{"id":31906,"date":"2022-05-24T10:18:03","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T10:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&#038;p=31906"},"modified":"2022-05-24T10:18:03","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T10:18:03","slug":"whats-it-like-to-be-a-professional-astronomer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2022\/05\/24\/whats-it-like-to-be-a-professional-astronomer\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s it like to be a professional astronomer?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center intro\">Understanding the cosmos takes the work of thousands of people. <strong>Ezzy Pearson <\/strong>spoke to astronomers across the world to look at the many different roles that go into observing our Universe<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-1024x728.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-1024x728.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-1536x1092.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>The dramatic skyscape above the WIYN 3.5m telescope, Kitt Peak, Arizona. Its operators deal with observation requests from astronomers the world over <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Back in the days of Galileo and Newton, an astronomer was a lone figure at a telescope eyepiece they had created themselves. They would go through the stars and planets one by one, taking handwritten notes and creating sketches, to build up a wealth of information over nights, years and decades.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">As time moved on, bigger telescopes were built in prime locations on remote mountaintops and deserts. Astronomers would travel to use them, bringing specialist instruments and newly invented photographic equipment. This enabled them to capture the light of dozens of distant objects that were too faint to be seen with the naked eye. They could then carry these photographic plates home to analyse the objects. With so much data to look at, astronomers began employing mathematicians, known as computers, to do the work for them, while they pondered the meaning of what they saw.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Today, astronomy has grown into a collaborative process, with teams of specialists involved at every stage.<span> Engineers craft new instruments while consortiums work on building huge telescopes. These observatories are often so out of the way, and so complex, that astronomers often don\u2019t use them themselves. Instead they put in requests for observations that are then made by dedicated operators. Once they\u2019ve received their data, science teams then write papers, sharing their work with the community. The discoveries will then drive the push for new instruments and telescopes, beginning the cycle again.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">We spoke to astronomy professionals from around the world to find out what goes in to every stage of understanding the Universe\u2026<\/p>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-uagb-section uagb-section__wrap uagb-section__background-color uagb-block-991ca073-59e4-411b-a42d-a7160ca6780e article-boxout\"><div class=\"uagb-section__overlay\"><\/div><div class=\"uagb-section__inner-wrap\">\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center article-subhead\"><strong>Instrument builder<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif article-byline\"><strong>Dr James Osborn, Durham University<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"no-tts wp-block-image size-large article-in-image photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"901\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/P18DDB9699Z68C6530XFO64B857X-901x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/P18DDB9699Z68C6530XFO64B857X-901x1024.jpg 901w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/P18DDB9699Z68C6530XFO64B857X-264x300.jpg 264w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/P18DDB9699Z68C6530XFO64B857X-768x873.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/P18DDB9699Z68C6530XFO64B857X-1352x1536.jpg 1352w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/P18DDB9699Z68C6530XFO64B857X.jpg 1802w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 901px) 100vw, 901px\" \/><figcaption>Putting ideas into action: Dr James Osborn tests his instruments on the 2.5m Isaac Newton Telescope in the Canary Islands <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/FO9A84C99633975YL27D70IF8E02-815x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32257\" width=\"105\" height=\"132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/FO9A84C99633975YL27D70IF8E02-815x1024.jpg 815w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/FO9A84C99633975YL27D70IF8E02-239x300.jpg 239w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/FO9A84C99633975YL27D70IF8E02-768x965.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/FO9A84C99633975YL27D70IF8E02-1223x1536.jpg 1223w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/FO9A84C99633975YL27D70IF8E02.jpg 1387w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 105px) 100vw, 105px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Creating professional astronomy hardware takes teams of dedicated instrumentation builders, like <strong>James Osborn<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m an instrument builder, at the concept-driven, prototype stage \u2013 looking at the next idea that is going to drive us to step up performance.<span> My favourite part is the idea generation stage, where we get people together around a whiteboard and say: \u201cThis is the problem, how do we solve it?\u201d We want 10 crazy ideas that we can shake around to get one usable idea.