Thomas Ashcraft Explained

Thomas Ashcraft (born 1951, Springfield, Illinois)[1] is an American astronomer, naturalist, scientific instrument-maker, and artist.[2] He is known for his observations of transient luminous events (lightning sprites),[3] meteoric fireballs,[4] solar radio and optical phenomena,[5] and Jupiter radio emissions.[6]

He is an artist and citizen scientist whose work, Heliotown II, is on exhibit in the old pool house located on the Hyde Park campus of at the Santa Fe Institute.[7] He resides and maintains a laboratory and studio west of Villanueva, New Mexico[8] where he operates the Observatory of Heliotown.[9] Research-grade images, audio, and video captured at the observatory have been featured on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day blog.[10] [11]

Science practice

In 1992, Ashcraft built the Fast Drift Burst Observatory, also called the Radio Fireball Observatory,[12] for monitoring and recording fireballs, space dust, and meteoric phenomena. He has made numerous innovations in the merging of optical and radio telescope technology.[13] In 2001, he began observing Jupiter, the sun, and ionospheric phenomena with NASA's Radio Jove Project.[14]

In 2009, Ashcraft began noting lightning-generated phenomena called transient luminous events (red sprites)[15] on his radio-optical telescope systems. Over time he has established a multi-faceted observatory devoted to the capture and study of this rarely imaged phenomenon.[16]

Art practice

Ashcraft is primarily a sculptor and installation artist incorporating space, time, mind, sound, and electricity.[17] He is also a figurative sculptor exploring biological subjects such bacteriophages, viruses, microbes, and medicinal plants.[18] He was awarded a Louis Comfort Tiffany Prize[19] in art in 2005.

Selected publications

Papers

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Thomas Ashcraft - The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation . The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation . 2022-03-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220301201523/https://www.louiscomforttiffanyfoundation.org/2005/thomas-ashcraft . 2022-03-01 . unfit . 2022-07-28.
  2. Web site: Thomas Ashcraft | Citizen Scientist / Scientific Instrument Maker / Observer. NASA Solar System Exploration.
  3. News: On the Hunt for a Sprite on a Midsummer's Night. Sandra. Blakeslee. The New York Times. September 28, 2014.
  4. Web site: APOD: 2021 March 15 - Meteor Fireballs in Light and Sound. apod.nasa.gov.
  5. Web site: As Sun Flares Up, Sky Watchers Check Microphones. NPR.org.
  6. Web site: AGU - iPosterSessions.com. agu2020fallmeeting-agu.ipostersessions.com.
  7. Web site: Heliotown ii . Santa Fe Institute . July 26, 2022.
  8. http://web.archive.org/web/20010202061000/heliotown.com FastDriftBurst101800
  9. Web site: Citizen scientist driven by the need to discover. Robert. Nott. Santa Fe New Mexican.
  10. Web site: Nemiroff . Robert . Astronomy Picture of the Day: Meteor Fireballs in Light and Sound . APOD . apod.nasa.gov . 10 May 2022.
  11. Web site: Nemiroff . Robert . Astronomy Picture of the Day: Sprite Lightning at 100,000 Frames Per Second . APOD . apod.nasa.gov . 10 May 2022.
  12. Web site: Artist-turned-astronomer tracks the galaxy's glowing, traveling orbs. Staci Matlock The New. Mexican. Santa Fe New Mexican.
  13. Web site: How an Astronomical Mystery Was Explained by High-Tech Photography. Gizmodo.
  14. Web site: The JOVE Bulletin October 2002 Issue. radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov.
  15. Web site: APOD: 2021 January 4 - Sprite Lightning at 100000 Frames Per Second. apod.nasa.gov.
  16. Otherworldly Photos Capture Mysterious Phenomena in Upper Atmosphere. Adam. Mann. Wired. www.wired.com.
  17. Web site: Explorations Of The Invisibles. Freedom & Power In The Electromagnetic • Digicult | Digital Art, Design and Culture. December 5, 2011. Digicult | Digital Art, Design and Culture.
  18. Web site: Thomas Ashcraft's Hopeful Reminder in Fearful Times. Corazon Ledesma. says. March 5, 2020.
  19. Web site: Thomas Ashcraft. The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation.