellation Pisces. It is about 32 million light-years away from Earth. The galaxy contains two clearly defined spiral arms and is therefore used as an archetypal example of a grand design spiral galaxy. The galaxy's low surface brightness makes it the most difficult Messier object for amateur astronomers to observe. Its relatively large angular size and the galaxy's face-on orientation make it an ideal object for professional astronomers who want to study spiral arm structure and spiral density waves. It is estimated that M74 hosts about 100 billion stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gliese 876</span> Star in the constellation Aquarius

Gliese 876 is a red dwarf star 15.2 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Aquarius. It is one of the closest known stars to the Sun confirmed to possess a planetary system with more than two planets, after GJ 1061, YZ Ceti, Tau Ceti, and Wolf 1061; as of 2018, four extrasolar planets have been found to orbit the star. The planetary system is also notable for the orbital properties of its planets. It is the only known system of orbital companions to exhibit a near-triple conjunction in the rare phenomenon of Laplace resonance. It is also the first extrasolar system around a normal star with measured coplanarity. While planets b and c are located in the system's habitable zone, they are giant planets believed to be analogous to Jupiter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gravitational microlensing</span> Astronomical phenomenon due to the gravitational lens effect

Gravitational microlensing is an astronomical phenomenon due to the gravitational lens effect. It can be used to detect objects that range from the mass of a planet to the mass of a star, regardless of the light they emit. Typically, astronomers can only detect bright objects that emit much light (stars) or large objects that block background light. These objects make up only a minor portion of the mass of a galaxy. Microlensing allows the study of objects that emit little or no light. Gravitational microlensing was first theorised by Refstal (1964) and first discovered by Irwin et al (1988). The first object in the sky where it was discovered was the Einstein cross or Huchra lens 2237 +0305. The initial lightcurve of the object was published by Corrigan et al (1991). In Corrigan et al (1991) they calculated that the object causing the microlensing was a Jupiter sized object. This was the first discovery of a planet in another galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 1705</span> Galaxy in the constellation Pictor

NGC 1705 is a peculiar lenticular galaxy and a blue compact dwarf galaxy (BCD) in the southern constellation of Pictor, positioned less than a degree to the east of Iota Pictoris, and is undergoing a starburst. With an apparent visual magnitude of 12.6 it requires a telescope to observe. It is estimated to be approximately 17 million light-years from the Earth, and is a member of the Dorado Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment</span> Long-term variability sky survey

The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) is a Polish astronomical project based at the University of Warsaw that runs a long-term variability sky survey (1992–present). The main goals are the detection and classification of variable stars, discovery of microlensing events, dwarf novae, and studies of the structure of the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. Since the project began in 1992, it has discovered a multitude of extrasolar planets, together with the first planet discovered using the transit method (OGLE-TR-56b) and gravitational microlensing. The project has been led by professor Andrzej Udalski since its inception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics</span>

Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) is a collaborative project between researchers in New Zealand and Japan, led by Professor Yasushi Muraki of Nagoya University. They use microlensing to observe dark matter, extra-solar planets, and stellar atmospheres from the Southern Hemisphere. The group concentrates especially on the detection and observation of gravitational microlensing events of high magnification, of order 100 or more, as these provide the greatest sensitivity to extrasolar planets. They work with other groups in Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Observations are conducted at New Zealand's Mt. John University Observatory using a 1.8 m (70.9 in) reflector telescope built for the project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baade's Window</span> Gap in interstellar dust allowing for observation of the center of the Milky Way Galaxy

Baade's Window is an area of the sky with relatively low amounts of interstellar dust along the line of sight from Earth. This area is considered an observational "window" as the normally obscured Galactic Center of the Milky Way is visible in this direction. This makes the apparent Large Sagittarius Star Cloud visible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 1313</span> Galaxy in the constellation Reticulum

NGC 1313 is a field galaxy and a barred spiral galaxy discovered by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop on 27 September 1826. It has a diameter of about 50,000 light-years, or about half the size of the Milky Way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time-domain astronomy</span> Study of how astronomical objects change with time

