Curriculum Vitae
A PDF version of my cv [Last updated 10-6-2014]
Personal Information
Name: | Matthew Manning Knight | ![]() | |||
Address: |
Lowell Observatory* 1400 W. Mars Hill Rd. Flagstaff, AZ 86001 U.S.A. | ||||
Phone: | (928) 774-3358 | ||||
Fax: | (928) 774-6296 | ||||
Home page: | http://www2.lowell.edu/users/knight/index.html
|
Education
Graduate: | Ph.D. Astronomy, University of Maryland -- 2008 [My dissertation (PDF)] [ADS] |
M.S. Astronomy, University of Maryland -- 2003 | |
Undergraduate: | B.S. Physics with Distinction, University of Virginia -- 2000 |
Research Experience
2012-present | Assistant Research Scientist, Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ |
2008-2012 | Postdoctoral Research Associate, Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ |
2002-2008 | Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland |
1999 | REU, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of New Mexico |
1998 | Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Physics, University of Virginia |
Successful Funding Proposals
- "Observational Characterization of Active Main-Belt Comets and Main-Belt Comet Nuclei" PI: H. Hsieh. Role: Co-I. Commitment: 1.5 mo/yr for 3 years. Funded by NASA Solar System Observations Program, 2015.
- "Quantitative Studies of Comet Comae and Nuclei" PI: D. Schleicher. Role: Co-I. Commitment: 6.0 mo/yr for 4 years. Funded by NASA Planetary Astronomy Program, 2013.
- "Modeling Jet Morphologies in the Comae of Comets 103P/Hartley 2 and Lulin (2007 N3)" PI: D. Schleicher. Role: Co-I. Commitment: 2.0 mo/yr for 3 yr. Funded by NASA Planetary Atmospheres Program, 2013.
- "Imaging Polarimetry of the 2013 Comet ISON with ACS: A Study of the Heterogeneous Coma" PI: D. Hines. Role: Co-I. Commitment: 2.0 mo/yr for 1 year. Funded by Space Telescope Science Institute, 2013.
- "Hubble Imaging of the Nucleus of Comet ISON" PI: P. Lamy. Role: Co-I. Commitment: 1.0 mo/yr for 1 year. Funded by Space Telescope Science Institute, 2013.
- "The First Pre-Perihelion Nucleus Size Measurement of a Sungrazing Comet, C/2012 S1 (ISON)" PI: J.-Y. Li. Role: Co-I. Commitment: 0.5 mo/yr for 1 year. Funded by Space Telescope Science Institute, 2013.
- "The Science of Near-Sun Comets" PI: G. Jones. Role: Co-I. Commitment: support for two 1-week workshops. Funded by International Space Science Institute, 2013.
- "Investigations of Comets Observed by SOHO and STEREO" PI: M. M. Knight. Role: PI. Commitment: 4.8 mo/yr for 3 years. Funded by NASA Outer Planets Research, 2012.
- "High Spatial Resolution Photometric Imaging of the Area Around the Nucleus of C/2011 W3 Lovejoy" PI: M. M. Knight. Role: PI. Commitment: 0.75 mo/yr for 1 year. Funded by Space Telescope Science Institute, 2012.
- "Finding Interior Earth Objects in STEREO data" PI: C.I. Fuentes. Role: Co-I. Commitment: 0.0 mo/yr for 3 years. Funded by NASA Near Earth Object Observations Program, 2011.
- "Quantitative Analyses of Gas and Dust Coma Morphologies in Comets". PI: D.G. Schleicher. Role: Postdoc. Commitment: 6.6 mo/yr for 3 years. Funded by NASA Planetary Astronomy Program, 2010.
- "Study of Sungrazing Comets Observed by SOHO and STEREO". PI: M.M. Knight. Role: PI. Commitment: 4 mo/yr for 3 years. Funded by NASA Planetary Mission and Data Analysis Program, 2009.
