Stellar informant
Star clusters are large groups of stars. These clusters provide fantastic (in fact, out of this world(!)) laboratories for us to study populations of stars.
Thebe Medupe
Early Life
Thebe was born in a rural village in north-west South Africa. He spent his childhood playing outside and sitting by the fire listening to his grandparents tell stories. Thebe went to school in the city of Mmabatho where he became interested in science. He saw Halley’s comet when he was 13 and this inspired him to build his own telescope. He learned how to make a telescope using household items from a book in his local library.
Year born: 1973
Research Areas: Variable Stars
Lisa Harvey-Smith
Early Life
Lisa was born in Essex, UK. As a child, she was outside with her dad one night when they saw the planet Mars in the sky. This sparked Lisa's love of space, and she joined her local astronomy group to learn more. As part of the group, Lisa was able to use a telescope for the first time. She decided that when she was older, she would be paid to be an astronomer. When Lisa was 11, she left school.
Year born: 1979
Research Areas: Radio Astronomy, Supermassive Black Holes, Stellar Evolution
Silvia Torres-Peimbert
Early Life
Silvia grew up in Mexico City, Mexico. She was encouraged by her teachers to pursue science. Her science teacher made it clear that if there were no women studying science then the contribution of half of the world’s population would be wasted. She studied physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and then got her PhD in astronomy from University of California, Berkeley. After university, Silvia returned to Mexico to work as a research scientist.
Year born: 1940
Research Areas: Nebulae & Star Birth
"We have only this planet and we have to take care of it. It’s our responsibility to diminish pollution and to stop wars"
Pair the Stages of a Star
Though they shine for many thousands, and even millions of years, stars do not last for ever. They ignite, burn, and then run out of fuel and go out.
Can you match the images of each stage of a star's existence to the correct description?
Identify the Nebula
The word nebula is used to talk about any dusty, fuzzy objects in space but they can be very different things! Can you classify each image into its proper category?
Order the Stages of a Star
During their lives, stars undergo massive changes. What happens to them depends on how much mass they contain.
Can you put the stages that a low mass star and a high mass star will go through in the correct order on the diagram?
Galaxies Quiz
What do you know about classifying galaxies? Challenge yourself with this quiz.
Solar System Quiz
A solar system consists of a star and the objects that orbit it. A galaxy contains millions of stars and solar systems. But how much do you know about our own Solar System? Take our quiz to find out!
Space Quiz
Think you have an astronomical amount of knowledge about space? Test your knowledge using this quiz.