His Majesty The King has accepted Professor Michele Dougherty as the brand new Astronomer Royal. Professor Dougherty would be the sixteenth particular person and the primary girl to carry this function since its creation 350 years in the past. The earlier Astronomer Royal, Professor Lord Martin Rees, is retiring from the place.
The function of Astronomer Royal was first created with the aim of discovering the way to decide longitude at sea when out of sight of land, and the holder of this place was based mostly on the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. At present, the function is an honorary one, awarded to a outstanding astronomer who is predicted to advise the Monarch on astronomical issues, and promote the worth of astronomical science to the general public.
Professor Dougherty will maintain the function alongside her present positions as Govt Chair of the Science and Know-how Services Council, President-elect of the Institute of Physics and a Professor of House Physics at Imperial School London.
“I’m completely delighted to be taking up the vital function of Astronomer Royal. As a younger baby I by no means thought I’d find yourself engaged on planetary spacecraft missions and science, so I can’t fairly imagine I’m truly taking up this place. On this function I stay up for participating most of the people in how thrilling astronomy is, and the way vital it and its outcomes are to our on a regular basis life,” mentioned Dougherty.
A number one planetary scientist, Dougherty’s analysis has considerably superior our understanding of the outer Photo voltaic System. Initially from South Africa, she studied on the College of Natal. After finishing her PhD in 1989, she moved to Imperial School London, the place she later grew to become Head of the Division of Physics.
Credit score: NASA/JPL/House Science Institute
She took a number one function on NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn, changing into the principal investigator for the spacecraft’s magnetometer. She hit the headlines by main the group that recognized surprising magnetic signatures round Enceladus, which offered the primary proof of a subsurface ocean on that moon.
Along with earlier findings a few potential subsurface ocean at Jupiter’s moon Europa, the Enceladus work has contributed to a re-evaluation of the Photo voltaic System’s potential habitability to microbial life.
Dougherty at present serves as principal investigator for the magnetometer on ESA’s JUICE mission, which is ready to discover Jupiter’s icy moons, together with Ganymede and Europa, following its arrival in July 2031.
Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2012, Dougherty has obtained quite a few awards for her contributions to house science, together with a CBE in 2018.
Within the official announcement of the function, the Authorities Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean, said: “Heat congratulations to Professor Michele Dougherty on her appointment to the distinguished place of Astronomer Royal. This can be a becoming recognition of her excellent work and enduring dedication to the sector of astronomy.”
All of us at Astronomy Now echo these sentiments. We ship Michele our absolute best needs and congratulations on this honour. We will consider nobody higher certified or suited to carry this workplace. We additionally ship our greatest needs to the retiring Lord Rees for his service, having held the place for 30 years.