- "Groundbased Cometary Studies". PI: D.G. Schleicher. Role: Postdoc. Commitment: 1.4 mo/yr for 3 years. Funded by NASA Planetary Astronomy Program, 2008.
- "Studies of SOHO Comets". PI: M.F. A'Hearn. Role: Graduate Student. Commitment: 12 mo/yr for 3 years. Funded by NASA Planetary Atmospheres Program, 2005.
Honors/Awards
- NASA Planetary Science Division, Early Career Fellow (2015)
- NASA group achievement award, MRO Comet Siding Spring Observing Team (2015)
- NASA Planetary Science Division citation, Coordinated Investigation of Comets (2014)
- Asteroid 25053 Matthewknight named in my honor (2014)
- Travel Grant, Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors Meeting (2014)
- NASA achievement award, Comet ISON Observing Campaign team (2013)
- Gold Prize, Spotlight on Graduate Research Competition, University of Maryland (2007)
- Travel Grant, 35th SAAS-Fee Advanced Course (2005)
- Center for Teaching Excellence Outstanding Teaching Assistant (2001, 2002)
- Department of Astronomy Outstanding Teaching Assistant (2001, 2002)
Invited Talks
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ (April 2015)
- Universite de Liege, Liege, Belgium (April 2015)
- Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), Moscow, Russia (August 2014)
- Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Conference (ACM), Helsinki, Finland (July 2014)
- Purdue University, Lafayette, IN (April 2014)
- Max Planck, Gottingen, Germany (February 2014)
- European Space Agency, Noordwijk, Netherlands (February 2014)
- University of Toledo, Toledo, OH (February 2014)
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ (November 2013)
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Colloquium, Greenbelt, MD (October 2013)
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO (May 2013)
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder (May 2013)
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Heliophysics Science Division, Greenbelt, MD (April 2013)
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD (November 2012)
- Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institute of Washington, Washington D.C. (January 2008, December 2011)
- Lowell Observatory, NAU Dept of Physics/Astronomy, US Naval Observatory Joint Colloquium, Flagstaff, AZ (April 2009, June 2013)
- NASA Challenger Center, Alexandria, VA (December 2003)
Refereed Publications
References and citation count according to Google scholar. Also my ORCID profile- Snodgrass, C., Jehin, E., Manfroid, J., Opitom, C., Fitzsimmons, A., Tozzi, G.P., Faggi, S., Knight, M.M., Conn, B.C., Lister, T., Hainaut, Ol., Bramich, D.M., Lowry, S.C., Rozek, A., Tubiana, C., Guilbert-Lepoutre, A. 2015. The distant activity of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014: Ground-based results during the Rosetta pre-landing phase. Submitted to A&A
- Kelley, M.S.P., Woodward, C.E., Bodewits, D., Farnham, T.L., Gudipati, M., Harker, D.E., Hines, D.C., Knight, M.M., Kolokolova, L., Li, A., de Pater, I., Protopapa, S., Russell, R.W., Sitko, M.L., Wooden, D.H. 2015. Cometary Science with the James Webb Space Telescope. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, in press. [arXiv][ADS]
- Samarasinha, N.H., Mueller, B.E.A., Knight, M.M., Farnham, T.L., and 43 colleagues. 2015. Results from the Worldwide Coma Morphology Campaign for Comet ISON (C/2012 S1). Planetary and Space Science, in press. [PSS]
- Zubko, E., Videen, G., Hines, D.C., Shkuratov, Y., Kaydash, V., Muinonen, K., Knight, M.M., Sitko, M.L., Lisse, C.M., Mutchler, M., Wooden, D.H., Li, J.-Y., Kobayashi, H. 2015. Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) coma composition at ~4 au from HST observations. Planetary and Space Science, in press.
