The Cosmic Diary is not just about astronomy. It's more about what it is like to be an astronomer.
The Cosmic Diary aims to put a human face on astronomy: professional scientists will blog in text and images about their lives, families, friends, hobbies and interests, as well as their work, their latest research findings and the challenges that face them. The bloggers represent a vibrant cross-section of female and male working astronomers from around the world, coming from five different continents. Outside the observatories, labs and offices they are musicians, mothers, photographers, athletes, amateur astronomers. At work, they are managers, observers, graduate students, grant proposers, instrument builders and data analysts.
Throughout this project, all the bloggers will be asked to explain one particular aspect of their work to the public. In a true exercise of science communication, these scientists will use easy-to-understand language to translate the nuts and bolts of their scientific research into a popular science article. This will be their challenge.
Mariana Barrosa (Portugal, ESO ePOD)
Nuno Marques (Portugal, Web Developer)
Lee Pullen (UK, Freelance Science Communicator)
André Roquette (Portugal, ESO ePOD)
Jack Oughton (UK, Freelance Science Communicator)
Alice Enevoldsen (USA, Pacific Science Center)
Alberto Krone Martins (Brazil, Uni. S. Paulo / Uni. Bordeaux)
Kevin Govender (South Africa, S. A. A. O.)
Avivah Yamani (Indonesia, Rigel Kentaurus)
Henri Boffin (Belgium, ESO ePOD)
After four decades in astronomy, it is interesting to look back to the first paper I wrote when I was a graduate student in Australia. I am still quite pleased with that paper. My thesis was on element abundances in old disk subgiant stars, whose evolutionary age is somewhat greater than that of the Sun. One of the stars I worked on was 31 Aquilae, and it really has quite unusual properties. So that was the subject of my first paper.
John Hearnshaw
61 years old, born in Wellington, New Zealand
Biography:
John is a natural communicator. He has made a successful career out of both scientific research and education, working as an observatory director, lecturer and author. His passion for astronomy is undeniable, and his expertise are greatly valued by all who work with him. His hectic schedule means that he is often rushing around the world visiting other scientists and members of the public who are eager to learn more about science. John certainly has interesting stories to tell!
Place of work: University of Canterbury (Dept of Physics and Astronomy and Mt John Observatory)
The University of Canterbury has created a number of successful alumni
and staff. These include Karl Popper, the most influential scientific
philosopher of the 20th century, and Ernest Rutherford, who did his
bachelors and masters degrees at Canterbury in the 1890s, and stayed
for his early career in experimental physics. The department of
astronomy and physics is particularly advanced, with its own
observatory, radar stations, and laser research labs.
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
It is said by Maori oral history that the area around Christchurch has been inhabited for a thousand years. In the middle of the 19th century, white settlers arrived and named the town after Christchurch in Oxford. It is still the gateway to the Antarctic, with many nations using the international airport there as the closest link to the research installations on Antarctica.