April 19 – Happy Birthday, Kim Weaver

n

nPosted on April 19, 2020

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nApril 19, 1964: Kim Weaver is born in West Virginia.

n

n

n

nApril 19, 1969: Age 5, little Kim is impressed by photographs of planets, galaxies, and the Moon. She asks about the 300-foot antenna dish located nearby and is interested in the answer – it is listening to radio signals from space!

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nJuly 20, 1969: Still 5, Kim is thrilled to watch Apollo 11 crew land on – and eventually walk on! – the Moon.

n

n

n

nShe decides right then and there that she wants to be a scientist and work for NASA.

n

n

n

nFlash forward about 20 years: Dr. Kim Weaver has graduated with a B.S. in physics and a M.S. and Ph.D. in astronomy.

n

n

n

nAnd now: Weaver is an astrophysicist and professor. She works for NASA, just as she hoped, so long ago – mostly focusing on x-ray astronomy.

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nWhat, you may ask, is x-ray astronomy?

n

n

n

nWith ordinary telescopes, scientists study the universe via visible light, which is the most familiar part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

n

n
n
n
n
n
n Radio telescopes like the dishes that inspired Weaver as a child allow scientists to study the universe via radio waves, which have much longer wavelengths than those of visible light. 

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nX-ray telescopes are used to study the universe with x-rays, which have much shorter wavelengths. 

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nThis is a comparison of M82 galaxy with visible light (left) and x-rays (right): 

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nHere is a photo of a neutron star in the Crab Nebula. The x-ray light is shown in purple, ultraviolet light in blue, visible light in green, infrared light in yellow, and radio light in red: 

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

Read more  10 Tips To Help You Create A Stylish And Comfortable Space

nAlso on this date:

n

n

n

n
National Hanging Out Day 

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n
Republic Day in Sierra Leone

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nLanding of the 33 Patriots Day in Uruguay

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nDay of the Indian in Brazil

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nBeginning of the Independence Movement Day in Venezuela

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nBirthday of motorboat-inventor Ole Evinrude

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nAnniversary of the first Boston marathon

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nAnniversary of the first free-fall parachute descent using a rip cord

n

n
n
n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nNational Health Day in Kiribati

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n
n
n

Read more  Prince Edward Island Bigfoot (Breakdown)

n

n

n

n
n

n

nnJohn Parker Day

n

n

n

n

n

n
n
n

n

n

n

n
n

n

nnn

n

nnNational Garlic Day
n

n

n

n

n

n

n
n
n

n

n
n
n

n

n

n
n

n

nnn

n

nnFirst Day of Summer in Iceland

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n
n

nNational Poker Day

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nNational Library Week in the U.S. – April 19 through 25

n

n

n(The 2020 theme of National Library Week is “Find Your Place at the Library” – a theme chosen long before anyone could imagine a global pandemic would close libraries-the-physical-buildings. However, libraries are still open for business online. 
n

n