- Bemporad, A., Giordano, S., Raymond, J.C., Knight, M.M.. 2015. Study of sungrazing comets with space-based coronagraphs: new possibilities offered by METIS on board Solar Orbiter. Advances in Space Research, 56, 2288-2297. [ADS]
- Hui, M.-T., Ye, Q.-Z., Knight, M.M., Battams, K., Clark, D. 2015. Gone in a Blaze of Glory: the Demise of Comet C/2015 D1 (SOHO). ApJ, 813, 73 (17pp). [arXiv][ADS]
- Knight, M.M., Mueller, B.E.A., Samarasinha, N.H., Schleicher, D.G. 2015. A Further Investigation of Apparent Periodicities and the Rotational State of Comet 103P/Hartley 2 from Combined Coma Morphology and Lightcurve Datasets. AJ, 150, 22 (14 pp). [arXiv][ADS]
- Knight, M.M., Schleicher, D.G. 2015. Observations of Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) from Lowell Observatory. AJ, 149, 19 (15 pp). [arXiv][ADS]
- Knight, M.M., Battams, K. 2014. Preliminary Analysis of SOHO/STEREO Observations of Sungrazing Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) Around Perihelion. ApJ, 782, L37 (5pp). [arXiv] [ADS]
- Knight, M.M., Walsh, K.J. 2013. Will Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) Survive Perihelion? ApJ, 776, L5 (5pp). [arXiv] [ADS]
- Schleicher, D.G., Knight, M.M., Levine, S.E. 2013. The Nucleus of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 in 2013 and Consequences Regarding Its Rotational State: Early Science from the Discovery Channel Telescope. AJ, 146:137 (8pp). [arXiv][ADS]
- Li, J.-Y., Kelley, M.S.P., Knight, M.M., Farnham, T.L., Weaver, H.A., A'Hearn, M.F., Mutchler, M.J., Kolokolova, L., Lamy, P., Toth, I. 2013. Characterizing the Dust Coma of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) at 4.15 AU from the Sun. ApJ, 779, L3. [arXiv][ADS]
- Hines, D.C., Videen, G., Zubko, E., Muinonen, K., Shkuratov, Y., Kaydaash, V.G., Knight, M.M., Sitko, M.L., Lisse, C.M., Mutchler, M., Hammer, D., Yanamandra-Fisher, P.A. 2013. Hubble Space Telescope Pre-Perihelion ACS/WFC Imaging Polarimetry of Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) at 3.81 AU. ApJ, 780, L32 (6pp). [arXiv][ADS]
- Lamy, P., Faury, G., Llebaria, A., Knight, M., A'Hearn, M.F., Battams, K. 2013. Sunskirting Comets Discovered with the LASCO Coronagraphs Over the Decade 1996-2008. Icarus, 226, 1350-1398 [ADS]
- Knight, M.M., Schleicher, D.G. 2013. The Highly Unusual Outgassing of Comet 103P/Hartley 2 from Narrowband Photometry and Imaging of the Coma. Icarus, 222, 691-706. [pre-print][Icarus][ADS]
- Lisse, C.M., Christian, D.J., Wolk, S., Dennerl, K., Bodewits, D., Combi, M.R., Lepri, S.T., Zurbuchen, T.H., Dello Russo, N., Belton, M.J.S., Knight, M.M. 2013. Chandra ACIS-S Imaging Spectroscopy of Rotationally Modulated X-ray Emission From Comet 103P/Hartley 2 During the EPOXI Encounter. Icarus, 222, 752-765. [Icarus][ADS]
- Knight, M.M., Schleicher, D.G., Farnham, T.L., Schwieterman, E.W., Christensen, S.R. 2012. A Quarter-Century of Observations of Comet 10P/Tempel 2 at Lowell Observatory: Continued Spin-Down, Coma Morphology, Production Rates, and Numerical Modeling. The Astronomical Journal, 144:153 (25pp). [pre-print][ADS]
