Jane Luu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jane Lưu
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| Born | July 1963 (age 62) |
| Alma mater | Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Discovery of the Kuiper belt |
| Spouse(s) | Ronnie Hoogerwerf |
| Awards | Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy (1991) Shaw Prize (2012) Kavli Prize (2012) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy, Astrophysics, Engineering |
| Institutions | Harvard University, Lincoln Laboratory at MIT, Tufts University, University of Oslo |
| Thesis | Physical Studies of Primitive Solar System Bodies (1992) |
| Doctoral advisor | David C. Jewitt |
Jane X. Luu (born July 1963) is a Vietnamese-American astronomer and engineer. She is famous for helping to discover the Kuiper Belt. This is a huge area beyond Neptune filled with icy objects. Her work helped us understand how our Solar System formed.
Jane Luu came to the United States in 1975 as a refugee. Her family settled in Kentucky. She was a top student in high school. She earned a scholarship to Stanford University. There, she studied physics and graduated in 1984. Working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory made her want to study astronomy.
Contents
Discovering the Kuiper Belt
Jane Luu's Early Research
As a student at the University of California at Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Jane Luu studied space rocks. She looked at how asteroids and comets are connected. This was a big part of her PhD project.
Finding the Kuiper Belt
She also worked with another astronomer, David C. Jewitt. Together, they searched for objects in a part of space that many thought was empty. This area is now known as the Kuiper Belt. After five years of looking, they found something amazing in 1992.
They used a telescope in Hawaii to make their discovery. They found the first known object in the Kuiper Belt besides Pluto and its moon, Charon. This object was nicknamed "Smiley." It showed that the Kuiper Belt was full of icy bodies.
Awards for Her Work
For her important discoveries, Jane Luu received the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy in 1991. In 1992, she earned a special fellowship from the Space Telescope Science Institute. She completed her PhD at MIT in 1992. An asteroid, 5430 Luu, was later named in her honor.
Jane Luu's Career in Science
Teaching and Research
After getting her doctorate, Jane Luu became a professor. She taught at Harvard University starting in 1994. She also worked as a professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands.
Working on Defense Projects
Later, Jane Luu returned to the United States. She became a Senior Scientist at Lincoln Laboratory at MIT. Here, she worked on projects for defense. She focused on lidar systems, which use light to measure distances.
More Discoveries in the Kuiper Belt
In 2004, Jane Luu and David Jewitt made another discovery. They found frozen water ice on a large Kuiper Belt object called Quaoar. They also found signs of ammonia hydrate. They thought this ice might have formed underground. It probably became visible after Quaoar crashed into another object.
Major Awards and Recognition
In 2012, Jane Luu received two very important awards. She won the Shaw Prize with David Jewitt. This award was for their work on finding and studying objects beyond Neptune. These objects are like clues from when our solar system first formed.
She also won the Kavli Prize in 2012. She shared this award with David Jewitt and Michael E. Brown. This prize recognized their discovery and study of the Kuiper Belt. Their work greatly improved our understanding of the solar system's history.
Jane Luu's Life Outside of Work
Jane Luu loves to travel. She has even worked with the organization Save the Children in Nepal. She enjoys being outdoors and plays the cello. She met her husband, Ronnie Hoogerwerf, who is also an astronomer, while working in the Netherlands. They have one child.
Honors and Awards
- 1991 Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy
- 2012 Shaw Prize in Astronomy
- 2012 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics
- The asteroid 5430 Luu was named after her in 1996.
- She is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Selected Publications
- NASA Astrophysics Data System publication listing (She has written over 200 papers!)
- Crystalline Ice on Kuiper Belt Object (50000) Quaoar (article co-written with David Jewitt, 2004)
- The Shape Distribution of Kuiper Belt Objects (paper co-written with Pedro Lacerda, 2003)
- Comet Impact on McMaster (presentation summary, 2001)
- Accretion in the Early Kuiper Belt I. Coagulation and Velocity Evolution (paper co-written with Scott J. Kenyon, 1998)
- Optical and Infrared Reflectance Spectrum of Kuiper Belt Object 1996 TL66 (paper co-written with D.C. Jewitt, 1998)
See also
In Spanish: Jane Luu para niños
