Overview

Our group studies the solar system using a variety of techniques and telescopes. In recent years, we have concentrated our efforts on small bodies in the outer solar system (e.g. Pluto, Triton, and Kuiper Belt objects). One of our specialties is to observe these bodies when they pass in front of stars (stellar occultations), from which we can learn about their sizes, shapes, and atmospheres. We also work with our colleagues at other institutions to survey the sky for Kuiper Belt objects, and from this work we have become interested in the dynamics of the Kuiper Belt, the colors of the objects, and binary objects (our group has discovered three). For more details we invite you to browse the information on the left.

 

From left to right: Pluto-Charon observed during the stellar occultation of Charon by C313.2 (11 July 2005), globe of the predicted stellar occultation by Pluto of P384.2 (12 June 2006), Binary Kuiper Belt Object 2001QT297 observed using MagIC on the Magellan telescopes.