Sally Oey facts for kids
Dr. Sally Oey is an American astronomer who studies huge, hot stars. These stars often end their lives in giant explosions called supernovae. Dr. Oey works as a professor at the University of Michigan. She is also on the board of the Gemini Observatory, which uses powerful telescopes to explore space. In 1999, she won a special award called the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy for her important work. In 2023, the University of Michigan honored her for her excellent teaching, especially for college students.
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Early Life and School
Dr. Oey was born in Ithaca, New York. Her parents came to the U.S. from Indonesia in 1957. She went to Bryn Mawr College and finished her studies there in 1986. Later, she earned her PhD in astronomy from the University of Arizona in 1995. A PhD is the highest degree you can get in a field of study.
Exploring the Stars
After finishing her studies, Dr. Oey worked at important places. From 1998 to 2001, she was at the Space Telescope Science Institute. This is where scientists help manage the Hubble Space Telescope. Then, from 2001 to 2004, she worked at the Lowell Observatory.
How Stars Change Space
Dr. Oey leads a research group called FANG. FANG stands for "Feedback Activity in Nearby Galaxies." Her team studies how massive stars affect the gas and dust around them in space. This is called "feedback." It happens in different ways:
- Light Feedback: Massive stars give off a lot of light. This light can create bright areas called HII regions.
- Chemical Feedback: When stars explode, they release new elements into space. This helps create new stars and planets.
- Movement Feedback: Supernova explosions can create giant bubbles of gas. These bubbles can push gas and dust around in galaxies.
The Size Limit of Stars
Dr. Oey and her team at the University of Michigan have been looking for the biggest stars. They have studied star clusters in our own galaxy and in nearby galaxies like the Magellanic Clouds. They found that no star was bigger than about 200 times the mass of our Sun.
This suggests there might be a limit to how big stars can get. Scientists are still trying to figure out why this limit exists. Dr. Oey thinks that even bigger stars, maybe up to 500 times the Sun's mass, might have existed a long, long time ago when the universe was very young.
Teaching and Inspiring Students
Dr. Oey is also very dedicated to teaching college students. In 2023, she was recognized for her amazing work in education. She helped many more students choose astronomy as their main subject or a minor. She also helped students from other fields learn about astronomy. Dr. Oey made sure her teaching included ideas about diversity, fairness, and including everyone.
See also
In Spanish: Sally Oey para niños