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cIdeas are easy, but actually making it is the hard bit. You need specialists to work out how to build that instrument, design it, develop it and test it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cA lot of the troubleshooting during development is done by PhD students and post-doctoral researchers \u2013 they learn a lot from doing that. Then once the instrument is developed, we\u2019ll go to a big observatory and get the prototype instrument working on the sky. That\u2019s pretty hardcore, with 20-hour days, working away from home. During the day this involves getting things working, including software and hardware. Then, at night, we\u2019re actually seeing how it works on the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cOnce you\u2019ve had a great idea and proved it works, it\u2019s no good if it just sits in a room, so a big part of my job is talking to people, getting them to take on the new technology, and working together to build bigger instruments in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center article-subhead\"><strong>Telescope liaison<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif article-byline\"><strong>Dr Tyler Bourke, Project Scientist for the Square Kilometer Array<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The Square Kilometer Array is a huge telescope being built across South Africa and Australia, and project scientists like <strong>Tyler <\/strong><strong>Bourke <\/strong>ensure it will run to its fullest science potential<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"769\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/I89R1Z3665B015P31654HJLZ3V00-1024x769.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/I89R1Z3665B015P31654HJLZ3V00-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/I89R1Z3665B015P31654HJLZ3V00-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/I89R1Z3665B015P31654HJLZ3V00-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/I89R1Z3665B015P31654HJLZ3V00-1536x1154.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/I89R1Z3665B015P31654HJLZ3V00.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Tyler Bourke gets people excited about using the Square Kilometer Array<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1206M318J09R8W8QQIA202HXJJBB-766x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32262\" width=\"104\" height=\"140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1206M318J09R8W8QQIA202HXJJBB-766x1024.jpg 766w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1206M318J09R8W8QQIA202HXJJBB-224x300.jpg 224w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1206M318J09R8W8QQIA202HXJJBB-768x1027.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1206M318J09R8W8QQIA202HXJJBB-1149x1536.jpg 1149w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1206M318J09R8W8QQIA202HXJJBB.jpg 1421w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>How do you help with building the SKA?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cThe Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is just starting its construction \u2013 though we\u2019ve been planning it for eight years \u2013 so a lot of what we\u2019re doing at present is discussing the design and building process through meetings. Too many meetings I would say!\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>How do these discussions affect the SKA?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cI have technical meetings almost every day. I can\u2019t inform them on what sort of cabling should be used, but in terms of scientific needs \u2013 what wavelengths we need, what sort of spectrometers, how big the telescope has to be to achieve what we want \u2013I might. This is a big science project and the highest level requirements are scientific, everything comes from that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>How are you planning for when the telescope is finished?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cThese days, especially at the largest facilities, you don\u2019t go to the telescope. You put in a proposal and one day you get an email saying, \u2018Last night we observed your project\u2019. We\u2019re going to have experienced, trained operators making the observations, but how will people submit proposals for observations? How<span> will they look at the data? We discuss how the telescope will actually run.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cFinally, I also get people excited about the project. It\u2019s one thing to put information on a web page or in an email, but when you present it in a room, get people talking and planning, you keep it in the forefront of their minds. You can\u2019t put a value on that interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center article-subhead\"><strong>Observation coordinator<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif article-byline\"><strong>Dr Sarah Antier, Observatoire de la C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur and the Virgo Consortium<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4X8341EU1E946BXNUB5UT6GA8FA0-785x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32263\" width=\"106\" height=\"138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4X8341EU1E946BXNUB5UT6GA8FA0-785x1024.jpg 785w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4X8341EU1E946BXNUB5UT6GA8FA0-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4X8341EU1E946BXNUB5UT6GA8FA0-768x1002.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4X8341EU1E946BXNUB5UT6GA8FA0-1177x1536.jpg 1177w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4X8341EU1E946BXNUB5UT6GA8FA0.jpg 1564w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 106px) 100vw, 106px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">When a transient event \u2013 such as a supernova or black hole merger \u2013 happens, astronomers like <strong>Sarah <\/strong><strong>Antier <\/strong>race to observe the event before it fades from view<span> \u201cViolent phenomena \u2013 such as the collapse of massive stars or collisions of compact objects \u2013 release gravitational waves that are detectable by the interferometers like LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) and Virgo.