- Hsieh, H.H., and 38 colleagues (including Knight, M.M.). 2011. Observational and Dynamical Characterization of Main-Belt Comet P/2010 R2 (La Sagra). The Astronomical Journal 143:104 (16pp) [ADS][pre-print]
- Knight, M.M., Schleicher, D.G. 2011. CN Morphology Studies of Comet 103P/Hartley 2. The Astronomical Journal 141:183 (14pp). [ADS] [pre-print] [AJ Cover]
- Meech, K.J., and 191 colleagues (including Knight, M.M.). 2011. EPOXI: Observations from a Worldwide Earth-Based Campaign. The Astrophysical Journal Letters 734:L1 (9pp). [ADS]
- Knight, M.M., Farnham, T.L., Schleicher, D.G., Schwieterman, E.W. 2011. The Increasing Rotation Period of Comet 10P/Tempel 2. The Astronomical Journal 141:2 (14pp) [ADS][pre-print]
- Knight, M.M., A'Hearn, M.F., Biesecker, D.A., Faury, G., Hamilton, D.P., Lamy, P., Llebaria, A. 2010. Photometric Study of the Kreutz Comets Observed by SOHO from 1996-2005. The Astronomical Journal 139, 926-949. [ADS][reprint]
- Farnham, T.L., Samarasinha, N.H., Mueller, B.E.A., Knight, M.M. 2007. Cyanogen Jets and the Rotation State of Comet Machholz (C/2004 Q2). The Astronomical Journal, 133, 2001-2007. [ADS][reprint]
- Knight, M.M., Walsh, K.J., A'Hearn, M.F., Swaters, R.A., Zauderer, B.A., Samarasinha, N., Vasquez, R., Reitsema, H. 2007. Ground-based Visible and Near-IR Observations of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 During the Deep Impact Encounter. Icarus 187, 199-207. [ADS][reprint] Also published in the Deep Impact at Comet Tempel 1 book (M.F. A'Hearn and M.R. Combi editors), Icarus 191, 403-411. [ADS]
- Meech, K. J., and 207 colleagues (including M. Knight). 2005. Deep Impact: Observations from a Worldwide Earth-Based Campaign. Science, 310, 265-269. [ADS]
IAU Circulars & Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams
- Knight, M. 2015. Comet C/2015 D1 (SOHO). CBET 4067. [CBAT] (subscription required)
- Knight, M., Skiff, B. 2014. Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring). CBET 4004. [CBAT] (subscription required)
- Knight, M. 2013. Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). CBET 3731. [ADS]
- Lisse, C.M., Vervack, R.J., Weaver, H.A., Bauer, J.M., Fernandez, Y.R., Kelley, M.S.P., Knight, M.M., Hines, D., Li, J.-Y., Reach, W., Sitko, M.L., Yanamandra-Fisher, P.A. 2013. Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). CBET 3598. [ADS]
- Li, J.-Y., Weaver, H.A., Kelley, M.S., A'Hearn, M.F., Farnham, T.L., Knight, M., Mutchler, M.J., Lamy, P., Toth, I. 2013. Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). CBET 3496. [ADS]
- Knight, M., Schleicher, D. 2010. Comet 103P/Hartley. IAU Circ. 9175. [ADS]
- Knight, M., Schleicher, D. 2010. Comet 103P/Hartley. IAU CBET 2512. [ADS]
- Knight, M., Schwieterman, E., Schleicher, D. 2010. Comet 103P/Hartley. IAU Circ. 9163. [ADS] [Also CBET 2418 -- subscription required].
- Knight, M.. 2010. Comet C/2010 H3 (SOHO). IAU Circ. 9138. [ADS] [Also CBET 2256]
- Knight, M. and Schleicher, D. 2009. Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin). IAU Circ. 9025. [ADS]
- Knight, M. 2007. P/2007 R5 = 1999 R1 = 2003 R5 (SOHO). IAU Circ. 8872. [ADS]
Refereed Archived Datasets
- Knight, M.M. Begun, J., and Bair, A.N., SOHO LASCO Comet Images V2.0. SOHO-C-LASCO-3-DATASET_ID_TBD-V2.0. NASA Planetary Data System, SUBMITTED.
