Bradley E. Schaefer

Who is Bradley E. Schaefer?

Dr. Bradley E. Schaefer is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Louisiana State University. He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Schaefer is remembered at MIT as the founder of the MIT Mystery Hunt in 1981 during his graduate studies there. The tradition of the hunt continues today.

His research interests include the use of photometry of exploding objects to get results of interest for physical cosmology. He has also researched the dwarf planet Pluto with the aim of understanding the atmospheric variability of the system.

In 2005, at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in San Diego, California, Schaefer reported on a potential link between the long lost star catalog of Hipparchus and a sculpture called The Farnese Atlas, created in the 2nd century, and thus a potential source for antique astronomy. Hipparchus is considered to be one of the greatest astronomers of ancient times, but most of his works are lost to history. The Farnese Atlas depicts Atlas, from Greek mythology bearing the weight of the heavens upon his shoulders. The heavens are represented by a globe showing the constellations as seen from Earth. By examining the positions of the constellations, Schaefer determined that they are accurately placed according to the positions they occupied at the time of Hipparchus. He concludes that Hipparchus' work may have been the reference for the statue, although this conclusion has been challenged by some other astronomers.