David Morrison (astrophysicist)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
David Morrison
NASA Lunar Science Institute, Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute

David Morrison (born June 26, 1940) is an American

near Earth objects.[5]

Biography

David Morrison was born in Danville, Illinois on June 26, 1940. He attended elementary and high school in Danville and graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1962.[6] He studied astronomy at Harvard University and received his Ph.D. in 1969, with Carl Sagan as his thesis advisor.

Astronomical career

Morrison was Professor of Astronomy at

Mauna Kea Observatory[7] and served for two years as University Vice Chancellor for Research. His research accomplishments include demonstration of the uniform high surface temperature of Venus,[8] the discovery that Neptune has a large internal heat source while its “twin” planet Uranus does not,[9] determination of the surface composition of Pluto,[10] first ground-based measurements of the heat flow from Jupiter's volcanic moon Io,[11] discovery of the fundamental division of the asteroids into dark (primitive) and light (stony) classes,[12] and the first quantitative estimate of the cosmic impact hazard.[13] Morrison was also co-chair of the first NASA Astrobiology
Roadmap workshop and report.

He served as a science investigator on

Tucson
, and two assignments in space science management at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC.

David Morrison has held a variety of senior science management positions at NASA Headquarters in Washington and at Ames Research Center in California. In Washington he was the first Program Scientist for the

SOFIA
.

Professional activities

Morrison is author of leading college undergraduate texts in astronomy and planetary science. He is a popular public writer and lecturer, promoting a scientific and fact-based perspective about such topics as Emmanuel Velikovsky's pseudocosmology,[14] the evolution-creationist conflict,[15] climate change denialism,[16] and the 2012 doomsday hoax.[17]

As a science communicator, he frequently debunks myths of mystery planets. In interviews in 2011 and 2017, Morrison explained that he receives five emails a day about a supposed

novel of the same name
.

Honors

Morrison is a

California Academy of Science
.

He has served as Councilor of the American Astronomical Society, Chair of the Division for Planetary Science of the American Astronomical Society, President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Chair of the Astronomy Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and both President of Commission 16 (Planets and Satellites) and of the Working Group on Near Earth Objects of the International Astronomical Union.[5]

Morrison received the

Presidential Meritorious Rank.[5]

In 2015, David Morrison received the American Astronomical Society's (AAS) Education Prize in recognition for his outstanding contributions to the education of the public, students and future astronomers.[22]

References

  1. ^ "David Morrison Joins SETI Institute". Space.com.
  2. ^ "David Morrison, Senior Scientist". NASA. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  3. Bibcode:1992STIN...9234245M
    .
  4. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions :: Ask an Astrobiologist :: NASA Astrobiology". NASA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-18.
  5. ^ a b c d "David Morrison Biography". NASA.
  6. ^ Kloeppel, James E. "Distinguished NASA scientist to present public talk". news.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  7. ^ "Evaluation of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, as an Observatory Site," Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 85: 255 267, 1973
  8. ^ "Venus: Absence of a Phase Effect at a 2 centimeter Wavelength," Science 163: 815 817, 1969
  9. ^ "Temperatures of Uranus and Neptune at 24 Microns," Astrophysical Journal 179: 329 331, 1973
  10. ^ "Pluto: Evidence for Methane Frost," Science 194: 835 837, 1976
  11. ^ "lo: Observational Constraints on Internal Energy and Thermophysics of the Surface," Icarus 44: 226 233, 1980
  12. ^ "Surface Properties of Asteroids: A Synthesis of Polarimetry, Radiometry, and Spectrophotometry," Icarus 25: 104 130, 1975
  13. ^ "Impacts on the Earth by Asteroids and Comets: Assessing the Hazard” Nature 367: 33–40, 1994
  14. ^ "Velikovsky at 50” Skeptic Magazine 9, 2001
  15. ^ "Only a Theory: Framing the Evolution-Creation Debate”, Skeptical Inquirer Nov–Dec 2005
  16. ^ Disinformation about Global Warming”, Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
  17. ^ "Doomsday 2012, Nibiru, and Cosmophobia”"Doomsday". Astronomy Beat.
  18. ^ Wolchover, Nathalie (5 July 2011). "Believers In Mysterious Planet Nibiru Await Earth's End". Space.com. Life's Little Mysteries. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  19. ^ Guarino, Ben. "Will the mysterious shadow planet Nibiru obliterate Earth in October? No". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  20. ^ Selk, Avi. "Please stop annoying this NASA scientist with your ridiculous Planet X doomsday theories". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  21. ^ "Advisory Council". ncse.com. National Center for Science Education. Archived from the original on 2013-08-10. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  22. ^ "David Morrison Honored with AAS Education Award” Skeptical Inquirer Magazine Vol 9. N03, page 11,May/June 2015

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Morrison_(astrophysicist)&oldid=1217487098"