- Knight, M.M., Begun, J., and Bair, A.N., SOHO LASCO Comet Photometry V2.0. SOHO-C-LASCO-5-DATASET_ID_TBD-V2.0. NASA Planetary Data System, SUBMITTED.
- Knight, M.M., STEREO SECCHI Comet Images V1.0. SOHO-C-LASCO-3-DATASET_ID_TBD-V1.0. NASA Planetary Data System, SUBMITTED.
- Knight, M.M., STEREO SECCHI Comet Photometry V1.0. STEREO-C-SECCHI-5-DATASET_ID_TBD-V1.0. NASA Planetary Data System, SUBMITTED.
- Knight, M.M. 2009. "SOHO LASCO Comet Photometry V1.0", NASA Planetary Data System, SOHO-C-LASCO-5-KREUTZPHOTOM-V1.0 [PDS holding][ADS]
- Knight, M.M. 2008. "SOHO LASCO COMET IMAGES V1.0", NASA Planetary Data System, SOHO-C-LASCO-4-COMETIMAGES-V1.0 [PDS holding][ADS]
- Knight, M.M. 2007. "Near-infrared images of comet 9P/Tempel 1 V1.0", NASA Planetary Data System, DI/EAR-C-SQIID-3-9PNIRIMAGES-V1.0 [PDS holding][ADS]
Published Abstracts and Conference Proceedings
[I have more than 60 published abstracts and conference proceedings. Click here for a full list]Observing Experience
I have been PI or Co-I on numerous successful external telescope proposals. These are summarized below and listed in detail here.Hubble Space Telescope | 19 orbits of imaging and spectroscopy of comets in optical and UV wavelengths (15 more orbits approved but not executed yet) |
Spitzer Space Telescope | 29.6 hr imaging comets in thermal-IR wavelengths |
Swift | 2 orbits imaging comets in UV and optical wavelengths |
K2 (Kepler) | Campaign 2 optical imaging of a comet |
Gemini South | Cerro Panchon, Chile: 27.5 hr imaging comets in optical and near-IR wavelengths |
Gemini North | Mauna Kea, HI: 23.6 hr imaging and spectroscopy of comets in optical and near-IR wavelengths (observations ongoing) |
Very Large Telescope (VLT) | Paranal, Chile: 0.5 nights + 2.5 hr imaging comets in broadband optical |
Discovery Channel Telescope (Lowell 4.3-m) | Flagstaff, AZ: 40 nights imaging comets in broadband optical filters |
Lowell 42in | Flagstaff, AZ: 110+ nights imaging comets in broadband and narrowband optical filters |
Lowell 31in (robotic mode) | Flagstaff, AZ: 170+ nights imaging comets in broadband and narrowband optical filters |
Lowell 72in | Flagstaff, AZ: 2 night imaging comets in broadband and narrowband optical filters |
KPNO 4m | Kitt Peak, AZ: 9 nights surveying for Kreutz sungrazing comets and imaging comets in optical wavelengths |
KPNO 2.1m | Kitt Peak, AZ: 26 nights imaging comets in optical and near-IR wavelengths |
McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope | Kitt Peak, AZ: 17 days acquiring spectra of comets and Mercury in optical wavelengths |
Las Cumbres Observatory | multiple locations: 14 nights imaging comets in optical wavelengths |
Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) | Mt Graham, AZ: 1 night imaging suspected dead comets |
Professional Experience
- Referee for The Astronomical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal, ApJ Letters, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Icarus, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Nature, Planetary and Space Science, Science [18 manuscripts since 2008]
- Referee for Origins of the Expanding Universe (conference proceedings)
- Review panelist for NASA Discovery Mission, NASA Planetary Atmospheres, PDS Small Bodies Node
- External reviewer for NASA Planetary Atmospheres, NASA Planetary Mission Data Analysis, NASA Outer Planets Research, NASA Origins, NASA Emergy Worlds, CCI International Time Programmes, CFHT CanTAC
- International Space Science Institute (ISSI) International Team member for "The Science of Near-Sun Comets," Bern, Switzerland, March 3-8, 2014 & March 23-27, 2015[ISSI]
- Member of NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign team, 2013
- Member of NASA's Coordinated Investigations of Comets team, 2013-2014.
