Megan E. Schwamb
California Institute of Technology, Queen's University Belfast
Papers
2
Total Citations
38
H-Index
2
About
Megan E. Schwamb is a leading planetary astronomer whose research focuses on the distant solar system, particularly the Kuiper Belt and Centaurs. She is best known for her work with the Taiwanese-American Occultation Survey (TAOS), a pioneering robotic observatory designed to detect occultations of stars by Kuiper Belt Objects. Her 2009 paper describing the TAOS system has accumulated 30 citations, establishing the foundation for a versatile facility that also contributes to studies of gamma-ray burst afterglows. More recently, Schwamb made a significant discovery using the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), detecting new or increased cometary activity in the Centaur (2060) 95P/Chiron. Her 2021 paper on this finding, with 8 citations, documents a brightening event that began in February 2021, providing crucial insights into the volatile-driven activity of these transitional objects. Schwamb's work bridges observational astronomy and planetary science, advancing our understanding of the solar system's most distant and enigmatic bodies.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2New or Increased Cometary Activity in (2060) 95P/Chiron8 citations · 2021