astronomy

Matthew J. Holman

Matthew J. Holman is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Matthew J. Holman rather than just read about it. In short: Matthew J. Holman (born 1967) is a Smithsonian astrophysicist and lecturer at Harvard University.

Key takeaways

Matthew J. Holman belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Matthew J. Holman to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Matthew J. Holman from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Matthew J. Holman (born 1967) is a Smithsonian astrophysicist and lecturer at Harvard University. Holman studied at MIT, where he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1989 and his PhD in planetary science in 1994. He was awarded the Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 1998. From 25 January 2015 to 9 February 2021, he held the position of an interim director of IAU's Minor Planet Center (MPC), after former director Timothy B. Spahr had stepped down. Holman was followed by Matthew Payne as new director of the MPC. He was a Salina Central High School (Kansas) classmate and fellow debate team member of Joe Miller, Alaskan Senate candidate. The main-belt asteroid 3666 Holman was named in his honour in 1999 (M.P.C. 34619).

Discoveries

For the period between 1999 and 2000, Holman is credited by the MPC with the discovery and co-discovery of several trans-Neptunian objects such as (44594) 1999 OX3 and (60621) 2000 FE8 (see table) and has been an active observer of centaurs. He was also part of a team that discovered numerous irregular moons:

Discovered moons of Neptune (full list): Halimede (Neptune IX) – in 2002 with J.J. Kavelaars, T. Grav, W. Fraser and D. Milisavljevic (IAUC 8047) Sao (Neptune XI) – in 2002 with J.J. Kavelaars, T. Grav, W. Fraser, D. Milisavljevic (IAUC 8047) Laomedeia (Neptune XII) – in 2002, with J.J. Kavelaars, T. Grav, W. Fraser, D. Milisavljevic (IAUC 8047) Neso (Neptune XIII) – in 2002, with B. Gladman et al. (IAUC 8213) Discovered moons of Uranus (full list): Prospero (Uranus XVIII) – in 1999, with J.J. Kavelaars, B. Gladman, J.-M. Petit, H. Scholl (IAUC 7248) Setebos (Uranus XIX) – in 1999, with J.J. Kavelaars, B. Gladman, J.-M. Petit, H. Scholl (IAUC 7230) Stephano (Uranus XX) – in 1999, with B. Gladman, J.J. Kavelaars, J.-M. Petit, H. Scholl (IAUC 7230) Trinculo (Uranus XXI) – in 2001, with J.J. Kavelaars, D. Milisavljevic (IAUC 7980) Francisco (Uranus XXII) – in 2001, with J.J. Kavelaars, D. Milisavljevic, T. Grav (IAUC 8216, IAUC 7980) Ferdinand (Uranus XXIV) – in 2001, with D. Milisavljevic, J.J. Kavelaars, T. Grav (IAUC 8213) Discovered moons of Saturn (full list): Albiorix (Saturn XXVI) – in 2000, with T.B. Spahr (IAUC 7545)

See also List of minor planet discoverers

References

External links Matthew J. Holman, homepage at Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian The Minor Planet Center Status Report Matthew Holman, 8 November 2015

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Matthew J. Holman

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Matthew J. Holman claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Matthew J. Holman before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Matthew J. Holman ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Matthew J. Holman

In research: Matthew J. Holman appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Matthew J. Holman in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Matthew J. Holman is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1967 births, 20th-century American astronomers, 21st-century American astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Matthew J. Holman outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Matthew J. Holman in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Matthew J. Holman means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Matthew J. Holman out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Matthew J. Holman in simple terms?

Matthew J. Holman (born 1967) is a Smithsonian astrophysicist and lecturer at Harvard University.

Why does Matthew J. Holman matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Matthew J. Holman?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Matthew J. Holman.