- James Web Space Telescope Comet Science Working Group. Lead: Chick Woodward (2014-2015)
- Co-organizer of Royal Society Discussion Meeting: Cometary Science after Rosetta, June 2016
- Co-organizer of Comet ISON Morphology Professional-Amateur collaboration, 2013
- Co-organizer of Comet ISON Post-Perihelion Tag-up Workshop, Laurel, MD, December 6, 2013
- Co-organizer of Comet ISON Observer's Workshop, Laurel, MD, August 1-2, 2013
- Convener of AGU Special Session Sun-Grazing Comets as Solar Probes: What Goes on Behind the Occulter Disk? Fall 2012
- Scientific Organizing Committee for Comet Lovejoy Workshop, Boulder, CO, March 21-22, 2012
- Co-organizer of 103P/Hartley 2 Rotation Workshop April 2011
- Session chair for AAS Division of Planetary Sciences meeting, Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, American Geophysical Union meeting
- Maintenance of Named Comets website for Committee on Small Body Nomenclature, IAU Division III, 2002-2008
Leadership Activities
- Colloquium co-Organizer, Lowell Observatory (2010-2011)
- Website Working Group, Lowell Observatory (2009)
- Graduate student president, UMD Department of Astronomy (2000-2008)
- Captain, UMD Astronomy Department intramural soccer, basketball, and football teams (2001-2008)
- Student representative, UMD Astronomy Department Graduate Curriculum Review Committee (2003)
- Student representative, UMD Astronomy Department Chair Search Committee (2002)
Teaching and Outreach
- I regularly give public talks to audiences of all ages. A partial list is here.
- Visiting teacher, Baltimore ProjectASTRO (2011-present)
- Judge, Lakeland Middle School (Baltimore, MD) science fair (2014-present) [Twitter]
- Reddit "Ask Me Anything", [Comet ISON pre-perihelion][Comet ISON post-perihelion][Comet Siding Spring]
- Public program volunteer, Lowell Observary (2010-2011)
- Visiting teacher, Lowell Observatory-Navajo/Hopi outreach program (2009-2010)
- Mentor, Northern Arizona University REU program (2009)
- College Park Scholars Astronomy/Geology spring break trip (guide at Lowell) (2009, 2011)
- Maryland Day Volunteer, University of Maryland (2001-2007)
- Math/science substitute teacher, Henrico County, Virginia (2001)
- Graduate Assistant, University of Maryland Observatory (2000-2008)
- Teaching Assistant, ASTR 100 "Introduction to Astronomy", University of Maryland (Fall 2000-Spring 2002)
Advising Experience
- Allison Bair, Lowell Observatory research assistant (2014-present) Supervised photometric reductions and analysis of sungrazing comets
- Michaela Fendrock, Wellesley College undergraduate student (January 2013) Lightcurve analysis of comets 10P/Tempel 2 and 103P/Hartley 2
- Samantha Christensen, Lowell Observatory research assistant (2011-2013) Supervised image processing and analysis of comets 10P/Tempel 2 and 103P/Hartley 2. Resulted in a refereed publication
- Eddie Schwieterman, current University of Washington graduate student, former Florida Institute of Technology undergraduate student (summer 2009, 2010) Supervised photometric reductions, image processing, and analysis of comet 10P/Tempel 2; trained in optical ground-based observing. Resulted in two refereed publications
- Jason Begun, University of Maryland undergraduate student (2009-2012) Supervised photometric reductions of sungrazing comets and maintainence of comet discovery database and website
Technical Skills
- Astronomical techniques: Planning and executing observations (optical/near-IR), Data reduction and analysis (optical/near-IR), Image enhancement, Data mining (SOHO, STEREO), Dynamical modeling (HNBody), Numerical modeling (DataDesk)
