He received a B.Sc. fromBishop's University in 1965 and a M.Sc. from theUniversity of Toronto in 1968. His thesis[9] was based onmicrowave surveys of selected emission nebulae in the northernMilky Way made with the 46-m radio telescope of theAlgonquin Radio Observatory, including the emission nebula IC1795.[10] This revealed what is perhaps the youngest high-mass stellar object in the Galaxy, namely W3(OH), a cocoon star[11] invisible at optical wavelengths but surrounded by a rapidly expanding ultracompact HII region,[12] all within a dense obscuring dust shell. W3(OH) had previously been located in 1966 as the source of the first radio-identifiedastrophysical maser.
He began working for the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in 1968 as the Director's scientific assistant.[13] His initial research was on thespectroscopy of comets, and of chemically peculiar stars whose surface compositions differ markedly from that of theSun, with the aim of understanding the origin of their anomalies. This led to the discovery of a chemically peculiar star, HR 7775, having extraordinary enhancements of the element gold in its atmosphere.
A twenty-year study of the B6III star3 Vulpeculae by D. P. Hube and Aikman eventually contributed to the recognition of a group of hot, variable stars now known asslowly pulsating B-type stars (SPB stars).
From 1991, he conducted a program of trackingEarth approaching asteroids with the historic telescope built byJohn S. Plaskett, but the project was cancelled in 1997. An incidental product of this research was the discovery of five asteroids between 1994 and 1998 (as credited by theMinor Planet Center).[1][14]
Aikman, G.C.L; Goldberg, B.A. (1974). "The Orbit and Nature of θ2 Orionis A".Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.68:205–212.Bibcode:1974JRASC..68..205A.
Cowley, C. R.; Aikman, G.C.L. (1975). "Nuclear and nonnuclear abundance patterns in the manganese stars".Astrophysical Journal.196:521–524.Bibcode:1975ApJ...196..521C.doi:10.1086/153432.
Aikman, G.C. (1976). "The spectroscopic binary characteristics of the mercury-manganese stars".Publications of the DAO.14:379–410.Bibcode:1976PDAO...14..379A.
Aikman, G.C.L.; Cowley, C.R.; Crosswhite, H.M. (1979). "Dysprosium III lines in the spectra of peculiar A and B stars".Astrophysical Journal.232:812–818.Bibcode:1979ApJ...232..812A.doi:10.1086/157342.
Cowley, C.R.; Sears, R.L.; Aikman, G.C.L.; Sadakane, K. (1982). "Possible iron abundance variations among superficially normal A stars".Astrophysical Journal.254:191–195.Bibcode:1982ApJ...254..191C.doi:10.1016/0032-0633(94)90036-1.
Aikman, G.C.L.; Younger, P.F.; Weichert, D.H. (1989). "The daylight fireball of January 20, 1988".Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.83:232–249.Bibcode:1989JRASC..83..232A.
Aikman, G.C.L.; Hesser, J.E. (1989). "Annual Report of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, 1 Apr 1987 – 31 Mar 1988".Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society.21 (1):180–190.Bibcode:1989BAAS...21..180A.
Aikman, G.C.L.; Hesser, J.E. (1998). "Annual Report of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, 1 Apr 1996 – 31 Mar 1997".Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society.30 (1):472–489.Bibcode:1998BAAS...30..472A.
