zoom_in Click to enlarge

Alan Boss

▲ ▼

description Alan Boss Overview

Alan Boss is an American astrophysicist at Carnegie Institution for Science whose work examines how stars and planets form. He is associated with the gravitational-instability, or disk-instability, model, in which a sufficiently massive and cool protoplanetary disk can break into self-gravitating clumps that develop into giant planets. His research is relevant to studies of gas-giant formation, protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, and planetary systems beyond the Solar System.

help Alan Boss FAQ

What is the disk instability model that Alan Boss champions?

It is an alternative to the standard core-accretion theory, proposing that a sufficiently massive and cool protoplanetary disk can fragment directly into gas giant planets under its own gravity. Boss's three-dimensional simulations have suggested such fragmentation could occur in as little as roughly a thousand years, versus the millions of years core accretion is thought to require.

Where does Alan Boss work?

He is an astrophysicist at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., where he has spent decades at what is now the Earth and Planets Laboratory (formerly the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism). His work focuses on how stars and planetary systems form.

Did Alan Boss have a role in NASA's Kepler mission?

Yes. He chaired the independent review board NASA convened in 2010 to examine the Kepler space telescope after technical concerns arose. He has also been involved in NASA planning efforts for future planet-finding missions over the years.

Has Alan Boss written any books for general readers?

Yes, two notable ones: 'Looking for Earths: The Race to Find New Solar Systems' (1998) and 'The Crowded Universe: The Search for Living Planets' (2009). Both trace the hunt for extrasolar planets and the science behind discovering them.