Peter T. Gallagher facts for kids

Peter Thomas Gallagher is an Irish astrophysicist. He is the director of Dunsink Observatory. He studies the Sun, especially powerful events called solar storms. He also looks at how these storms can affect Earth.

Professor Gallagher is a Senior Professor at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. He leads the Astronomy and Astrophysics department there. He is also a professor at Trinity College Dublin. He is in charge of a big radio-telescope project called I-LOFAR. This telescope is located at Birr Castle. Many people in the media and science community often quote his work.

Early Life and Education

Peter T. Gallagher grew up in Clontarf, Dublin, a suburb of Dublin. He went to Belgrove Primary School. For secondary school, he attended O'Connell School in central Dublin. As a teenager, he enjoyed playing lead guitar in a band. He also played Gaelic football and rugby.

He was the first in his family to go to college. He studied at University College Dublin (UCD). After reading a book called A Brief History of Time, he became very interested in physics and astronomy. In 1995, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Maths.

He then went to Queen's University Belfast for his Master's degree. He studied Optoelectronics and Image Processing. He finished first in his class in 1996. Later, he earned his PhD in Astrophysics from Queen's in 2000. His PhD work focused on observing the Sun's atmosphere.

Career in Space Science

After his PhD, Professor Gallagher worked as a researcher in the United States. He worked at solar observatories in California. He also worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington, D.C. He used NASA's SOHO spacecraft to study the Sun.

In 2005, he decided to move back to Ireland with his wife. He started teaching Space Science at UCD. In 2006, he began leading the Solar Physics & Space Weather Research Group at Trinity College Dublin (TCD). His work focused on the Sun and space weather. Space weather includes events like solar storms that can impact Earth. The media often asks him about these topics.

Soon after returning to Ireland, he helped with NASA flights. These flights studied the Sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona. The corona is much hotter than the Sun's surface. In 2009, his team worked on a satellite project called PROBA-2. This project studied solar storms. They helped create software for the satellite.

In 2015, he helped build a network of magnetometers. These devices can detect solar storm activity. This network was a project between TCD and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

In 2018, Professor Gallagher became a Senior Professor at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). He also became the Director of the historic Dunsink Observatory. This observatory is near Dublin. He hopes to make the observatory a popular place for visitors. He wants to add a coffee shop and welcome many more people.

Radio Telescope Projects in Ireland

Professor Gallagher visited Birr Castle. This castle was once home to the world's largest telescope. He found it was a great place for a radio telescope. He made an agreement to build a solar observatory there. This became the Rosse Solar Terrestrial Observatory. Birr is a good place because it's quiet and far from radio interference.

He then proposed a much bigger project. This was to build the Irish part of the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) radio telescope. This project, called I-LOFAR, would connect Ireland to telescopes across Europe. This connection makes the telescope much more powerful. He got funding from different people and groups. Science Foundation Ireland gave a large amount of money. Many universities also joined the project.

The main parts of the I-LOFAR telescope arrived in Ireland in 2016. The Irish Astronomical Association praised Professor Gallagher's work. They said he was "almost single-handedly responsible" for making I-LOFAR happen. The I-LOFAR site in Ireland opened in July 2017. It helps scientists study solar activity. It also looks at light from the early universe. It even searches for possible signals from intelligent life in space. The I-LOFAR telescope has 3,000 antennae and many kilometers of cables. It provides great opportunities for students and researchers.

Sharing Science with Everyone

Professor Gallagher loves to share science with the public. He is especially interested in helping students from schools that don't often send many pupils into science careers. He helped create an exhibit at the Science Gallery in Dublin. This exhibit let visitors feel what solar flares might be like.

He has also appeared on radio and TV shows. He was on a radio series called "Bright Sparks." In 2017, he co-presented a TV program called "13 Billion Miles from Birr." This show celebrated the launch of the I-LOFAR telescope.

Academic and Professional Groups

Professor Gallagher is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He is also a member of the Institute of Physics. He has led groups like the Astronomical Sciences Group of Ireland. He has also been part of committees for the European Space Agency (ESA).

Awards and Recognition

In 2017, France gave him a special award. It is called the Chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes académiques. This award is one of France's oldest civilian honors. He received it for his important scientific work. His wife also received the same award at the same ceremony.

Publications

Professor Gallagher has written many scientific articles. His work is often quoted by other scientists. One of his most cited papers is about solar flares.

Personal Life

Professor Gallagher is married to Emma Teeling. They met while studying at UCD. They have two sons. His sons even created a Minecraft version of the LOFAR environment! Professor Gallagher also coaches youth rugby teams.