Laura Danly facts for kids

Laura Danly is an American astronomer who has spent her career studying the stars and planets. She was once the Curator of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, a famous place where people can learn about space. She also led the Space Sciences Department at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Laura Danly's Education

Laura Danly studied very hard to become an astronomer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Physics from Yale University. This means she completed her first university degree, focusing on how the world works. Later, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Astronomy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A Ph.D. is a very advanced degree that shows someone is an expert in their field.

What Laura Danly Did in Her Career

Laura Danly worked at several universities, including the University of Denver and Pomona College. At these places, she helped create courses about space. These courses covered exciting topics like astronomy (the study of everything in space), archaeoastronomy (how ancient people studied the sky), solar physics (the study of the Sun), astrophotography (taking pictures of space), and astrobiology (the search for life beyond Earth).

Working with the Hubble Space Telescope

Laura Danly also spent many years at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland. This institute is a very important place for space research. While there, she had different jobs, including being a project scientist for education and an assistant astronomer. She was also a "Hubble Fellow," which is a special honor for young astronomers doing important research. She even did extra research after getting her Ph.D., called post-doctoral research.

As an astronomer, Laura Danly has spent a lot of time observing space. She used powerful telescopes, including the amazing Hubble Space Telescope, for hundreds of hours to study ultraviolet light from space. She also used other large telescopes, like those at Kitt Peak National Observatory and National Radio Astronomy Observatory, to observe space using visible light and radio waves.

Encouraging Girls in Science

In 1991, Laura Danly started something special called the Women's Science Forum. Her goal was to encourage young women to become scientists and engineers. The forum gave them a chance to meet leading women in science and ask them questions. It also offered hands-on activities to explore different science careers.

Later, in 1993, she helped write "The Baltimore Charter for Women in Astronomy." This document aimed to help women who were a minority group in the field of astronomy.

Sharing Science with Everyone

Laura Danly has also appeared on TV shows to share her knowledge about space. She was a guest scientist on episodes of the documentary series The Universe and How the Universe Works.

On October 21, 2009, she hosted a lecture about the latest discoveries from the Cassini–Huygens mission. This mission was a space probe that explored Saturn and its moons. During the lecture, she introduced the scientists who were key to this exciting mission.

Laura Danly retired from her role as Curator of the Griffith Observatory on December 4, 2020. Even though she is retired from her official positions, she still loves to talk about science and shares her knowledge on social media.

See also

In Spanish: Laura Danly para niños