Katharine Reeves facts for kids
Katharine Reeves is a super smart scientist who studies space and the Sun! She is an astronomer and a solar physicist. This means she learns all about stars, planets, and especially our Sun. She works at a place called the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA).
Dr. Reeves is famous for her work on the Sun's outer layer, called the solar corona. This part of the Sun is incredibly hot, full of super-heated gas called plasma. She studies how the Sun's magnetic fields connect and disconnect, which is called magnetic reconnection. This process releases huge amounts of energy, causing giant explosions called solar flares. She also looks at how heat moves around during these flares. Understanding these things helps scientists solve the "coronal heating problem" – figuring out why the Sun's corona is so much hotter than its surface.
She plays a big part in many NASA and international space missions that watch the Sun up close. These missions include Hinode, IRIS, SDO, and the Parker Solar Probe. She also works with special rockets that fly into space for a short time to take pictures, like MaGIXS and Hi-C FLARE. Dr. Reeves has also helped many students learn about solar physics, guiding them in their studies.
Her Education and Learning
Katharine Reeves worked hard to become a solar physicist.
- She earned her first degree (B.A.) from Reed College.
- She then got her Master's degree (M.S.) from Northeastern University.
- Finally, she earned her highest degree, a Ph.D., from the University of New Hampshire.
Awards and Recognition
In 2016, Dr. Reeves received a very special award called the Karen Harvey Prize. This award came from the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division. She won it because of her amazing work and important discoveries about the sun early in her career.
See also
In Spanish: Katharine Reeves para niños