Time-domain astronomy is the study of how astronomical objects change with time. Though the study may be said to begin with Galileo's Letters on Sunspots, the term now refers especially to variable objects beyond the Solar System. Changes over time may be due to movements or changes in the object itself. Common targets included are supernovae, pulsating stars, novas, flare stars, blazars and active galactic nuclei. Visible light time domain studies include OGLE, HAT-South, PanSTARRS, SkyMapper, ASAS, WASP, CRTS, and in a near future the LSST at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

The Astrophysics Source Code Library (ASCL) is an online registry of scientist-written software used in astronomy or astrophysics research. The primary objective of the ASCL is to make the software used in research available for examination to improve the transparency of research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges Meylan</span> Swiss astronomer

Georges Meylan is a Swiss astronomer, born on July 31, 1950, in Lausanne, Switzerland. He was the director of the Laboratory of Astrophysics of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and now a professor emeritus of astrophysics and cosmology at EPFL. He is still active in both research and teaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesh Narayan (astrophysicist)</span> Indian-American theoretical astrophysicist

Ramesh Narayan is an Indian-American theoretical astrophysicist, currently the Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences in the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University. Full member of the National Academy of Sciences, Ramesh Narayan is widely known for his contributions on the theory of black hole accretion processes. Recently he is involved in the Event Horizon Telescope project, which led in 2019 to the first image of the event horizon of a black hole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Barnacka</span> Polish astrophysicist and entrepreneur

Anna Barnacka is a Polish astrophysicist and entrepreneur. She is known for her work on gravitational lensing, and astroparticle physics.

