Robert Quimby
Encyclopedia
Robert Quimby is an American astronomer who received his Ph.D. in Astronomy
from the University of Texas at Austin
. As a lead member of the Texas Supernova Survey, Quimby and his team used the relatively small 18-inch ROTSE-IIIb robotic telescope on McDonald Observatory’s Mount Fowlkes, along with a program he designed to track supernovae. In 2005, Quimby discovered SN2005ap, at this writing the brightest explosion ever recorded. Quimby measured the burst at 100 billion times the luminosity of our sun, at a distance of 4.7 billion light years. As a comparison, this supernova occurred 160 million years before the formation of the Earth
. Quimby continues his research at the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena, California
.
From 1994-1995, Quimby played trombone with the ska band Reel Big Fish
.
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. As a lead member of the Texas Supernova Survey, Quimby and his team used the relatively small 18-inch ROTSE-IIIb robotic telescope on McDonald Observatory’s Mount Fowlkes, along with a program he designed to track supernovae. In 2005, Quimby discovered SN2005ap, at this writing the brightest explosion ever recorded. Quimby measured the burst at 100 billion times the luminosity of our sun, at a distance of 4.7 billion light years. As a comparison, this supernova occurred 160 million years before the formation of the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Quimby continues his research at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
From 1994-1995, Quimby played trombone with the ska band Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
.