- Astronomical software: IRAF (optical/IR), DS9
- Programming languages: IDL, C, HTML, Awk, Unix shell scripts
- Other software: plotting (Supermongo), Spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice), Word Processing (Microsoft Word, LaTeX), Operating systems (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux/Unix)
Additional Training/Workshops
- SPICE Training Class (2014) [NAIF]
- Cometary Radio Astronomy Workshop (2010) [webpage]
- 35th SAAS-Fee Advanced Course on Trans-Neptunian Objects and Comets (2005) [book]
- Kitt Peak Summer School, University of Maryland (2004)
- BIMA Summer School (2001)
Memberships
- International Astronomical Union
- Committee on Space Research
- American Astronomical Society
- Division for Planetary Sciences of American Astronomical Society
- Historical Astronomy Division of American Astronomical Society
Popular Articles
- Knight, M. 2015. "Addressing some common questions about Comet Lovejoy" Planetary Society
- Knight, M. 2014. "What is the chance that Earth could pass through the debris field of Comet ISON and get a meteor shower?" Astronomy Magazine, August 2014
- Knight, M. 2013. "The Science of Comets" Astronomy Magazine, November 2013 [cover story]
- Knight, M. 2013. Comet ISON Observing Campaign Blog [article index] "Why does ISON look green?" reposted on The Planetary Society [Guest blog]
- Knight, M. 2012. "Could we detect a comet or asteroid hitting the Sun?" Astronomy Magazine, December 2012 [subscription required to read whole article].
- Knight, M. 2012. "Comet Lovejoy," Lowell Observer, June 2012.
- Knight, M. 2011. "The Survival of Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3), A Once in a Generation Event," Lowell Observatory Blog [Link]
- Knight, M. 2009. "Comet Lulin Zooming By Us," Lowell Observer, December 2009. [PDF]
- Knight, M. 2009. Baseball Prospectus Idol competition. [Author Index],[#6],[#5],[#4],[#3],[#2],[#1]
- Knight, M.M. 2006. "Sungrazing Comets", Zenit (The Netherlands), February 2006 issue, 56-61.
Selected Media Coverage
I now have an IMDB page!- Planetary Science (general) (2013-2015)
--"A second minor planet may possess Saturn-like rings" MIT News, March 2015
--"Why You'll Never Seen a Red Comet Like in Game of Thrones" The Universe Today, March 2013
- C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy (2015)
--"Picture of the Week: Comet Lovejoy" NPR's Science Friday, January 2015
--"Comet Lovejoy in Flagstaff Sky Near Pleiades" Arizona Daily Sun, January 2015
- Rosetta & 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (2014-2015)
--"Comet Observed from Earth" ESA Space in Images Gallery, August 2015
--"Gemini Spots Rosetta on its Way Back to the Sun" Gemini Observatory Blog, August 2015
--"Rosetta's Big Day in the Sun" ESA Rosetta Blog, August 2015
--"Gemini Images Comet Hours Before Probe's Landing" Gemini Observatory press release, November 2014
- C/2012 S1 ISON (2013-2014)
TV:
--"Comet of the Century" BBC Horizons, December 2013
--"Supercomet ISON 2013" Science Channel, December 2013
--NHK Japan, December 2013 [no link known]
Radio/podcast:
--"Life and Legacy of ISON" Voice of America News, December 2013 [Segment begins at 17:37 mark]
--BBC radio, November 29, 2013 [no link known]
--"Newshour: Comet ISON grazes the Sun" BBC radio, November 28, 2013
--"Comet ISON is coming!" The Naked Scientist podcast, October 2013
Print:
--"Death of a comet" Nature, February 2014
--"What Happened to Comet ISON?" NASA Science News, December 2013
--"Thanksgiving Comet Gets Gobbled Up" The Wall Street Journal, November 2013