References

  1. ↑ "RJN's Bio Page". apod.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  2. ↑ O'Brien, Miles (September 21, 2002). "Astronomy Picture of the Day". CNN Saturday Morning News. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Alexa". Archived from the original on 23 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "About Astronomy Picture of the Day" . Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Norris, J. P.; Nemiroff, R. J.; Scargle, J. D.; Kouveliotou, C.; Fishman, G. J.; Meegan, C. A.; Paciesas, W. S.; Bonnell, J. T. (April 1994). "Detection of signature consistent with cosmological time dilation in gamma-ray bursts". Astrophysical Journal. 424 (2): 540–545. arXiv: astro-ph/9312049 . Bibcode:1994ApJ...424..540N. doi:10.1086/173912. S2CID   18635092.
  6. ↑ Wilford, John Noble (January 16, 1994). "Gamma-Ray Finding Bolsters Einstein Theory, Report Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Spacetime: A smoother brew than we knew" . Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Nemiroff, Robert J.; Connolly, Ryan; Holmes, Justin; Kostinski, Alexander B. (June 2012). "Bounds on Spectral Dispersion from Fermi-Detected Gamma Ray Bursts". Physical Review Letters. 108 (23): 231103. arXiv: 1109.5191 . Bibcode:2012PhRvL.108w1103N. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.231103. PMID   23003941. S2CID   15592150.
  9. ↑ Cowen, Ron (10 January 2012). "Cosmic race ends in a tie". Nature. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  10. ↑ Nemiroff, R.J.; Rafert, J.B. (1999). "Toward a Continuous Record of the Sky". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 111 (761): 886–897. arXiv: astro-ph/9809403 . Bibcode:1999PASP..111..886N. doi:10.1086/316402. S2CID   16621680.
  11. ↑ Zimmer, G.A.; Pereira, W.E.; Nemiroff, R.J.; Rafert, J.B. (1999). "A Passive Sky Variability Monitor for Under $1500". American Astronomical Society, 194th AAS Meeting, #70.09. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 31: 93. Bibcode:1999AAS...194.7009Z.
  12. ↑ Pereira, W.E.; Nemiroff, R.J.; Rafert, J.B.; Ftaclas, C.; Perez-Ramirez, D. (2000). "CONCAM Sky Monitor Operating at KPNO". American Astronomical Society, 197th AAS Meeting, #115.10. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 32: 1599. Bibcode:2000AAS...19711510P.
  13. ↑ Nemiroff, R.J.; Schwarz, H.E.; et al. (CONCAM Collaboration & TASCA Collaboration) (2003). "Expanding Fisheye Webcam Network Now Capable of Monitoring Most of the Night Sky". American Astronomical Society Meeting 202, #03.03. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 35: 702. Bibcode:2003AAS...202.0303N.
  14. ↑ See, for example, http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/~asiva/ & http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/allsky.html  ; http://www.allskycam.com/
  15. ↑ Nemiroff, Robert J. (June 1986). "Random gravitational lensing". Astrophysics and Space Science. 123 (2): 381–387. Bibcode:1986Ap&SS.123..381N. doi:10.1007/BF00653957. S2CID   122855233.
  16. ↑ Nemiroff, Robert J. (December 1987). "Prediction and analysis of basic gravitational microlensing phenomena". Bibcode:1987PhDT........12N. doi:10.5281/zenodo.33974.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ↑ Nemiroff, Robert J.; Wickramasinghe, W. A. D. T. (March 1994). "Finite source sizes and the information content of macho-type lens search light curves". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 424 (1): L21–L23. arXiv: astro-ph/9401005 . Bibcode:1994ApJ...424L..21N. doi:10.1086/187265. S2CID   7563285.
  18. ↑ Nemiroff, Robert J. (November 1994). "Magnification bias in galactic microlensing searches". Astrophysical Journal. 435 (2): 682–684. arXiv: astro-ph/9403013 . Bibcode:1994ApJ...435..682N. doi:10.1086/174845. S2CID   17221617.
  19. ↑ Nemiroff, Robert. "Who is this R. J. Nemiroff? Some Favorite Astronomy Ideas" . Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  20. ↑ Patla, Bijunath; Nemiroff, Robert J. (2008). "Gravitational Lensing Characteristics of the Transparent Sun". The Astrophysical Journal. 685 (2): 1297–1303. arXiv: 0711.4811 . Bibcode:2008ApJ...685.1297P. doi:10.1086/588805. S2CID   15979972.
  21. ↑ Nemiroff, Robert (2000). "The Pulse Scale Conjecture and the Case of BATSE Trigger 2193". The Astrophysical Journal. 544 (2): 805–810. arXiv: astro-ph/0001345 . Bibcode:2000ApJ...544..805N. doi:10.1086/317230. S2CID   10581733.
  22. ↑ Pullen, Lee; Russo, Pedro (June 2010). "Robert Nemiroff: Communicating Astronomy 365 Days a Year". Communicating Astronomy with the Public. 8 (8): 22–23. Bibcode:2010CAPJ....8...22P . Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "From 14 to a Million: The Astronomical Growth of the Astronomy Picture of the Day". Physics Buzz. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  24. ↑ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (16 June 2012). "APOD Turns 17". Astronomy Picture of the Day . NASA . Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  25. ↑ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (16 June 2012). "APOD Turns 17". Astronomy Picture of the Day . NASA . Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "Klumpke-Roberts Award of The Astronomical Society of the Pacific". Astronomical Society.
  27. ↑ "The Astronomical Society of the Pacific Announces Its 2015 Award Recipients For Astronomy Research And Education". Astronomical Society.
  28. ↑ Nemiroff, R. J.; Wallin, J. F. (May 1999). "The Astrophysics Source Code Library: http://www.ascl.net/". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 31: 885. Bibcode:1999AAS...194.4408N.{{cite journal}}: External link in |title= (help)
  29. ↑ "Astrophysics Source Code Library" . Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  30. ↑ "Fellows nominated in 2022". APS Fellows archive. American Physical Society. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  31. ↑ International Astronomical Union (2023-01-16). WGSBN Bulletin Volume 3, #1 (PDF) (Report). WG Small Bodies Nomenclature. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  32. ↑ "IAU Announces Winners of First Prizes for Astronomy Outreach, Development and Education". International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
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