Merle A. Tuve Senior Fellow James Elliot, professor of planetary astronomy at MIT, arrived for a month-long stay at DTM on Monday. Elliot’s research interests focus on the techniques of planetary astronomy, particularly on the use of stellar occultation techniques to study various bodies in our solar system. For these techniques, Elliot and colleagues pioneered the use of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory.

Among his many accomplishments, Elliot was responsible for the discovery of Pluto’s atmosphere and the rings of Uranus. Additionally, he led a group at MIT and the CfA that built the Magellan Instant Camera (MagIC). More recently, his group, in collaboration with colleagues at Williams College, built a set of high-speed cameras for stellar occultations, which were used successfully last summer at the Magellan and other observatories.

During Elliot’s visit to DTM, he will be working with members of the astronomy group in areas of common interest on extrasolar planets. On Friday, March 31, Elliot will give a talk on the Deep Ecliptic Survey for Kuiper belt objects and Centaurs at the astronomy group’s weekly lecture series in the Astronomy Library. On Wednesday, April 5 Elliot will deliver a Tuve Lecture entitled, “Exploring the Solar System with Stellar Occultations” in the seminar room.