T. H. Morgan
Papers
1
Total Citations
17
H-Index
1
About
Thomas H. Morgan is a leading figure in planetary science, with a specialized focus on the tenuous exospheres of airless bodies, particularly the Moon. His most significant contributions stem from pioneering observational techniques to study the lunar sodium exosphere, a faint, comet-like envelope of atoms surrounding our satellite. Morgan designed, built, and deployed a small, robotically controlled coronagraph at the Winer Observatory in Arizona, enabling remote, nightly observations of this elusive feature out to half a degree from the lunar limb. His landmark 2019 paper, "Coronagraphic observations of the lunar sodium exosphere January–June, 2017," which has garnered 17 citations, provides critical data on the spatial distribution and temporal variability of sodium atoms, revealing how they are sourced from micrometeoroid impacts and solar wind sputtering. This work, conducted from his home base at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, has profoundly advanced our understanding of surface-atmosphere interactions on the Moon and other airless worlds, establishing a new standard for ground-based exospheric monitoring.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Coronagraphic observations of the lunar sodium exosphere January–June, 201717 citations · 2019