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Meanwhile, the material surrounding these events releases high-energy gamma rays, optical or near-infrared light. Fully observing these events can help us understand how matter behaves under nature\u2019s most extreme conditions, but that requires many observations from around the globe. That involves a lot of logistics and communication, but these observations can lead to wonderful discoveries for astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental physics.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cAs soon as a gravitational wave is detected, I receive an alert. I lead the GRANDMA (the Global Rapid Advanced<span> Network Devoted to Multi-messenger Addicts) collaboration \u2013 85 amateurs and professionals, from 20 countries, that coordinate observations.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1YM6998741U3OG47Q9PXMZ6GSJ4O-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1YM6998741U3OG47Q9PXMZ6GSJ4O-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1YM6998741U3OG47Q9PXMZ6GSJ4O-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1YM6998741U3OG47Q9PXMZ6GSJ4O-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1YM6998741U3OG47Q9PXMZ6GSJ4O-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/1YM6998741U3OG47Q9PXMZ6GSJ4O.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>\u201cAlerts of gravitational wave detections\u2026 can arrive at any time\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cMembers of the collaboration take shifts waiting for these alerts. They can arrive at any time \u2013 at dinner, during my kid\u2019s bath, at a wedding \u2013 but I love the feeling of being on a treasure hunt when the alert first arrives! The first job is to check the \u2018sanity\u2019 of the alert \u2013 does it have an astrophysical origin? Meanwhile, observatories such as the TAROT telescope network (which I work with) image the source within seconds of the alert. The source will become weaker as the hours go by, so the first 48 hours after the alert is a race.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Then we hand observations over to more sensitive telescopes like ESO, Hubble or JWST. Later, we use all the data to extract the physical properties of the source.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-uagb-section uagb-section__wrap uagb-section__background-color uagb-block-4f18cd36-d812-4f03-b74b-2440385e0347 article-boxout\"><div class=\"uagb-section__overlay\"><\/div><div class=\"uagb-section__inner-wrap\">\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center article-subhead\"><strong>Observational astronomer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif article-byline\"><strong>Nicole Tan, PhD student at University of Canterbury<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>Nicole Tan <\/strong>spends her time requesting observations and then analysing the data to study trans-Neptunian objects on the outskirts of the Solar System<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"no-tts wp-block-image size-large article-in-image photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/7838W5S7W7LY438VDWV47ZYG5BSD-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/7838W5S7W7LY438VDWV47ZYG5BSD-768x1025.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/7838W5S7W7LY438VDWV47ZYG5BSD-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/7838W5S7W7LY438VDWV47ZYG5BSD-1151x1536.jpg 1151w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/7838W5S7W7LY438VDWV47ZYG5BSD.jpg 1535w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption>Nicole Tan swaps over instruments in the Mount John Observatory\u2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/DMBN5N3D83JJH2P3747S11L7G2Q2-807x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32267\" width=\"104\" height=\"133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/DMBN5N3D83JJH2P3747S11L7G2Q2-807x1024.jpg 807w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/DMBN5N3D83JJH2P3747S11L7G2Q2-236x300.jpg 236w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/DMBN5N3D83JJH2P3747S11L7G2Q2-768x975.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/DMBN5N3D83JJH2P3747S11L7G2Q2-1210x1536.jpg 1210w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/DMBN5N3D83JJH2P3747S11L7G2Q2.jpg 1345w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>What does a typical day look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cI spend the majority of my time working on code and reading papers. Physically, that means a lot of sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen! I\u2019m also a teaching assistant for a few introductory astronomy courses. And of course, what is science without working with others \u2013 meetings with supervisors, meetings with collaborators \u2013 all avenues in which I get to chat about the field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>Do you ever get to go out?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cObserving trips and conferences are an important aspect of being an astronomer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Unfortunately, because I started my PhD during COVID-19, all my conferences have been online. Thankfully, the data for my project has already been collected, so COVID-19 didn\u2019t hinder that. Plus, most telescopes don\u2019t need you to be there to observe. But there\u2019s nothing like doing hands-on observing, so I\u2019m glad that I recently got to go to Mount John Observatory here in New Zealand.<span> It\u2019s located in a dark-sky reserve \u2013 I\u2019m originally from Singapore and have only ever known light-polluted skies, so I got to see the southern sky for the first time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>What are the best parts of being an observational astronomer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cI like the fact that astronomy, especially in the planetary sub-field, is interdisciplinary.