Andreja Gomboc facts for kids
Andreja Gomboc (born November 10, 1969) is a Slovenian astrophysicist. This means she is a scientist who studies space, stars, and galaxies.
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Early Life and Education
Andreja Gomboc was born in Murska Sobota, Slovenia. She studied at the University of Ljubljana. In 1995, she finished her first degree. Her project was about "The appearance of a star falling into a black hole".
She continued her studies in physics and earned her Ph.D. in 2001. Her Ph.D. work was about how stars change brightness very quickly when they interact with a black hole. She studied what happens when a star gets too close to a huge black hole in the center of a galaxy.
Career in Science
After getting her Ph.D., Andreja Gomboc became a professor at the University of Ljubljana. She taught different subjects like Astrophysics and Astronomy. Since 2015, she has been a full professor of astronomy at the University of Nova Gorica.
From 2002 to 2004, she worked as a researcher in England. She joined a project to observe the light that appears after gamma ray bursts. These are very powerful explosions in space. She used large robotic telescopes for this research.
Her team received an award in 2007 for their excellent work. They studied the light from these explosions and published their findings in the famous Science magazine. She has also co-written articles for Nature magazine.
Space Missions and Research
Andreja Gomboc is part of the Gaia mission. This mission was launched by the ESA in 2013. The Gaia mission is measuring the distances and speeds of about a billion stars in our own galaxy. This helps us understand our galaxy better.
From 2011 to 2014, she led an ESA project about a "Relativistic Global Navigation System."
Her main research areas include astronomy and astrophysics. She studies black holes, gamma-ray bursts, and how stars spin.
Sharing Knowledge
Andreja Gomboc loves to share her knowledge about space. She writes articles for Spika, a Slovenian astronomy magazine. She also started and edits a website called Portal v vesolje. This website helps people learn more about the universe.
In 2009, which was the International Year of Astronomy, she was the main coordinator for Slovenia. She helped organize many events, like photo exhibitions and open days at observatories. She also helped edit books about physics and space.
She is the president of a national committee that organizes astronomy competitions for students in Slovenia.
Awards and Recognition
- In 2002, she received the Pomurje research award for her Ph.D. work.
- In 2007 and 2009, she received the Prometheus of Science award.
- In 2015, she received the Zois Certificate of Recognition. This is a Slovenian state award for important research about Gamma Ray Bursts.
- In 2016, she organized an important astronomy meeting in Slovenia. It was the first International Astronomical Union Symposium held there.
See also
In Spanish: Andreja Gomboc para niños
