Matthew J. Holman

Matthew J. Holman (born 1967) is a Smithsonian astrophysicist and lecturer at Harvard University. He studied at MIT, where he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1989 and his PhD in planetary science in 1994.

Holman received the Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 1998 for his important contributions to science. From January 2015 to February 2021, he served as interim director of the IAU's Minor Planet Center after the former director, Timothy B. Spahr, stepped down. He was succeeded by Matthew Payne as the new director of the Minor Planet Center.

An asteroid, 3666 Holman, was named in his honor in 1999, recognizing his work in planetary science. Holman was also a classmate and debate team member with Joe Miller, who later became an Alaskan Senate candidate. His work continues to influence the field of astronomy and our understanding of objects in space.

Discoveries

See also: Category:Discoveries by Matthew J. Holman

Matthew J. Holman discovered and helped find several faraway objects in space between 1999 and 2000. These include special objects called trans-Neptunian objects, like (44594) 1999 OX3 and (60621) 2000 FE8. He also observed objects called centaurs.

Holman was part of a team that found many unusual moons around planets. Some of these moons are around Neptune, like Halimede, Sao, Laomedeia, and Neso. He also helped find moons around Uranus, such as Prospero, Setebos, Stephano, Trinculo, Francisco, and Ferdinand. Additionally, he contributed to the discovery of a moon named Albiorix around Saturn.