Fraser Gillan

Astrophysics PhD Student at Queen's University Belfast

Activity in Jupiter-family comets and asteroids: photometric analysis of survey and deep imaging

My research primarily focuses on using the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey to analyse the evolution of the dust production rates in a large number of Jupiter-family comets (JFCs) over a range of heliocentric distances. I also search for cometary activity in asteroids using deep imaging techniques to understand how objects evolve from the outer solar system into short-period comets.

Biography

I completed my BSc in Astrophysics at the University of Central Lancashire from 2015 - 2019 where my undergraduate project focused on calculating the orbits and properties of near-Earth asteroids using data from the 0.7 m Moses Holden Telescope (MHT) at the Alston Observatory.

After the completion of the BSc, I wished to further study small solar system bodies which led to the completion of my MSc(Research) in Astrophysics also at the University of Central Lancashire from 2019 - 2020. This work focused on the design and implementation of an automatic detection system to search for solar system objects in data from NASA's STEREO mission.

After the completion of my Masters, wishing to further pursue small solar system objects, I started my PhD at Queens's University Belfast in October 2021. My research conducted the largest study to date of active JFCs using ATLAS data to monitor them over a significant fraction of their orbit near perihelion. I also used deep imaging from an observing run at the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in November 2022 to look at asteroids on Jupiter-crossing orbits to search for cometary activity and low-level sublimation beyond the depths of typical survey imaging.

Outreach

  • Public Observing days/nights at UCLan Cyprus (2019)
  • Lightpool Festival SUN exhibit (2019)
  • Various lectures and telescope tours at the Alston Observatory (2019 - 2020)
  • Introduction to comets talk at Northern Ireland Science Festival Astronomy Day (2023)
  • Talk on introduction to comets and Jupiter Family Comets to the Irish Astronomical Association (2023)

Research Interests

  • Time-domain astronomy
  • Cometary activity
  • Wide-field surveys
  • Photometry
  • Observational astronomy

Teaching

  • Observation demonstrating for undergraduate at UCLan's Alston observatory (2018)
  • Observation demonstrating for undergraduate at Queen's University Belfast (2021 - 2023)
  • Solar observation demonstrating for undergraduate at Queen's University Belfast (2023)
  • Computational Methods demonstrating for undergraduate (2022 - 2023)
  • Mathematics for Scientists and Engineers for undergraduate (2023-2024)