Prof. Richard P. Binzel

Richard P. Binzel, a Professor of Planetary Science in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, is one of the world's leading astronomers studying Pluto and the asteroids. Binzel, who published his first scientific paper at the age of 15, completed his Bachelor's degree in physics at Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) and received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas.

Binzel is credited with the first definitive observations showing the onset of the Pluto-Charon mutual events in 1985. Working together with Eliot Young, Binzel led an effort to map the surface of Pluto using his mutual event observations collected over 1985 through 1990. Binzel looks forward to continuing his Pluto mapping work as a member of the New Horizons Team, with emphasis on what the mapping results tell us about the history of the Pluto-Charon system.

His other research focuses on mapping the geology of the asteroid belt through spectroscopic observations and surveying the compositions of near-Earth asteroids. Binzel has written two articles for Scientific American describing Pluto (June 1990) and the origin of asteroids (October 1991).

Binzel was honored wtih a Presidential Young Investigator award from George H. Bush in 1990 and most recently was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of his work on Pluto and on the asteroids. In recognition of his excellence in undergraduate teaching, Binzel was named a MacVicar Faculty Fellow in 1994. Asteroid number 2873 bears his name, an honor bestowed by the International Astronomical Union in recognition of his contributions to astronomy.

Professor Binzel answers some questions for us:

The Pluto Portal: What interests you about the exploration of Pluto?
Professor Binzel: Pluto has always been a frontier world, just seeming to beg for exploration.
Now that we realize that Pluto is part of the Kuiper belt, its interest
is even greater as it can give us insight into an entirely new class
of solar system worlds.

The Pluto Portal: What advice would you give to someone interested in a career in space science?
Professor Binzel: Follow your dreams and match your dreams to your abilities. Where your abilities may falter, overcome them by dedication and hard work.

The Pluto Portal: Do you think Pluto is a planet, if so why or why not?
Professor Binzel: Pluto is Pluto, no matter what label we put on it. What is important is to learn about and understand what Pluto is.

The Pluto Portal: What kind of discoveries do you think are waiting to be made in the Kuiper Belt?
Professor Binzel: The only thing we can be sure to expect is the unexpected.