Jun Chen (astronomer) facts for kids
Jun Chen is a talented Chinese American astronomer. An astronomer is a scientist who studies stars, planets, and everything else in space! Jun Chen is also known for helping to discover many minor planets. Minor planets are small objects in our solar system that orbit the Sun, but they are not big enough to be called planets.
Who is Jun Chen?
Jun Chen was born in China. She moved to the United States and became a very important scientist. She is known for her work in discovering objects far out in space.
Her Journey in Science
Jun Chen started her science journey by getting her first degree from Beijing University in 1990. After that, she moved to the United States and earned her PhD from the University of Hawaii in 1997. A PhD is a very high degree that shows someone is an expert in their field.
After her studies, Jun Chen worked with other famous astronomers like David Jewitt and Jane Luu. Together, they looked for new objects in space.
Her Amazing Discoveries
Jun Chen and her team made exciting discoveries! They found many objects in a special area of our solar system called the Kuiper belt. The Kuiper belt is a huge ring of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It's like a cosmic junkyard filled with leftovers from when our solar system was formed.
The Minor Planet Center, which keeps track of all minor planets, says that Jun Chen helped discover 10 minor planets between 1994 and 1997. This means she played a big part in helping us learn more about our solar system!
Today, Jun Chen works as a software developer. This means she creates computer programs. It's a different kind of work, but it still uses her amazing problem-solving skills!
See also
In Spanish: Jun Chen para niños
- List of minor planet discoverers
