Rosemary Coogan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rosemary Coogan
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Coogan in 2022
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| Born | 1991 (age 33–34) |
| Alma mater | University of Sussex (PhD) University College, Durham (MPhys, MSc) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics CNES |
| Thesis | The impact of environment on galaxy evolution : starburst and AGN activity (2019) |
| Space career | |
| ESA astronaut | |
| Selection | 2022 ESA Group |
Rosemary Theresa Coogan (born 1991) is a brilliant scientist from Northern Ireland. She studies how galaxies change over time. She is also a UK astronaut and works with the ESA.
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Early Life and Learning
Rosemary Coogan went to Brighton & Hove High School when she was younger. She also had special training from a young age. She was a petty officer with the Sea Cadets. This group teaches young people about the navy and sailing.
In 2009, she joined two naval training ships, HMS Calliope and HMS Example. There, she became an Officer cadet. Later, she was promoted to Midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserve. This means she was training to be an officer in the navy.
Studying Physics
Rosemary Coogan went to Durham University to study Physics. She earned her first degree in 2013. She stayed at Durham to get her master's degree. During this time, she studied gamma-ray astronomy. This is a way to study very high-energy light from space.
She used the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope for her research. This telescope helps scientists look at powerful bursts of energy from objects like quasars. Quasars are very bright centers of distant galaxies. Rosemary also worked with a company called Senseye. She helped create computer models to find unusual patterns from robot sensors.
Researching Galaxies
Rosemary then went to the University of Sussex for her PhD. She studied how galaxies grow and change. She also looked at active galactic nuclei (AGN). These are super bright centers of galaxies, powered by huge black holes.
She discovered that galaxies in crowded areas form stars more quickly. This might be because galaxies crash into each other more often there. These crashes can make new stars form. She also helped plan future observations for the Square Kilometre Array. This is a giant radio telescope project.
Her Career in Space
After her PhD, Rosemary Coogan worked at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany. She continued to study how galaxies change using telescopes in space. In 2022, she joined the CNES, which is France's space agency.
At CNES, she works on important space missions. These include the Euclid mission and the James Webb Space Telescope. These telescopes help us learn more about the universe.
Becoming an Astronaut
In 2022, Rosemary Coogan was chosen to join the European Astronaut Corps. This is a group of astronauts for the European Space Agency. She said she wanted to become an astronaut to help us learn as much as possible from space.
She finished her basic training at the European Astronaut Centre. She graduated on April 22, 2024, with her fellow astronauts from "The Hoppers" group. Now, she is ready for future space missions!
