Lucy D’Escoffier Crespo da Silva

Lucy d'Escoffier Crespo da Silva (1978 – November 19, 2000) was a senior at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a promising astronomer for whom the asteroid 96747 Crespodasilva is named.

A resident of Albany, NY, she was born in the United States and was of Brazilian-American heritage. Crespo da Silva was active in many organizations in college. She was a forward on the school’s women’s varsity ice hockey team and was rush chair for MacGregor House, where she had been a resident. [Schmelzer, Leah S. “32 U.A.C. 6.1, A Resolution of Appreciation of the Life of Lucy Crespo Da Silva,” 4 December 2000 (Accessed March 7, 2008).] [ [http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2000/dasilva.html Lucy Crespo da Silva, 22, a senior, dies in fall - MIT News Office ] ]

Crespo da Silva was working toward an undergraduate degree in earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences and was to have graduated in December 2000. Her area of specialization was observing light curves of minor planets. While making observations, at the Wallace Astrophysical Observatory, August 16, 1999, she sighted a new asteroid.

She also contributed data toward the discovery of spin-vector alignment in the Koronis family of asteroids, which includes (158) Koronis, (277) Elvira, (311) Claudia, (321) Florentina, and 720 Bohlinia, based on observations made between 1998 through 2000. The collaborative work resulted in the creation of 61 new individual rotation lightcurves to augment previous published observations. [Slivan, S. M., Binzel, R. P., Crespo da Silva, L. D., Kaasalainen, M., Lyndaker, M. M., Krco, M.: “Spin vectors in the Koronis family: comprehensive results from two independent analyses of 213 rotation lightcurves,”Icarus, 162, 2003, pp. 285-307.] This work was published after her death. Additional physical modeling work she completed had been published in 2006. Crespo da Silva was part of a project in which she and a network of other astronomers used lightcurves to derive spin states and shape models of 10 new asteroids. [Durech., J.; Kaasalainen, M., Marciniak, A.; et al., “Physical models of ten asteroids from an observers' collaboration network,” Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 465, Issue 1, April I 2007, pp. 331-337 ] [ Durech, J.; Kaasalainen, M.; Marciniak, A.; Allen, W. H. et al. “Asteroid brightness and geometry,” Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 465, Issue 1, April I 2007, pp. 331-337.]

Crespo da Silva had planned to start graduate work, also at MIT, in February 2001. She took her own life November 19, 2000. According to the MIT News Office, “She fell to her death Sunday night from her room on the 14th floor of Westgate, an MIT residence. Based on a note she left in the room, MIT Police are treating the death as a suicide.” [ [http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2000/dasilva.html Lucy Crespo da Silva, 22, a senior, dies in fall - MIT News Office ] ]

The MIT Undergraduate Association passed a proclamation in December in memory of Crespo da Silva and her achievements, including her devotion “to positively influencing and contributing to the lives of those around her.” [Schmelzer, Leah S. “32 U.A.C. 6.1, A Resolution of Appreciation of the Life of Lucy Crespo Da Silva,” 4 December 2000 (Accessed March 7, 2008).]

Typically, astronomers will name their discoveries after other notable people or each other, but an exception was made in this case. After her death, Richard P. Binzel, an MIT planetary sciences faculty member, suggested that the minor planet Crespo da Silva had discovered be named for her. JPL Small Body|name=96747 Crespodasilva] This exception was granted for her contribution to the field. The asteroid is now 96747 Crespodasilva

Published Papers

*Durech., J., Kaasalainen, M., Marciniak, A. et al., “Physical models of ten asteroids from an observers' collaboration network,” A&A 465, 2007, pp. 331-337.
*Durech, J.; Kaasalainen, M.; Marciniak, A.; Allen, W. H. et al.“Asteroid brightness and geometry,” Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 465, Issue 1, April I 2007, pp. 331-337.
*Slivan, S. M., Binzel, R. P., Crespo da Silva, L. D., Kaasalainen, M., Lyndaker, M. M., Krco, M.: “”Spin vectors in the Koronis family: comprehensive results from two independent analyses of 213 rotation lightcurves,”Icarus, 162, 2003, pp. 285-307.

References