Michael W. Carroll is an astronomical artist and science writer. His art has appeared in magazines such as ''

TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'', ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'', and ''

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

'', and has flown aboard the Russian space station ''Mir'' and NASA's

Phoenix Mars lander ''Phoenix'' was an uncrewed space probe that landed on the surface of Mars on May 25, 2008, and operated until November 2, 2008. ''Phoenix'' was operational on Mars for sols ( days). Its instruments were used to assess the local habitabilit ...

. He is also a founding member of the

International Association of Astronomical Artists The International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA), is a non-profit organization whose members implement and participate in astronomical and space art projects, promote education about space art and foster international cooperation in art ...

Career

Carroll has written over 30 children's and adult books on subjects ranging from space to paleontology, including a Christian book series for children. He has been commissioned by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

, the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

, and the Planetary Society. Carroll was staff artist for the Reuben Fleet Space Theater, one of the world's largest planetariums and OMNIMAX theatres in San Diego.

International Association of Astronomical Artists

In 1981 a group of astronomical artists met in a space art show sponsored by the

Planetary Society The Planetary Society is an American internationally-active non-governmental nonprofit organization. It is involved in research, public outreach, and political space advocacy for engineering projects related to astronomy, planetary science, and ...

for the Society's Planetfest, held during the live transmission of close-up photos of

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

Voyager II ''Voyager 2'' is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977, to study the outer planets and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. As a part of the Voyager program, it was launched 16 days before its twin, ''Voyager 1'', on a ...

. Carroll was curator of the exhibition. Artists in attendance organized several successive annual workshops; Carroll organized the second, held in Death Valley, California towards the end of 1983. With a rapidly growing membership, the IAAA (International Association of Astronomical Artists) was formally registered as an association of astronomical artists in 1986. He was one of seven North American space artists invited by the Space Research Institute of the former USSR to attend the Space Future Forum in Moscow in 1987, where he consulted with Soviet scientists and artists. While there, he helped to establish the Dialogues project, a series of workshops and exhibitions involving Soviet, American and European artists. One of his digitized paintings was aboard Russia¹s doomed Mars 96 mission, an original flew aboard ''Mir'', and a third is on the surface of Mars, in digital form, aboard the Phoenix Lander.

Awards

Carroll is the recipient of the 2006 Lucien Rudaux Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in the astronomical arts. In 2012, he received the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

Division for Planetary Sciences Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award was established by the Division for Planetary Sciences to recognize and stimulate distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences. The winning author (or authors) receives (or divide) a p ...

. In 2017, he received a Congressional Medal for his participation in an expedition to Antarctica's Mount Erebus.

Bibliography

Books

* * * * * * * *''Antarctica: Earth's Own Ice World''. Praxis. 2018. *''Lords of the Ice Moons: A Scientific Novel''. Springer. 2019.

Articles

* * *

References

External links

Michael Carroll bio at official website
* - Summary bibliography
Black Hole is NOT a Hole''
a children's book illustrated by Michael Carroll (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2012); a few of Carroll's images are on the page.
Bang! The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck that Became Spectacular''
an International Reading Association Notable children's book illustrated by Michael Carroll (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Michael American artists Analog Science Fiction and Fact people Space artists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)