astronomy

Timothy B. Spahr

Timothy B. Spahr 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 Timothy B. Spahr rather than just read about it. In short: Timothy Bruce Spahr (born 1970) is an American astronomer and prolific discoverer of minor planets. From 2000–2014, he worked at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Minor Planet Center.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Timothy Bruce Spahr (born 1970) is an American astronomer and prolific discoverer of minor planets. From 2000–2014, he worked at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Minor Planet Center. From September 2006 to December 2014, he was the director of Minor Planet Center. He is a co-discoverer of Callirrhoe, a moon of Jupiter, and of Albiorix, a moon of Saturn. He also discovered two periodic comets: 171P/Spahr and P/1998 U4. He is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 58 minor planets. Dr. Spahr is currently the CEO of NEO Sciences LLC, a consulting firm specializing in characterization of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) including PHAs (Potentially Hazardous Asteroids), Asteroid and Comet science, and planetary defense coordination. Dr. Spahr is the manager of the UN-sanctioned International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and also serves on the advisory council of The Planetary Society where he is the administrator of the Shoemaker NEO Grant program. The Florian asteroid 2975 Spahr was named after him.

List of discovered minor planets

References

External links An interview to Timothy Spahr (Minor Planet Center) Old equipment finds big asteroid nearby (asteroid: 1996 JA1)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Timothy B. Spahr

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Timothy B. Spahr 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 Timothy B. Spahr 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 Timothy B. Spahr 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 Timothy B. Spahr

In research: Timothy B. Spahr 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 Timothy B. Spahr 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: Timothy B. Spahr is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1970 births, American astronomer stubs, American planetary scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Timothy B. Spahr 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 Timothy B. Spahr in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Timothy B. Spahr 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 Timothy B. Spahr out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Timothy B. Spahr in simple terms?

Why does Timothy B. Spahr 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 Timothy B. Spahr?

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 Timothy B. Spahr.