Ian P. Griffin (born 1966) is a New Zealand astronomer, discoverer of minor planets and a public spokesman upon scientific matters. He is currently the Director of

Otago Museum Tūhura Otago Museum is located in the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand. It is adjacent to the University of Otago campus in Dunedin North, 1,500 metres northeast of the city centre. It is one of the city's leading attractions and has one of t ...

, Dunedin, New Zealand. Griffin was the CEO of

Science Oxford Science Oxford is part of a charitable organisation called The Oxford Trust, based in Oxford, England. Science Oxford is the trust's education and engagement branch. The Oxford Trust was founded in 1985 by Martin Wood (engineer), Sir Martin and ...

, in Oxford, United Kingdom, and the former head of public outreach at NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute.

Biographical information

Griffin began his professional life at University College London where he decided to pursue a career combining both astronomical research and public outreach. He was director of the

Armagh Planetarium Armagh Planetarium is a planetarium located in Armagh, Northern Ireland close to the city centre and neighbouring Armagh Observatory in approximately fourteen acres of landscaped grounds known as the Armagh Astropark. History Armagh Planeta ...

from 1990 to 1995. He then worked at

Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory The Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, or AMPO, also known as the Eastern Florida State College Planetarium and Observatory, is an astronomical observatory and planetarium at Eastern Florida State College in Cocoa, Florida. The f ...

Brevard Community College Eastern Florida State College, formerly Brevard Community College, is a public college in Brevard County, Florida. It is a member of the Florida College System and has campuses in Cocoa, Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Titusville, as well as a Virtu ...

in Cocoa, Florida and

Auckland Observatory Stardome Observatory (IAU observatory code 467, previously known as Auckland Observatory) is a public astronomical observatory situated in Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill Domain in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded in 1967, the observatory is administ ...

in New Zealand before accepting the position as head of public outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, US. From 2004 to 2007 Griffin was director of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Griffin studied and trained to be an astronomer. He obtained his PhD in astronomy from University College London, in 1991. Griffin has a strong Twitter presence and regularly updates followers with photos of the

Aurora Australis An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of br ...

and of other astronomical phenomena.

Significant achievements

In his time at Space Telescope, Griffin contributed to the observation and study of a scientifically significant binary asteroid system, known as 1998 WW31. This was only the second such binary system discovered in the

Kuiper belt The Kuiper belt () is a circumstellar disc in the outer Solar System, extending from the orbit of Neptune at 30 astronomical units (AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, but is far larger—20 times ...

(the other being the Pluto and

Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon (; grc, Χάρων) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of Hades, the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the wo ...

system) and provided valuable data helping astronomers understand the mass and behaviour of objects in the Kuiper belt. Via search programmes using small telescopes, Griffin also discovered 26 numbered minor planets between 1998 and 2001. Three of his discoveries were made in collaboration with Australian astronomer

Nigel Brady Nigel Brady (born 9 October 1979) is an Irish former rugby union footballer. He made his debut for Ulster in 2002. As of January 13, 2010, Brady has capped 65 times for Ulster and was re-signed for a two-year contract extension in 2010. Because ...

. His discovery include: * 10924 Mariagriffin, named after his wife Maria (b. 1962) * 23990 Springsteen, named after American musician

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

* 33179 Arsènewenger, named after

Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...

, the former manager of Griffin's favourite football team,

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

However the Mars-crossing asteroid 4995 Griffin is unrelated to him, as it was named after Griffin Swanson the son of its discoverer Steven Roger Swanson. In 2015, Griffin was awarded the New Zealand Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize, worth NZD 100,000, for his work at Otago Museum. He was elected a Companion of Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Ian P. 21st-century New Zealand astronomers Alumni of University College London 20th-century British astronomers Discoverers of minor planets * Living people People associated with Otago Museum 1966 births Companions of the Royal Society of New Zealand