Michael Francis A'Hearn (November 17, 1940 – May 29, 2017) was an American
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either o ...
and astronomy professor at the
.
He was also the principal investigator for
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, succeedi ...
's
EPOXI mission.
Career
He received his
B.A. in science at
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifi ...
and his
Ph.D. in
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 ...
at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
. He was the principal investigator for the
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, succeedi ...
''
Deep Impact'' mission. He aided in the development of systems for surveying
abundances in comets as well as techniques for determining the sizes of cometary nuclei which uses optical and infrared measurements.
His studies focused on comets as well as asteroids and he also supervises numerous graduate students. He was an elected fellow of the
AAAS
AAAS may refer to:
* American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a learned society and center for policy research; the publisher of the journal ''Dædalus''
* American Association for the Advancement of Science, an organization that supports scientifi ...
. He authored over 100 papers published in journals and was also an avid sailor who had a commercial coast guard license.
In June 1986, the main-belt asteroid
3192 A'Hearn
3192 A'Hearn, provisional designation , is a carbonaceous asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, ...
, discovered by American astronomer
Edward Bowell
Edward L. G. "Ted" Bowell (born 1943 in London), is an American astronomer. Bowell was educated at Emanuel School London, University College, London, and the University of Paris.
He was principal investigator of the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth ...
at Lowell's
Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, was named after him in honor of his contributions to
comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma, and sometimes also a Comet ta ...
ary science.
In 2008, he received the
Gerard P. Kuiper Prize. He died on May 29, 2017 at the age of 76.
Honors
Awards
*
NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal
The NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (abbreviated ESAM) was established by NASA on September 15, 1961, when the original ESM was divided into three separate awards. Under the current guidelines, the ESAM is awarded for unusually sign ...
(2006)
*
Gerard P. Kuiper Prize (2008)
*
NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal
The NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (abbreviated ESAM) was established by NASA on September 15, 1961, when the original ESM was divided into three separate awards. Under the current guidelines, the ESAM is awarded for unusually sign ...
(2012)
*
Gauß-Professur (2014)
*
NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal (2017)
Eponym
*
3192 A'Hearn
3192 A'Hearn, provisional designation , is a carbonaceous asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, ...
, an
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the Solar System#Inner solar system, inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic o ...
of the inner
main-belt named after A'Hearn
References
External links
Michael F. A'Hearn's homepageKuiper Prize website of the American Astronomical SocietyNasa bio on Deep Impact websiteNASA EPSM award website
{{DEFAULTSORT:A'Hearn, Michael
1940 births
2017 deaths
American astronomers
Boston College alumni
Place of birth missing
University of Maryland, College Park faculty
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni