Marc Hon

Marc Hon

Postdoctoral Researcher

Astronomer, Tinkerer, and Explorer

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Previously, I was a 2020 NASA Hubble Fellow at the Institute for Astronomy in Hawai’i. My research focus is data-driven variable star science, and I am broadly interested in the application of machine learning in astronomy. Data-driven approaches are indeed becoming a necessity for modern astronomy, and I enjoy diving deep into astronomical surveys to to reveal new discoveries!

My previous works have revolved around the asteroseismology of red giant stars, which has become a key tool for the characterization of stellar populations and Galactic archeology in the large survey-era of astronomy thanks to recent exoplanet-hunting missions from NASA such as Kepler as well as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

The view of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite across the night sky. The image dissolves into the heatmap of stellar masses inferred using the sounds of stars. Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Ethan Kruse (USRA), M. Hon et al., 2021.

Research Interests

I am interested in understanding more about stellar evolution, as well as demystifying the origins of the Galaxy through modern space surveys! I am particularly keen on learning about new machine learning/data analysis techniques that I can apply to astronomy.

  • Asteroseismology of Sun-like stars and evolved, low-mass stars
  • Machine Learning, Data-driven Astronomy
  • Galactic Archaeology
  • Exoplanetary Science

Highlighted Publications

A list of my publications on the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) can be found in this link. Do also check out the Publications page for more details!

  • Hon, M.; Huber, D.; Rui, N. Z.; et al.. “A close-in giant planet escaping engulfment by its star”, 2023, Nature, 618, 917. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06029-0
  • Hon, M.; Kuszlewicz, J. S.; Huber, D.; et al.. ”HD-TESS: An Asteroseismic Catalog of Bright Red Giants within TESS Continuous Viewing Zones”, 2022, AJ, 164, 135. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac8931
  • Hon, M.; Huber, D.; Kuszlewicz, J. S.; et al.. ”A ’Quick Look’ at All-Sky Galactic Archeology with TESS: 158,000 Oscillating Red Giants from the MIT Quick-Look Pipeline”, 2021, ApJ, 919, 131. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac14b1
  • Hon, M.; Bellinger, E. P.; Hekker, S.; et al..“Asteroseismic inference of subgiant evolutionary parameters with deep learning”, 2019, MNRAS, 499, 2445, doi:10.1093/mnras/staa2853
  • Hon, M.; Stello, D.; Zinn, J..“Detecting Solar-like Oscillations in Red Giants with Deep Learning”, 2018, ApJ, 859, 64, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aabfdb
  • Hon, M.; Stello, D.; Yu, J..“Deep learning classification in asteroseismology”, 2017, MNRAS, 469, 4578, doi:10.1093/mnras/stx1174

Media Highlights

The ‘Forbidden Planet’ That Escaped a Fiery Doom, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/28/science/planet-star-halla-beakdu.html

8 Ursae Minoris b: Scientists unlock mystery of planet that escaped death, BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66042269

NASA’s TESS Tunes into an All-sky ‘Symphony’ of Red Giant Stars, NASA Featured Story, https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-s-tess-tunes-into-an-all-sky-symphony-of-red-giant-stars

How AI Can Determine the Future of Red Giants Like Our Sun, Nvidia Blog, https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2017/08/04/red-giants/

Scientists Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Plot the Galaxy, Inverse, https://www.inverse.com/article/31912-machine-learning-ai-classifies-red-giant-age/