Quick Facts
Biography
Bradley Elliott Schaefer is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Louisiana State University. He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983.
Early life
In addition to his academic pursuits, Schaefer is remembered at MIT as the founder of the MIT Mystery Hunt in 1981 during his graduate studies there. The tradition of the hunt continues today.
Scientific career
His research interests include the use of photometry of exploding objects to get results of interest for physical cosmology. He has also researched the dwarf planet Pluto with the aim of understanding the atmospheric variability of the system. Bradley has also studied KIC 8462852, a star with unusual within-day light fluctuations of about 20%, and found that the century-long light (from 1890 to 1989) from the star faded by about 20% as well, adding to the unusual luminosity of the star.
Hipparchus's Star Catalog
In 2005, at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in San Diego, California, Schaefer reported on a potential link between the long lost star catalog of Hipparchus and a sculpture called The Farnese Atlas, created in the 2nd century, and thus a potential source for antique astronomy. Hipparchus is considered to be one of the greatest astronomers of ancient times, but most of his works are lost to history. The Farnese Atlas depicts Atlas, from Greek mythology, bearing the weight of the heavens upon his shoulders. The heavens are represented by a globe showing the constellations as seen from Earth. By examining the positions of the constellations, Schaefer determined that they are accurately placed according to the positions they occupied at the time of Hipparchus. He concludes that Hipparchus's work may have been the reference for the statue, although this conclusion has been challenged by some other astronomers.
Awards and honors
In 2007, Schaefer was awarded a share of the $500,000 Gruber Prize in Cosmology, as part of the Supernova Cosmology Project, for the discovery of Dark Energy. In October 2011, this work was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, with the prize going to the head of the Supernova Cosmology Project.
In 2010, Schaefer was awarded the LSU Distinguished Faculty Award as recognition of a sustained record of excellence in teaching and research.