Astronomy Beat

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Astronomy Beat is a monthly, on-line column written by “insiders” from the worlds of astronomy research and outreach.

With our compliments, please enjoy the June issue of Astronomy Beat featuring Nancy Roman, an early pioneer in paving the way for female scientists at NASA. Among other accomplishments, and because of her tireless efforts in support of a space-based observatory, Nancy Roman is often considered the “mother” of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Current issue: September 10 2013:
They Also Serve: My Role in the Planck Mission
by Bruce Partridge (Haverford College)

Much to my surprise, in my mid-fifties I found myself doing “big science.” For the first 30 years of my professional career I had avoided it. I did experiments I could build myself, planned solo observing runs, worked in small teams, and taught in a small college. I didn’t think I would like being a cog in someone else’s big science machine. In addition, I didn’t think my skills were up to big science. Equipment I designed tended to be clunky. My computer skills were and remain, by modern standards, pre-literate.

So what got me involved with big science, in particular the nearly billion-dollar Planck mission? And what have I been able to contribute to that mission during the past 20 years?

ASP members can access Astronomy Beat through the ASP’s online portal. Not a member? Join today.

Download the following sample Astronomy Beat columns FREE to see what the series is like.

The Discovery of Pluto
by Clyde Tombaugh

The Discovery of the First Gravitational Lenses
by Ray Weymann

Origins of the Drake Equation
by Frank Drake and Dava Sobel

Stargazing Centaurs: The Astronomy of Harry Potter
by Kristine Larsen

And the Sun Stood Still: Dramatizing Copernicus
by Dava Sobel

How to Catch a Moon or Two of Pluto
by Mark R. Showalter