Targets of Interest: Asteroids, Charon, Dwarf planets, Interplanetary Dust, Kuiper Belt, Moon, Planetary rings, Pluto, Trans-Neptunian objects, Exoplanets
Disciplines/Techniques: Astrometry, Atmospheres, Ground-based observing, Numerical modeling, Photometry, Space-based observing, Spectroscopy
Missions: DART
Mission Roles: Science Team
Instruments: High-speed Imaging Cameras, Dust counters, Imaging Spectrometers, Spectrometers
Facilities: SAAO, Lowell Observatory, Cerro Tololo, Gemini, IRTF, Kitt Peak, SOFIA
Active areas of research include characterizing distant Solar System bodies through stellar occultations (e.g. monitoring Pluto’s and Triton's evolving atmospheres and placing size and atmospheric constraints on trans-Neptunian objects, studying Centaur environments (rings, jets, and comae), and observing exoplanet transits. Other areas of interest include dusty plasmas, with applications to near-surface planetary environments such as the Moon and asteroids, and building instruments for ground-based telescopes.
ACTIVE PROJECTS
Principal Investigator
Project Team
Michael Person
MIT
Amanda Bosh
MIT
Stephen Levine
Lowell Obs