<span> I flit between computer science, physics, geology, chemistry, data science and statistics. The deeper I delve into the niche topic of my research, the more my understanding of these fields expands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"no-tts wp-block-image size-large article-in-image photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4UF183BVLUK926GQR4196UBGTWNH-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4UF183BVLUK926GQR4196UBGTWNH-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4UF183BVLUK926GQR4196UBGTWNH-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4UF183BVLUK926GQR4196UBGTWNH-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4UF183BVLUK926GQR4196UBGTWNH-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/4UF183BVLUK926GQR4196UBGTWNH.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>&#8230;and analyses exoplanet data<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>Is being an astronomer anything like what you expected?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cI did expect to spend more time observing. One thing I was surprised by is that posters are used so much as a regular presentation method. When I was in middle school presenting at the science fair, I never realised that I\u2019d be doing the same thing at professional astronomy conferences. Of course, these ones are professionally printed, with significantly less hand-cut and glued elements!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center article-subhead\"><strong>Queue observer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif article-byline\"><strong>Eli Golub, WIYN observatory, Kitt Peak, Arizona<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">After astronomers have submitted their request for a particular observation, it\u2019s up to queue observers like <strong>Eli <\/strong><strong>Golub <\/strong>to carry out the actual observations with the telescopes and instruments they operate<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"606\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/58V19AC7W8476J1OX6X09J82G706-606x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/58V19AC7W8476J1OX6X09J82G706-606x1024.jpg 606w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/58V19AC7W8476J1OX6X09J82G706-177x300.jpg 177w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/58V19AC7W8476J1OX6X09J82G706-768x1299.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/58V19AC7W8476J1OX6X09J82G706-908x1536.jpg 908w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/58V19AC7W8476J1OX6X09J82G706.jpg 1211w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\" \/><figcaption>Eli Golub uses the NEID instrument to observe different targets for astronomers <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/XV3XR8W183TC863654S637X83N58-807x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32268\" width=\"105\" height=\"134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/XV3XR8W183TC863654S637X83N58-807x1024.jpg 807w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/XV3XR8W183TC863654S637X83N58-236x300.jpg 236w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/XV3XR8W183TC863654S637X83N58-768x975.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/XV3XR8W183TC863654S637X83N58-1210x1536.jpg 1210w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/XV3XR8W183TC863654S637X83N58.jpg 1436w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 105px) 100vw, 105px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>What do you get up to on a typical night?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cThe job involves long shifts spent at the telescope, working in a control room alongside a telescope operator. Sometimes I like to joke that I\u2019m a professional at sitting in one place for 17 hours, trying out new office chairs, but the job is so much more than that.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cI operate one of several instruments attached to the WIYN (Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOIRLab) telescope. My instrument is NEID, a spectrometer that finds and characterises exoplanets.<span> Part of my job is ensuring the starlight is correctly fed into NEID: a seemingly simple task that\u2019s surprisingly complex.<\/span>\u201cAnother part of my job is operating<span> NEID\u2019s queue, which is a scheduling system that we use to plan our nights as efficiently as possible. It allows us to observe different stars for astronomers from all over the world in a single night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>Do you ever work during the day?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cI occasionally work day shifts where I get the opportunity to assist the engineers who are working to maintain and improve the telescope.<span>\u201cI also have side-projects that I work on when I\u2019m not observing on the summit. These can be anything from software projects in support of telescope operations to my own research into exoplanet science.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>Are there any drawbacks to the job?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cThe isolation can be pretty tough mentally. Most of these shifts are done solo, with only your thoughts, the stars, and the occasional spider to keep you company. It\u2019s not the worst thing, as it can be peaceful, but it certainly gets lonely from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center article-subhead\"><strong>Simulation builders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif article-byline\"><strong>Prof Daniel Angl\u00e9s-Alc\u00e1zar, the Flatiron Institute and University of Connecticut<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>Daniel Angl\u00e9s-Alc\u00e1zar <\/strong>creates detailed simulations of the Universe around us with the CAMELS project<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1135\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/0b0a6f7b-6438-4195-a27a-6eeac7102d06.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-31903\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/0b0a6f7b-6438-4195-a27a-6eeac7102d06.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/0b0a6f7b-6438-4195-a27a-6eeac7102d06-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/0b0a6f7b-6438-4195-a27a-6eeac7102d06-1024x568.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/0b0a6f7b-6438-4195-a27a-6eeac7102d06-768x426.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/0b0a6f7b-6438-4195-a27a-6eeac7102d06-1536x851.