Estela Fernández-Valenzuela is a assistant scientist at the Florida Space Institute as part of the Preeminent Postdoctoral program at the University of Central Florida. She completed her degree in Physics at the Complutense University of Madrid. She received a Master’s degree in Astrophysics at the same university while collaborating with the University of Jaén, studying blazars with photometric techniques. Thereafter, she moved to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía in Granada, where she carried out research activities that led her to her Ph.D. in Physics and Space Science from the University of Granada. Her thesis dealt primarily with the application of photometry at optical wavelengths to the study of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and centaurs.
Her research interest is the study of the origin of the Solar System, including how it was formed and which physical processes were responsible for the actual conditions. More precisely, she is interested in the small objects orbiting in the outer part of the Solar System, those called trans-Neptunian objects. She is an expert in the use of photometric techniques to analyze the light curves of these objects. Through this technique, different physical parameters, such as rotational period, shape and density, can be obtained. She is also very interested in the stellar occultation technique, which has been successfully used in the last few years to obtain information on the size and shape of small bodies. This technique enabled the discovery of Haumea’s ring, the first ring observed around a trans-Neptunian object. Estela was a co-author and co-discoverer of this breakthrough. Currently, she is involved in ground-based observations in support of the Lucy mission, which is expected to be launched in October 2021, with the aim of studying the trojan asteroids. Lucy will flyby 6 Jupiter trojans and one main belt asteroid. It will be the first mission to visit these primitive bodies of the Solar System. Additionally, Estela is working on using Spitzer Space Telescope data to study the surface composition of TNOs.
Authors | Title | Published Date | Journal |
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Kiss, Csaba; Müller, Thomas G.; Farkas-Takács, Anikó; and 18 coauthors | Prominent Mid-infrared Excess of the Dwarf Planet (136472) Makemake Discovered by JWST/MIRI Indicates Ongoing Activity | Nov 2024 | The Astrophysical Journal 976, L9 |
Proudfoot, Benjamin; Collyer, Cameron Philip; Fernandez-Valenzuela, Estela; and 2 coauthors | A Deep Look at Quaoar’s Ring System | Aug 2024 | JWST Proposal. Cycle 3 , 6780 |
Proudfoot, Benjamin; Fernandez-Valenzuela, Estela; Ortiz, Jose Luis; and 2 coauthors | Astrometry for an Upcoming Double Occultation of Salacia-Actaea | Jul 2024 | HST Proposal , 17848 |
Fernandez-Valenzuela, Estela; Collyer, Cameron Philip; Holler, Bryan Jason; and 3 coauthors | Weywot’s rotational light-curve: searching for hints about the origin of small satellites in the trans-Neptunian region | Jul 2024 | HST Proposal , 17827 |
Kiss, C.; Müller, T. G.; Marton, G.; and 7 coauthors | The visible and thermal light curve of the large Kuiper belt object (50000) Quaoar★ | Apr 2024 | Astronomy and Astrophysics 684, A50 |
Jones, Geraint H.; Snodgrass, Colin; Tubiana, Cecilia; and 231 coauthors | The Comet Interceptor Mission | Jan 2024 | Space Science Reviews 220, 9 |
Wong, Ian; Protopapa, Silvia; Brunetto, Rosario; and 8 coauthors | Time-sensitive observations of Chiron: a unique active Centaur beyond 15 AU | Nov 2023 | JWST Proposal. Cycle 2 , 4621 |
Rommel, F. L.; Braga-Ribas, F.; Ortiz, J. L.; and 201 coauthors | A large topographic feature on the surface of the trans-Neptunian object (307261) 2002 MS4 measured from stellar occultations | Oct 2023 | Astronomy and Astrophysics 678, A167 |
Stansberry, John A.; Fernandez-Valenzuela, Estela; Rieke, Marcia J.; and 2 coauthors | Search for Varuna’s Satellite | Jun 2023 | JWST Proposal. Cycle 3 , 4541 |
Fernandez-Valenzuela, Estela; Braga-Ribas, Felipe; Holler, Bryan Jason; and 4 coauthors | Beating Weywot in the game of hide-and-seek | May 2023 | HST Proposal , 17315 |
Fernández-Valenzuela, E.; Morales, N.; Vara-Lubiano, M.; and 42 coauthors | The multichord stellar occultation by the centaur Bienor on January 11, 2019 | Jan 2023 | Astronomy and Astrophysics 669, A112 |
Pinilla-Alonso, Noemí; Popescu, Marcel; Licandro, Javier; and 7 coauthors | Detection of the Irregular Shape of the Southern Limb of Menoetius from Observations of the 2017-2018 Patroclus-Menoetius Mutual Events | Dec 2022 | The Planetary Science Journal 3, 267 |
Lister, Tim; Kelley, Michael S. P.; Holt, Carrie E.; and 32 coauthors | The LCO Outbursting Objects Key Project: Overview and Year 1 Status | Jul 2022 | The Planetary Science Journal 3, 173 |
Marques Oliveira, J.; Sicardy, B.; Gomes-Júnior, A. R.; and 234 coauthors | Constraints on the structure and seasonal variations of Triton’s atmosphere from the 5 October 2017 stellar occultation and previous observations | Mar 2022 | Astronomy and Astrophysics 659, A136 |
Morgado, B. E.; Sicardy, B.; Braga-Ribas, F.; and 78 coauthors | Refined physical parameters for Chariklo’s body and rings from stellar occultations observed between 2013 and 2020 | Aug 2021 | Astronomy and Astrophysics 652, A141 |
Fernández-Valenzuela, E.; Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Stansberry, J.; and 12 coauthors | Compositional Study of Trans-Neptunian Objects at λ > 2.2 μm | Feb 2021 | The Planetary Science Journal 2, 10 |
Fernandez-Valenzuela, Estela; Ragozzine, Darin; Stansberry, John A.; and 4 coauthors | Towards a more complete understanding of Haumea’s family tree | May 2020 | HST Proposal , 16306 |
Benedetti-Rossi, Gustavo; Santos-Sanz, P.; Ortiz, J. L.; and 50 coauthors | The Trans-Neptunian Object (84922) 2003 VS2 through Stellar Occultations | Oct 2019 | The Astronomical Journal 158, 159 |
Fernández-Valenzuela, Estela; Ortiz, Jose Luis; Morales, Nicolás; and 6 coauthors | The Changing Rotational Light-curve Amplitude of Varuna and Evidence for a Close-in Satellite | Sep 2019 | The Astrophysical Journal 883, L21 |