Andrea M. Ghez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrea M. Ghez
|
|
|---|---|
Ghez in April 2019
|
|
| Born |
Andrea Mia Ghez
June 16, 1965 New York City, U.S.
|
| Education | |
| Known for | Discovery of a supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center Adaptive optics |
| Awards | MacArthur Fellowship (2008) Crafoord Prize (2012) Nobel Prize in Physics (2020) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Thesis | The Multiplicity of T Tauri Stars in the Star Forming Regions Taurus-Auriga and Ophiuchus-Scorpius: A 2.2μm Speckle Imaging Survey (1993) |
| Doctoral advisor | Gerry Neugebauer |
Andrea Mia Ghez (born June 16, 1965) is an American astrophysicist. An astrophysicist is a scientist who studies space and the universe. She is also a Nobel laureate, which means she won a Nobel Prize. Andrea Ghez is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her main research focuses on the very center of our home galaxy, the Milky Way.
In 2020, Andrea Ghez made history. She became only the fourth woman ever to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. She shared half of this important prize with Reinhard Genzel. The other half went to Roger Penrose. Ghez and Genzel received the Nobel Prize for their amazing discovery. They found a huge, super-heavy object at the center of the Milky Way. Scientists now know this object is a black hole, called Sagittarius A*.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Andrea Ghez was born in New York City. Her parents are Susanne and Gilbert Ghez. Her father's family came from Tunisia and Germany. Her mother's family was from Massachusetts.
When she was young, the Apollo program Moon landings inspired her. She dreamed of becoming the first female astronaut. Her mother supported this dream by buying her a telescope. Her high school chemistry teacher was also a big role model for her.
Andrea Ghez first studied mathematics in college. Later, she changed her major to physics. She earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in physics in 1987. This was from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She then went on to get her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1992. She completed her PhD at the California Institute of Technology.
Career and Discoveries
Andrea Ghez uses special imaging tools in her research. These tools, like the adaptive optics system at the Keck telescopes, help her see very clearly. She uses them to study areas where stars are forming. She also studies the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This black hole is known as Sagittarius A*.
She studies how stars move near the center of our galaxy. This helps her learn more about the black hole. The Keck telescopes provide very clear images. This was a big improvement over earlier studies of the galactic center.
Andrea Ghez has been recognized for her work. In 2004, she was chosen to join the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2012, she became a member of the American Philosophical Society. She has also appeared in many TV documentaries. These include shows on the BBC and Discovery Channel.
Studying the Black Hole at the Galactic Center (Sgr A*)
Andrea Ghez and her team take pictures of the Galactic Center using infrared light. This special light helps them see through the thick dust that blocks normal visible light. This way, they can get clear images of the Milky Way's center.
The W.M. Keck Telescope is very powerful. It uses adaptive optics to correct for blurry effects from Earth's atmosphere. This allows scientists to get very sharp images of the Galactic Center. These images have helped them track the paths of stars orbiting the black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*).
Scientists have watched many stars orbit Sgr A*. One star, called S2, has completed a full elliptical orbit. This has happened since detailed observations began in 1995. It will take many more years to fully track the orbits of other stars. These measurements can help test general relativity, a theory by Albert Einstein.
In 2012, her team at UCLA found another star, S0-102, orbiting the Galactic Center. By studying how these stars move, Ghez's team figured out the mass of Sgr A*. They found it is about 4.1 million times the mass of our Sun. This is called 4.1 million solar masses. The Galactic Center is much closer than other galaxies with supermassive black holes. This makes Sgr A* one of the best examples of a supermassive black hole.
In 2020, Andrea Ghez shared the Nobel Prize in Physics. She and Reinhard Genzel won for their discovery. They showed that a supermassive black hole likely controls the orbits of stars at the center of the Milky Way. Andrea Ghez was the fourth woman to win the physics Nobel Prize. The others were Marie Curie (1903), Maria Goeppert Mayer (1963), and Donna Strickland (2018).
Awards and Honors
Andrea Ghez has received many important awards for her work:
- Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy (1994)
- Packard Fellowship award (1996)
- Newton Lacy Pierce Prize in Astronomy (1998)
- Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award (1999)
- Sackler Prize (2004)
- Marc Aaronson Memorial Lectureship (2007)
- MacArthur Fellowship (2008)
- Crafoord Prize in Astronomy (2012)
- Royal Society Bakerian Medal (2015)
- Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Oxford (2019)
- Fellow of the American Physical Society (2019)
- Elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (2020)
- Nobel Prize in Physics (2020)
Personal Life
Andrea Ghez is married to Tom LaTourrette. They have two sons. She also enjoys swimming and is part of the UCLA Masters Swim Club.
See also
In Spanish: Andrea M. Ghez para niños
