Research

We perform observational studies of planetesimals and planets within our Solar System using ground and space-based telescopes. Much of our research involves studying specific populations orbiting the Sun, but we also perform in-depth investigations of planetary surfaces as well as individual objects such as minimoons and interstellar objects. We obtain data using dedicated time on world-class facilities such as ESO (the European Southen Observatory) and Gemini Observatory, plus wide-field sky surveys. Data from observatories and space missions provide the basis for our citizen science projects.

Members of the Solar System group participate in several international projects such as Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System), ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System), the Vera C. Rubin Observatory , LSST:UK, the LCO (Las Cumbres Observatory) Outbursting Objects Key (LOOK) Project, HERA.

Latest Group Publications

• M. M. Dobson, M. E. Schwamb, A. Fitzsimmons, C. Schambeau, A. Beck, L. Denneau, N. Erasmus, A. N. Heinze, L. J. Shingles, R. J. Siverd, K. W. Smith, J. L. Tonry, H. Weiland, D. R. Young, M. S. P. Kelley, T. Lister, P. H. Bernardinelli, M. Ferrais, E. Jehin, G. Fedorets, S. D. Benecchi, A. J. Verbiscer, J. Murtagh, R. Duffard, E. Gomez, & J. Chatelain, 2024, The Discovery and Evolution of a Possible New Epoch of Cometary Activity by the Centaur (2060) Chiron, PSJ, 5 165


• S. M. O'Brien , M. E. Schwamb , S. Gill, C. A. Watson , M. R. Burleigh, A. Kendall, S. L. Casewell, D. R. Anderson5, J. I. Vines, J. S. Jenkins, D. R. Alves, L. Trouille, S. Ulmer-Moll, E. M. Bryant, I. Apergis, M. Battley, D. Bayliss, N. L. Eisner, E. Gillen, M. R. Goad, M. N. Günther, B. A. Henderson, J.-E. Heo, D. G. Jackson, C. Lintott, J. McCormac, M. Moyano, L. D. Nielsen, A. Osborn, S. Saha, R. R. Sefako, A. W. Stephens, R. H. Tilbrook, S. Udry, R G. West, P.J. Wheatley, T. Zivave, S. M. Lim, & A. Sainio 2024, Planet Hunters NGTS: New Planet Candidates from a Citizen Science Search of the Next Generation Transit Survey Public Data, AJ, 167 238


• B. Rogers, C. J. Lintott, S. Croft, & M. E. Schwamb , & J. R. A. Davenport, 2024, The weird and the wonderful in our Solar System: Searching for serendipity in the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, AJ, 167 118


• M. Marsset, W. C. Fraser, M. E. Schwamb , L. E. Buchanan , R. E. Pike, N. Peixinho, S. Benecchi, M. T. Bannister, N. J. Tan, & J. J. Kavelaars, 2023, Col-OSSOS: Evidence for a compositional gradient inherited from the protoplanetary disk? , PSJ, 4 160


• R. E. Pike, W. C. Fraser, K. Volk, J. J. Kavelaars, M. Marsset, N. Peixinho, M. E. Schwamb, M. T. Bannister, L. E. Buchanan, S. Benecchi, & N. Tan, 2023, Col-OSSOS: The Distribution of Surface Classes in Neptune's Resonances, PSJ, 4 200


• W. C. Fraser, M. Marsset, R. E. Pike, M. E. Schwamb, M. T. Bannister, L. E. Buchanan , J. J. Kavelaars , S. Benecchi, N. Peixinho, N. J. Tan, S. D. J. Gwyn, Y.-T. Chen, B. Gladman, K. & Volk, 2023, Col-OSSOS: The Two Types of Kuiper Belt Surfaces, PSJ, 4, 80


• M. M. Dobson , M. E. Schwamb , S. D. Benecchi, A. J. Verbiscer, A. Fitzsimmons , L. J. Shingles, L. Denneau, A. N. Heinze, K. W. Smith, J. L. Tonry, H. Weiland, & D. R. Young, 2023, Phase Curves of Kuiper Belt Objects, Centaurs, and Jupiter Family Comets from the ATLAS Survey , PSJ, 4, 75


• M. E. Schwamb , R. L. Jones, P. Yoachim, K.Volk, R. C. Dorsey, C. Opitom, S. Greenstreet, T. Lister, C. Snodgrass, B. T. Bolin, L. Inno, M. T. Bannister, S. Eggl, M. Solontoi, M. S. P. Kelley, M. Jurić, H.-W. Lin, D. Ragozzine, P.H. Bernardinelli, S. R. Chesley, T. Daylan, J. Ďurech, W. C. Fraser, M. Granvik, M. M. Knight, R. Malhotra, W. J. Oldroyd, A. Thirouin, & Q. Ye, 2023, Tuning the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Observing Strategy for Solar System Science , ApJS, 266, 22


• L. E. Mc Keown, S. Diniega, M. C. Bourk, & M. E. Schwamb , 2023, Morphometric Trends and Implications for the Formation of Araneiform Clusters , Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 607, 118049


• M. D. McDonnell, E. Jones, M E. Schwamb , K.-M. Aye, G. Portyankina, & C.J. Hansen, 2023, Planet Four: A Neural Network’s Search For Polar Spring-time Fans On Mars , Icarus, Icarus, 391, 115308.


• T. Lister, M. S. P. Kelley, C. E. Holt, H. H. Hsieh, M. T. Bannister, A.A Verma, M. M. Dobson , M. M., Knight, Y. Moulane, M. E. Schwamb , D. Bodewits, J. Bauer, J. Chatelain, E. Fernández-Valenzuela, D. Gardener, G. Gyuk, M. Hammergren, K. Huynh, E. Jehin, R. Kokotanekova, E. ,Lilly, M.-T Hui, A. McKay, C. Opitom, S. Protopapa, R. Ridden-Harper, C. Schambeau, C. Snodgrass, C. Stoddard-Jones, H. Usher, K. Wierzchos, P. A. Yanamandra-Fisher, Q. Ye, E. Gomez, & S. Greenstreet, 2022, The LCO Outbursting Objects Key Project: Overview and Year 1 Status , PSJ, 3, 173


• A. Penttilä, G. Fedorets & K. Muinonen. 2022. Taxonomy of Asteroids From the Legacy Survey of Space and Time Using Neural Networks Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. 9, 816268.


• L. E. Buchanan, M. E. Schwamb, W. C. Fraser, M. T. Bannister, M. Marsset, R. E. Pike, D. Nesvorný, J. J. Kavelaars, S. D. Benecchi, M. J. Lehner, S-Y Wang, N. Peixinho, K. Volk, M. Alexandersen, Y-T Chen, B. Gladman, S. Gwyn, and J-M Petit, 2022, Col-OSSOS: Probing Ice Line/Color Transitions within the Kuiper Belt's Progenitor Populations, PSJ, 3, 9