Dr. Debra Fischer Astronomer

Maryssa Buffano Miss Arnold Science up-to-date Astronomer Essay 4/12/2011 JMJ Dr. Debra Fischer Astronomer An astronomer is an astrophysicist who studies principal sums, orbiters and galaxies. Astronomers use the laws of natural philosophy to investigate the matter and energy of heavenly bodies. They then apply the re await ferret outings to shape space navigation and communication problems and redden discover impertinently planets and stars. In 1512, Copernicus theorized that the planets bailiwick the sun and the race to uncover new planets began.Historically, most of the famous astronomers perplex been men, such as Galilei Galileo and Johannes Kepler. Other men have made planet discoveries. For example, William Herschel uncovered Uranus, and Clyde Tombaugh prepare Pluto. Recently, there has been a new adult male on the planet hunting group, and she is a woman. Dr. Debra Fischer is a professor of uranology at San Francisco State University. Her quest is to fetch p lanets orbiting around distant stars. Debra Fischer completed her undergrad draw in science and natural philosophy at San Francisco State.Her search for planets began when she was a fine-tune student in astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. go there, she worked with astronomer Geoff Marcy. Marcy co-founded the California and Carnegie Planet try Project with Paul Butler in 1983. The purpose of this planet hunting team was to discover extra-solar planets orbiting nearby stars. Swiss astronomers discover the first extra-solar planet in 1995. Marcys team validated the existence of three much planets and a multi-planet system in 1996.Debra Fischer joined the project as a post-doctoral fellow managing the garget Observatory in 1997. Through her work there, Fischer discovered more three planets herself by 1999. In battle array to unearth extra-solar planets, Fischer and her team at the Lick Observatory use a system known as the Doppler technique. By exploit ation an observation procedure that measures the metal capacitance of stars, a stars amphetamine washbasin be monitored. Fluctuations in the stars velocity that signal the presence of the gravitational pull from an orbiting planet.Once a emf planet is identified, it is studied for a blanket(a) orbital cycle. This process can distri thate mean solar days or years depending on the planets distance from the star. oer 300 exoplanets have been confirmed use this methodology. Fischer is credited with over 200 of them. She brought the arenas first robotic telescope entirely dedicated to finding new planets to the outlook in 2004. She still continues her work at the Lick Observatory forthwith. Fischers work discovering of exoplanets has led a search to find earth like planets.She has been a bullocky force behind the Kepler space telescope. In 2009, NASA launched a spacecraft from Cape Canaveral to search the galaxy for planets that could possibly support manners. subsequentl y three years of orbiting, the Kepler telescope observations should fork out a reliable number of earth-like planets that can be further studied. Fischer says the Kepler project, will map a course toward one day imaging a pale sullen dot like our planet, orbiting another star. fifty-fifty if extra-terrestrial life is not found, its implications are profound.Is life common throughout the galaxy or is earth the only living planet? Debra Fischer is an amazing astronomer and woman. Her quest for intimacy never ends. Her latest efforts include espial Hot Jupiters and Neptunes and writing computer programs exemplar orbits and star velocity. Her pursuit of study continues today not only planet hunting, but also in educating others. Fischer teaches at several(prenominal) universities and travels as a guest lecturer. She encourages everyone she meets to get hold of for the stars.