Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2008 - (Page 9) NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI /AURA) Supernova Remnant N 63A Menagerie. A violent and chaotic-looking mass of gas and dust is seen in this Hubble Space Telescope image of a nearby supernova remnant. Denoted N 63A, the object is the remains of a massive star that exploded, spewing its gaseous layers out into an already turbulent region. Although its nature is not well understood, it comprises the bulk (about 70 percent) of the mass-energy of the universe. Many others are studying it, too, and NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy are planning a billiondollar mission called the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM). Most of our most powerful telescopes spend a lot of their time studying dark energy. Hubble spends a lot of time studying dark energy, and I use that a lot. My Typical Day I have two graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow who work with me, and I frequently spend time discussing their projects with them. One semester each year, I teach a large undergrad class called Stars and the Universe, a general introduction to astronomy and astrophysics. I also maintain a position on the faculty of the Space Telescope Science Institute. So during the semester I’m not teaching, I work there. Right now I’m working on calibrating wide field camera 3, which is one of the instruments that astronauts will take up to put on the Hubble in 200. I could be at a conference where I’m presenting my results, speaking in front of other colleagues, talking with them about various possibilities, and going to other talks. I also sometimes go and make observing runs on ground-based telescopes. November/December 2008 If it’s a really good day, I’m working on my research. I’m an observer, not a theorist. Theorists are in the predictions game; I’m in the testing predictions game. So if I’m really lucky, I’m analyzing some data I’ve recently collected from the Hubble and trying to test a theory or explanation of what dark energy could be. My Advice to Students Take any science and math course you can, and don’t get discouraged if you’re not the very best in those courses. Being a scientist involves many skills. Of course it requires a certain amount of science and math ability, but like a lot of things in life, it requires a balance of skills. I can’t tell you how often I hear students who say, “I love this stuff, but I’m not really a science and math person. I’m just not quite good enough” or “science and math are too hard.” I think some of these people have the wrong impression—that they have to be the very smartest, get the very highest scores. I want to encourage kids to pursue what they love. Being pretty good at the science part is enough if you also have some other skills like patience, creativity, and diligence. i For more about dark energy, visit the Hubble site at http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/dark_energy/ Gazing deep into the universe, the Hubble Space Telescope has spied a menagerie of galaxies. In taking this picture, Hubble is looking down a long corridor of galaxies stretching billions of light-years distant in space, corresponding to looking billions of years back in time. imagine NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI /AURA) http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/dark_energy/
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