190:. Some asteroid and comet discoveries of previous decades were "lost" because not enough observational data had been obtained at the time to determine a reliable enough orbit to know where to look for identification at future dates. Occasionally, a newly discovered object turns out to be a rediscovery of a previously lost object, which can be determined by calculating its orbit backwards into the past and matching calculated positions with the previously recorded positions of the lost object. In the case of comets this is especially tricky because of forces other than gravity that can affect their orbits (one of which is emission of jets of gas from the comet nucleus), but Marsden has specialized in calculating such forces. Notably, he successfully predicted the 1992 return of the once-lost
286:, the discovery of which was made possible by CCD-array detectors and dedicated surveys or incidental discoveries of these objects with relatively large telescopes. Partly at his urging, the International Astronomical Union voted at a meeting in Prague in 2006 to designate Pluto and three asteroids “dwarf planets.”, which are objects that have not dynamically cleared their orbits of other debris (except, e.g., for collections of objects in stable dynamic libration at the "
236:
asked astronomers not to sound a public alarm like that again but to communicate with each other. He took some criticism for publicizing this prediction at the same time that movie companies were publicizing films like
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and assigned the asteroid number 10000; however, this proposal was not accepted. A similar proposal was, however, finally accepted in 2006 when Pluto was designated minor planet 134340 and also declared a
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Other asteroid researchers demonstrated within hours that the computation was in error. Marsden himself admitted the announcement was a strategy which needed "rethinking", and
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would put it onto a course to collide with
Jupiter in July 1994, marking the first ever time that a cometary-planetary impact was successfully predicted.
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by announcing that an asteroid could collide with Earth in 2028, only to revise the estimates hours later."—Gretchen Vogel,
247:). However, Marsden justified his actions with the argument that the problem of detecting asteroids needs more attention:
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885:
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251:"Much as the incident was bad for my reputation, we needed a scare like that to bring attention to this problem." (
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290:", the libration points L4 and L5 of large, classical planets, as in the case of the Jovian "Trojan" asteroids).
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and computing their orbits, often from minimal observational information and providing their future positions on
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after them. Brian credited his mother for inspiring his interest in astronomy when she showed him the partial
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179:(CBAT) from 1968 to 1999. He was president of IAU Commission 6 (2000–2003) and Commission 20 (1976–1979).
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He married Nancy Lou
Zissell; they had a daughter, Cynthia, and a son, Jonathan. He named minor planet
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had a small probability of striking the Earth in 2028. Marsden chose to issue a press release, which
175:(IAU) circulars. In addition to serving as MPC director since 1978, he served as the director of the
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Marsden campaigned to reclassify Pluto as one of the newly discovered and rapidly growing class of
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339:; that the date and time could be projected far in advance very much impressed him.
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725:"Division on Dynamical Astronomy | Division on Dynamical Astronomy"
644:"Brian Marsden dies at 73; astronomer who tracked comets and asteroids"
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491:"MPEC 2010-W10 : BRIAN MARSDEN (1937 August 5-2010 November 18)"
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739:"Gruppe 2: Fysikkfag (herunder astronomi, fysikk og geofysikk)"
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828:– Marsden's announcement about XF11 made front page headlines
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Follow-up work determined that an impact would be unlikely.
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593:"Frantic Hunt Found Photos That Deflated Asteroid Fears"
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Members of the
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
107:(5 August 1937 – 18 November 2010) was a British
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In May 1993, Marsden concluded that the trajectory of
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Award for
Service to Astronomy and Geophysics (2006)
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The
Journal of the British Astronomical Association
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665:Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2298) Cindijon
641:
632:
772:"A cheery herald of fear: Brian Geoffrey Marsden"
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518:"Brian Marsden, Tracker of Comets, Dies at 73"
663:Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2298) Cindijon".
515:
536:
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667:. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 187.
387:of the American Astronomical Society (1995)
19:For other people named Brian Marsden, see
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437:
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204:In 1998, he calculated that an asteroid,
177:Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
911:English expatriates in the United States
743:Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
662:
398:Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
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642:Thomas H. Maugh II (20 November 2010).
612:"Run for your lives! (Uh, never mind.)"
119:(director emeritus from 2006 to 2010).
