Credit Morehead State University
Dr. Benjamin K. Malphrus, executive director of the Space Science Center and professor of space science at Morehead State University, will be inducted into the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame.
Malphrus was instrumental in developing the space systems engineering and astrophysics programs at Morehead State and the construction of MSU’s Space Science Center.
Malphrus has served on the National Radio Astronomy Observatory scientific staff, as a visiting scientist at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and on the faculty of universities including the University of South Carolina and West Virginia University.
In the late 1990s, Malphrus developed a theory of galaxy formation that has gained wide acceptance among the astronomical community and led to the discovery of a previously unknown galaxy, identified as NGC 5291-B, the first known galaxy proved to result from galaxy-galaxy interactions. He contributes to the body of research in interacting galaxie
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IMAGE: This artist s impression of ID2299 shows the galaxy, the product of a galactic collision, and some of its gas being ejected by a tidal tail as a result of the. view more
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser
Galaxies begin to die when they stop forming stars, but until now astronomers had never clearly glimpsed the start of this process in a far-away galaxy. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, astronomers have seen a galaxy ejecting nearly half of its star-forming gas. This ejection is happening at a startling rate, equivalent to 10 000 Suns-worth of gas a year the galaxy is rapidly losing its fuel to make new stars. The team believes that this spectacular event was triggered by a collision with another galaxy, which could lead astronomers to rethink how galaxies stop bringing new stars to life.
Art by Catherine Zhang.
A few million light years away, a black hole at the center of a galaxy spins at immense speeds, turning matter into light; on the screen in front of us, the scientist who figured that out made an edgy joke about how terrible adulthood is. We sat (virtually) in Professor Meg Urry’s office, listening intently as she tells stories about her career, her research, and her life. Hanging on the wall were three framed pictures, including a black and white portrait of who appears to be Isaac Newton. Seems fitting for one of the most acclaimed astrophysics experts in the world. Throughout our discussion, the conversation kept returning to the same thought––what is the driving force behind science? For Urry, it is about bringing different ideas and perspectives into conversation with one another. It is about diversity and representation––who is at the table, what they brought, and how they got there. Urry’s own journey is a case study into the sociology of s