Michael A'Hearn
Michael Francis A'Hearn (born November 17, 1940 in Wilmington (Delaware) , † May 29, 2017 in University Park , Maryland ) was an American astronomer and planetologist. He mainly dealt with comets .
Career
Michael A'Hearn graduated from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in physics in 1961 and received a PhD in astronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966 . He was a professor at the University of Maryland in College Park (University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences). From 1966 he was assistant professor there and professor from 1982. In 2000 he became a Distinguished Professor.
He was Principal Investigator of NASA's Deep Impact Mission and the subsequent EPOXI mission. Both concerned the approach to comets and asteroids.
In 2008 he received the Gerard P. Kuiper Prize and he received several NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Awards. From 1994 to 1997 he was president of the International Astronomical Union and from 1997 to 2000 chairman of its planetology department. In 1993/94 he was chairman of the planetary department of the American Astronomical Society. He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science .
The asteroid (3192) A'Hearn is named in his honor.
Web links
- Literature by and about Michael A'Hearn in the WorldCat bibliographic database
Individual evidence
- ↑ Birth and career data according to American Men and Women of Science , Thomson Gale 2004
- ↑ Obituary , accessed January 23, 2018
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | A'Hearn, Michael |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | A'Hearn, Michael Francis (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronomer and planetologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 17, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wilmington, Delaware |
| DATE OF DEATH | 29 May 2017 |
| Place of death | University Park , Maryland |