astronomy

Patrick Wiggins (astronomer)

Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) rather than just read about it. In short: Patrick Wiggins (born 1949) is an American amateur astronomer, and a discoverer of minor planets as well as supernovae. Wiggins worked as an educator at the Old Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake City, Utah for 27 years before his retirement in 2002.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Patrick Wiggins (born 1949) is an American amateur astronomer, and a discoverer of minor planets as well as supernovae. Wiggins worked as an educator at the Old Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake City, Utah for 27 years before his retirement in 2002. As of 2021 he works for the University of Utah Department of Physics and Astronomy doing science outreach in the public schools. He is also a sky-diver and holds a pilot's license. As of 2025, he has logged more than 4,500 nights at the Stansbury Park Observatory near Tooele.

Awards and honors In 2014, Wiggins received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest honor NASA awards to a non employee. Asteroid 4099 Wiggins, discovered by Henri Debehogne at La Silla Observatory in 1988, was named in his honor. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 January 2007 (M.P.C. 58593).

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Patrick Wiggins (astronomer)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer)

In research: Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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: Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1949 births, Amateur astronomers, American astronomer stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) in simple terms?

Why does Patrick Wiggins (astronomer) 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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer)?

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 Patrick Wiggins (astronomer).