The
Space Vacuum, a constant thrill
Bryan
Gaensler, Astronomer
Harvard University
The highlight of my day today was working
with one of my students, Ann, to make an exciting new
discovery.
As part of her PhD project, Ann has been to try to understand
why galaxies are magnetic, something that has been puzzling
astronomers for many decades. Ann and I have been focusing
on magnetism in one the nearest galaxies to us, the Small
Magellanic Cloud, a tiny galaxy which is very different from
our own Milky Way.
We thought that the Small Magellanic Cloud would probably
have hardly any magnetism at all, but today
Ann reached the end of some very detailed data analysis to
show that this galaxy has a very
strong magnetic field. This is not
what we were expecting!
The next step will be to try and understand why the magnetism
of the Small Magellanic Cloud is so strong, and what is producing
it.
As a university professor, I am expected to make great astronomical
discoveries, but I also have to teach classes, sit on committees,
attend meetings, and do a lot of other administration. So
much of my progress and enjoyment in astronomy comes from
working with my staff and students.
My team are enthusiastic, inquisitive, and are not afraid
to try risky ideas - these are all the ingredients needed
to make important breakthroughs. I really look forward to
my weekly meetings with Ann and all my other students to see
what new thing they have come up with.
Ultimately, these ideas and calculations will lead to new,
fully developed theories about the astronomical objects we
study, which we can then share with other astronomers, and
which steadily expand our understanding of the Universe that
we live in.
I decided that I wanted to be an astronomer when I was three
years old, and never wavered from this goal. So to now be
here at Harvard, surrounded by brilliant people and working
with data from the most powerful telescopes ever built, is
a constant thrill.
At high school, I can remember slogging through a lot of maths,
physics and chemistry that didn't seem that relevant or useful
at the time. But now, I can look up at the stars at night,
and not just appreciate their beauty, but can also understand
how they were formed, how they shine, and how they will eventually
die.
There's never a doubt in my mind that all that hard work to
get here was worth it!
See http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~bmg/
for more information on Bryan Gaensler's research group and
their recent discoveries.
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