Aster G. Taylor

University of Michigan

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323 West Hall

1085 S. University Ave.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Hello! My name is Aster Taylor. I’m a Ph.D. student and a Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellow at the University of Michigan, where I study giant planet formation and solar system small bodies with Prof. Fred Adams.

I am a Fannie and John Hertz Fellow, a recipient of the Rackham Science Award, and a Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering Fellow.

I study the formation of giant planets and the dynamics of solar system small bodies. I’m a relatively pure theorist and mathematical physicist, using analytical techniques and numerical simulations to apply the laws of physics to astrophysical problems. I am primarily interested in the processes that sculpt solar systems across size and time scales, from the formation of planets to the evolution of their debris disks. I am also interested in a variety of astrophysical problems, from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis to white dwarf pollution.

I received a B.S. in Astrophysics from the University of Chicago in 2023. While there, I worked with Darryl Seligman on the composition of the first interstellar object 1I/’Oumuamua and the dynamics of the dark comets.

I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, so despite my time in the Midwest I still feel uncomfortable with flat horizons. In my (rare) spare time, I like to hike, read science fiction, play board games, and practice martial arts. I am also a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma.

Please contact me at agtaylor@umich.edu!

Selected Publications

2024

  1. Radiative Signatures of Circumplanetary Disks and Envelopes During the Late Stages of Giant Planet Formation
    Aster G. Taylor, and Fred C. Adams
    Icarus, 2024
  2. The Dynamical Origins of the Dark Comets and a Proposed Evolutionary Track
    Aster G. Taylor, Jordan K. Steckloff, Darryl Z. Seligman, and 5 more authors
    Icarus, Jul 2024
  3. Formation and Structure of Circumplanetary Disks and Envelopes During the Late Stages of Giant Planet Formation
    Aster G. Taylor, and Fred C. Adams
    Icarus, Jun 2024
  4. Seasonally Varying Outgassing as an Explanation for Dark Comet Accelerations
    Aster G. Taylor, Davide Farnocchia, David Vokrouhlický, and 3 more authors
    Icarus, Jan 2024

2023

  1. Fitting the Light Curve of 1I/’Oumuamua with a Nonprincipal Axis Rotational Model and Outgassing Torques
    Aster G. Taylor, Darryl Z. Seligman, Olivier R. Hainaut, and 1 more author
    Planetary Science Journal, Oct 2023
  2. Interstellar Comets from Post-Main-Sequence Systems as Tracers of Extrasolar Oort Clouds
    W. Garrett Levine, Aster G. Taylor, Darryl Z. Seligman, and 4 more authors
    Planetary Science Journal, Jul 2023
  3. Dark Comets? Unexpectedly Large Nongravitational Accelerations on a Sample of Small Asteroids
    Darryl Z. Seligman, Davide Farnocchia, Marco Micheli, and 15 more authors
    Planetary Science Journal, Feb 2023

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