A star’s mass determines its entire life story, from how it shines to how it dies. For young stars shrouded in dust, getting an accurate mass has long been difficult…but new radio measurements are beginning to change that.
Recent News
3I/ATLAS Contains 30X More Semi-Heavy Water Than Comets In Our Solar System
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) discovered that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is made of an astonishingly high ratio of semi-heavy water relative to water, indicating that its system of origin likely formed under conditions far colder than our own.
Women and Girls in Astronomy Program Now Accepting Applications
The Women and Girls in Astronomy Program (WGAP), led by Associated Universities Inc. (AUI), under the North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA-ROAD) has been awarded a three-year grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to expand its impact.
ACEAP Alumna Selected as Astronaut for SpaceX
Sian Proctor, a participant in the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP) in 2016, has been selected as an astronaut by SpaceX. The Inspiration4 mission, scheduled to launch sometime after 15 September 2021, will orbit Earth for three days and conduct a variety of experiments.
Proctor is a geoscientist, explorer, space artist, and science communication specialist with a passion for space exploration. Her motto is Space2inspire, and she encourages people to use their unique, one-of-a-kind strengths and passion to inspire those within their reach and beyond.
“I feel so fortunate to be a member of the Inspiration4 crew and to be able to use Space2inspire to impact educators from around the world,” Proctor said. “ACEAP is an excellent example of how looking up at the night sky is a shared experience that can inspire us all.”
ACEAP is a collaboration between Associated Universities Inc. (AUI) and Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), and the observatories they manage in Chile, including Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) and the international Gemini Observatory, which are now part of NSF’s NOIRLab, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and is supported by the National Science Foundation. ACEAP brings amateur astronomers, planetarium personnel, and K-16 formal and informal astronomy educators to US astronomy facilities in Chile. While at these facilities, ACEAP Ambassadors receive extensive training about the instruments, the science, data products, and communicating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts. When they return home, the Ambassadors share their experiences and observatory resources with schools and community groups across the US.
The next ACEAP expedition to Chile is tentatively planned for January 2022. To learn more about ACEAP, please visit the website.
Congratulations to Sian on her amazing achievement!
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This news article was originally published on the NOIR website on April 6, 2021.
Recent News
Unraveling the Mass Mystery of Orion’s Young Stars
A star’s mass determines its entire life story, from how it shines to how it dies. For young stars shrouded in dust, getting an accurate mass has long been difficult…but new radio measurements are beginning to change that.
3I/ATLAS Contains 30X More Semi-Heavy Water Than Comets In Our Solar System
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) discovered that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is made of an astonishingly high ratio of semi-heavy water relative to water, indicating that its system of origin likely formed under conditions far colder than our own.
Women and Girls in Astronomy Program Now Accepting Applications
The Women and Girls in Astronomy Program (WGAP), led by Associated Universities Inc. (AUI), under the North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA-ROAD) has been awarded a three-year grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to expand its impact.