Portrait of Matthew M Knight

Matthew M Knight

Adjunct Assistant Professor

301 405 2629
mknight2@umd.edu 1104 Atlantic Building
I am interested in comets, asteroids, interstellar objects, and other small bodies in the solar system. These are the 'fossils' of planet formation, and their study can inform us about how our (and other) solar system formed and subsequently evolved. I use observations from a variety of ground- and space-based telescopes to remotely study their physical properties. I am/have been involved in several space missions to small bodies including NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) and the European Space Agency's Hera, Comet Interceptor, and Rosetta missions.
Research Areas:
Solar System
Research Centers & Collaborations:
Small Bodies Node

Latest Papers

Snapshot of a new interstellar comet: 3I/ATLAS has a red and featureless spectrum

| Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
UMD Author(s): Matthew M Knight


Snapshot of a new interstellar comet: 3I/ATLAS has a red and featureless spectrum.

| Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
UMD Author(s): Matthew M Knight


First JWST spectrum of distant activity in long-period comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)

| Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
UMD Author(s): Matthew M Knight