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption>The CAMELS project simulations reveal the web of matter throughout the cosmos<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/3O2V3AOG1K11QA2R8X9D05209OOP-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-32273\" width=\"106\" height=\"132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/3O2V3AOG1K11QA2R8X9D05209OOP-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/3O2V3AOG1K11QA2R8X9D05209OOP-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/3O2V3AOG1K11QA2R8X9D05209OOP-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/3O2V3AOG1K11QA2R8X9D05209OOP-1228x1536.jpg 1228w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/3O2V3AOG1K11QA2R8X9D05209OOP.jpg 1466w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 106px) 100vw, 106px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cI use computers to answer questions about how different astrophysical objects work. We use as much physics as we believe is important to produce<span> 3D versions of simulated universes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cFirst, we review the literature to evaluate the missing pieces of our understanding. Then we think about how to implement the physics we do already in the computer code.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cOnce it is written, we have to check that the code is calculating what we actually meant and, more importantly, that the simulated universe it is producing is the correct one. We check that by comparing it to real observations. We convert our simulated galaxies into observable quantities to do an \u2018apples to apples\u2019 comparison. If they look completely different, that suggests important pieces of the physics are missing.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1411\" height=\"1411\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/e0a6d4c6-fae7-489b-a5f8-23ef646a1211.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-31905\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/e0a6d4c6-fae7-489b-a5f8-23ef646a1211.jpg 1411w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/e0a6d4c6-fae7-489b-a5f8-23ef646a1211-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/e0a6d4c6-fae7-489b-a5f8-23ef646a1211-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/e0a6d4c6-fae7-489b-a5f8-23ef646a1211-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/e0a6d4c6-fae7-489b-a5f8-23ef646a1211-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1411px) 100vw, 1411px\" \/><figcaption>The CAMELS (Cosmology and Astrophysics with MachinE Learning Simulations) project team create thousands of simulations of the Universe and compare the results<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cThe simulations I work on have many different elements. We have to keep<span>&nbsp;track over 14 billion years of simulated time, so our codes have to make many calculations. Some projects may require 10 million hours of computing time. That would take over 1,000 years on a single computer, so we run the simulation over thousands of computers in a few months.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">\u201cThe prospects for discovering something new from these simulations is huge because it\u2019s like having a lab the size of the Universe. It\u2019s very exciting to not know what\u2019s going to happen when you start a project \u2013 that element of surprise and discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<p>Dr Ezzy Pearson is <em>BBC Sky at Night Magazine<\/em>\u2019s news editor.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"footer\">KPNO\/NOIRLAB\/NSF\/AURA\/P. MARENFELD, MATTHEW TOWNSON, TYLER BOURKE, SARAH ANTIER, NICOLE TAN, NOIR LABS, KAZE WONG\/CAMELS TEAM, DANIEL ANGL\u00c9S-ALC\u00c1ZAR\/CAMELS TEAM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understanding the cosmos takes the work of thousands of people. Ezzy Pearson spoke to astronomers across the world to look at the many different roles that go into observing our Universe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":32255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"34","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"34","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_34-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_34-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"June-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"June-2022","purple_external_id":"June-2022-34-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"June-2022-34-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000086553||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000086553||","purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.205","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.205","purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.205","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.205","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"075fab74-0a21-4201-866a-899d6c41c40c","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[88,14],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"12","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4.jpg",2048,1456,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-300x213.jpg",300,213,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-768x546.jpg",768,546,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-1024x728.jpg",800,569,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4-1536x1092.jpg",1536,1092,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/05\/Z42WK5Z2JZS8F20L5KO6P0KO9JD4.jpg",2048,1456,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Understanding the cosmos takes the work of thousands of people. Ezzy Pearson spoke to astronomers across the world to look at the many different roles that go into observing our Universe","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31906"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31906"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33039,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31906\/revisions\/33039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}