Kyongae Chang facts for kids
Kyongae Chang (Hangul: 장경애, born September 5, 1946) is an important South Korean astrophysicist. An astrophysicist is a scientist who studies stars, planets, and the universe. She is famous for her work on something called gravitational lensing, which includes the special "Chang-Refsdal lens" named after her.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kyongae Chang was born in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. She went to Sungkyunkwan University for her studies. After graduating, she worked as a research assistant at Sproul Observatory from 1969 to 1971. There, she helped study binary stars, which are two stars that orbit each other. She worked with professors van de Kamp and Heintz.
Later, from 1975 to 1980, she continued her advanced studies at Hamburg University in Germany. She earned her PhD, which is a very high university degree. Her main work during this time was on the Chang-Refsdal lens.
Discovering the Chang-Refsdal Lens
What is Gravitational Lensing?
Imagine light traveling in a straight line. Gravitational lensing happens when light from a distant object, like a galaxy, bends around a very massive object, like another galaxy or a cluster of galaxies, that is in between us and the distant object. This massive object acts like a giant magnifying glass in space, bending the light and making the distant object appear distorted or even multiple times. It's a bit like looking through a wavy window.
Chang's Important Contribution
Kyongae Chang's research focused on understanding how this light bending works. Her most important discovery was the "Chang-Refsdal lens." She published her main findings in the famous science magazine Nature in 1979. This happened right after scientists first observed a real gravitational lens in space. Her work helped explain how these cosmic lenses work and how we can use them to learn more about the universe.
Career as a Professor
After her important research in Germany, Kyongae Chang returned to South Korea in 1985. She became a professor at Cheongju University. As a professor, she taught students and continued her research, sharing her knowledge about astrophysics and the wonders of the universe.
External links
- Partial list of publications at ScientificCommons
- Kyongae Chang at the IAU
See also
In Spanish: Kyongae Chang para niños