--"Scientists baffled by new picures of Comet ISON" CBS News, November 2013
--"Close Encounters," Wired Magazine, November 2013, p. 110 [print edition]
--"Komeetta ISON Jannitysta viimeiseen asti," Tahdet Ja Avaruus (Finland), November 2013, p. 68 [print edition]
--"Latest Updates on Comet ISON" Sky and Telescope, November 2013
--"Comet ISON puts on a show. Will it survive its solar flyby?" Christian Science Monitor, November 2013
--"Comet from the Oort Cloud Careens toward the Sun" Scientific American, November 2013
--"Oort cloud tosses astronomers a cometary curveball" Science News, October 2013
--"Comet expected to survive close Sun encounter" Nature, October 2013
--"ISON's chances for survival 50/50" Sky and Telescope, October 2013
--"Comet ISON likely to survive solar plunge" Discovery News, October 2013
--"New data: will Comet ISON survive its close perihelion passage?" Universe Today, October 2013
--"Amateur Astronomers See Comet ISON" NASA Science News, September 2013
--"Comet ISON: Sparkle or Fade?" Telescope.com, September 2013
--"Mighty Comet ISON: Space and Earth Telescopes to Track 'Comet of the Century'" Space.com, August 2013. Also appeared on NBC news
--"Rumors of Comet ISON 'Fizzling' May be Greatly Exaggerated" The Universe Today, July 2013
--"Hubble Captures Comet ISON" NASA press release, April 2013
--"NASA's Swift Sizes Up Comet ISON" NASA press release, March 2013
--"Comet of the Century?" NASA Science News, January 2013 [video version]. Also picked up by a number of other websites.
- Discovery Channel Telescope & Comet 10P/Tempel 2 (2013)
--"Arizona's oldest observatory has first results from its newest telescope" Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), October 2013
--"Lowell's Discovery Channel Telescope marks milestone"Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff)
- C/2011 L4 Pan-STARRS (2013)
--"Sunset Comet" NASA Science News, March 2013 [video version].
--"A possible Naked-Eye Comet in March" NASA Science News, March 2013 [video version]. Also picked up by a number of other websites.
- C/2011 N3 SOHO (2012)
--"Solar Swan Song: NASA Satellite Witnesses a Comet's Plunge into the Sun" Scientific American, January 2012
"Some Comets Like It Hot" NASA Science News, January 2012 [video version].
- C/2011 W3 Lovejoy (2011)
--"Comet Lovejoy Plunges into the Sun and Survives" NASA Science News, December 2011
- EPOXI & 103P/Hartley 2 (2011)
--"Hyperactive Hartley 2 Has a Split History" EPSC-DPS press release, October 2011. Also picked up by a number of other websites.
- Sungrazing comets (general) (2011)
--"Arvoituksellinen pikkukomeettojen myrsky alkoi Jättiläinen tulossa?" [in Finnish], Tahdet ja avaruus (Stars and Space), Spring 2011
--"Sundiving Comet Storm" NASA Science News, January 2011. Also picked up in various forms by other websites including National Geographic and Space.com
- C/2007 N3 Lulin (2009)
--"Comet Lulin (2007 N3): a Detailed Look at a Corkscrew Morphology & the Fascinating 3-D Problem of Lulin's Rotation by Lowell Observatory" Lowell Observatory Blog, October 2009
--"Seeing Lulin, Once in a Million Years" Discovery Channel, October 2009
- 10P/Tempel 2 (2009)
--"Comet 10P/Tempel 2's Nucleus Rotation Determined to Within 10 Seconds" Lowell Observatory Blog, October 2009
- Deep Impact & 9P/Tempel 1 (2005)
--"NASA probes comet for deeper understanding" Arizona Daily Wildcat, July 2005
--"More than 40 Nights of Kitt Peak Observations of NASA's Deep Impact Comet to Culminate on July 3" SpaceRef.com, June 2005
Last updated Dec-16-2015