Mark M. Phillips is internationally recognized astronomer in the observational studies of all classes of supernovae. He is well known for his work on SN1986G, SN1987A, the Calán/Tololo Supernova Survey, the High-Z Supernova Search Team, and especially for the Phillips relationship. This relationship has allowed the use of Type Ia supernovae as standard candles, leading to the precise measurements of the Hubble constant H0 and the deceleration parameter q0, the latter implying the existence of dark energy or a cosmological constant in the Universe.
He is the past director of Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and is presently the Associate Director and Carnegie Staff Member at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, part of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science.
He received his undergraduate degree in Astronomy from San Diego State University in 1973, and his Ph.D., also in Astronomy & Astrophysics in 1977, from the University of California Santa Cruz and Lick Observatory where he was a student of Professor Donald Osterbrock. After graduate school, he was a postdoc at both CTIO, then at Anglo-Australian Observatory, moving back to Chile in 1982 to become a staff astronomer at CTIO.
In addition to his work on supernovae, he has also worked extensively on the spectroscopic studies of Active Galactic Nuclei.
Famous quotes containing the words mark and/or phillips:
“...he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea.”
—Bible: New Testament, Mark 6:48.
“Hollywood is a place that attracts people with massive holes in their souls.”
—Julia Phillips (b. 1945)