848:
609:
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163:, collecting data on the positions of
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881:Deaths from myelodysplastic syndrome
896:People educated at The Perse School
337:solar eclipse of September 10, 1942
13:
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557:"Astronomer Brian G. Marsden dies"
516:DENNIS HEVESI (22 November 2010).
14:
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780:. Man in the News. 13 March 1998.
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537:Kelly Beatty (18 November 2010).
266:should be cross-listed as both a
111:and the longtime director of the
906:Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery
866:20th-century British astronomers
785:Marsden, B. G. (February 1999).
365:British Astronomical Association
355:British Astronomical Association
173:International Astronomical Union
822:(pers. webpage). Archived from
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385:Division on Dynamical Astronomy
182:Marsden helped to recover once
143:(PhD). His thesis advisor was
673:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2299
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539:"Brian G. Marsden (1937-2010)"
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21:Brian Marsden (disambiguation)
16:British astronomer (1937–2010)
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856:Alumni of New College, Oxford
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375:American Astronomical Society
353:Merlin Medal and Gift of the
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7:
833:"Obituary of Brian Marsden"
443:"Brian Marsden (1937–2010)"
371:George Van Biesbroeck Prize
245:Science by press conference
220:"... astronomers created a
10:
927:
820:"The Great Asteroid Scare"
391:Royal Astronomical Society
342:
18:
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71:Burlington, Massachusetts
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37:
30:
886:Harvard University staff
861:Discoverers of asteroids
570:Pointless Asteroid Scare
127:Marsden was educated at
284:Trans-Neptunian objects
155:Marsden specialized in
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901:Yale University alumni
628:Death of Brian Marsden
262:He once proposed that
199:Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
105:Brian Geoffrey Marsden
32:Brian Geoffrey Marsden
818:Hoffman, Tony (ed.).
361:Walter Goodacre Medal
749:on 27 September 2011
838:The Daily Telegraph
813:on 31 October 2007.
807:1999JBAA..109...39M
495:Minor Planet Center
459:2010Natur.468.1042G
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253:Scientific American
157:celestial mechanics
137:New College, Oxford
113:Minor Planet Center
97:Minor Planet Center
83:New College, Oxford
841:. 6 December 2010.
777:The New York Times
610:Reichhardt, Tony.
597:The New York Times
589:Browne, Malcolm W.
575:2011-01-09 at the
523:The New York Times
497:. 18 November 2010
420:sun-grazing comets
293:
192:Comet Swift-Tuttle
791:– the true story"
705:. 2 December 2010
682:978-3-540-00238-3
649:Los Angeles Times
591:(14 March 1998).
543:Sky and Telescope
418:Marsden Group of
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206:(35396) 1997 XF11
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63:November 18, 2010
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826:on 14 June 2013.
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139:(BA and MA) and
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255:magazine, 2003)
228:, 20 March 1998
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141:Yale University
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87:Yale University
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79:Alma mater
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297:discovered: 1
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184:lost asteroids
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93:Known for
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499:. Retrieved
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414:1877 Marsden
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307:Aug 28, 1982
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277:dwarf planet
272:minor planet
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145:Dirk Brouwer
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65:(2010-11-18)
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876:2010 deaths
871:1937 births
709:3 September
501:18 November
240:Deep Impact
222:media storm
214:false alarm
188:lost comets
850:Categories
426:References
243:(see also
161:astrometry
109:astronomer
44:1937-08-05
801:(1): 39.
753:7 October
295:Asteroids
212:called a
165:asteroids
133:Cambridge
123:Education
54:, England
52:Cambridge
787:"1997 XF
573:Archived
477:21179155
441:(2010).
411:Asteroid
803:Bibcode
455:Bibcode
383:of the
373:of the
363:of the
343:Honours
226:Science
679:
475:
447:Nature
377:(1989)
367:(1979)
357:(1965)
348:Awards
327:Family
270:and a
268:planet
169:comets
310:with
264:Pluto
755:2010
711:2012
677:ISBN
503:2010
473:PMID
234:NASA
186:and
167:and
159:and
151:Life
73:, US
60:Died
38:Born
799:109
669:doi
463:doi
451:468
318:MPC
216:.
131:in
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