Peter Knowlton Email & Phone Number

I am a research assistant at Lowell Observatory investigating young binary star systems and the evolution of their circumstellar disks with high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy. Before I began my research, I was a public program educator at Lowell, teaching visitors about the observatory's history and guiding them through the night sky with an expansive array of historic and state-of-the-art telescopes. I graduated from Williams College with a bachelor's degree in astrophysics. For my senior thesis, I studied the mass budgets of protoplanetary disks around binary star systems. Beyond research, I enjoy theater, backpacking, video games, and brewing beer!

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  Research Assistant

  Lowell Observatory

  May 2023 - Present - Flagstaff, Arizona, United States

  Investigate the evolution of circumstellar disks around young binary stars with Dr. Lisa Prato. Process high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopic data taken by NIRSPEC spectrograph on 10-meter Keck II telescope. Utilize IDL and Python packages to reduce data and derive the stellar and disk parameters by fitting observed spectra to synthetic spectra via MCMC method. Dedicate specific attention to binary component UY Aur B and its variable veiling. Understand why planets form around some tight binaries and not others. Organize and host Astronomy on Tap in Flagstaff, part of international series of astronomical talks at bars.