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Astrophysicists, who are still sometimes
referred to as astronomers, are top scientists
who never stop dreaming with their heads
up in the stars. Their passion? Planets
and stars! Their obsession? Understanding
how the Universe has formed and works, and
studying the life of stars and galaxies…
Research
An astrophysicist’s job is all about
research. As top scientists who are often
specialised their work consists mainly in
observing the movements of the stars and
planets using terrestrial or space telescopes.
They analyse their measurements and observations
with the help of experimental models. Like
all researchers, an astrophysicist writes
and publishes his/her findings in his/her
research, gives colloquia and conferences
all over the world. They sometimes teach
and train new generations of astronomers.
But also...
Astrophysicists dream, research and think.
They travel a lot too: there are different
sites high up in the world where terrestrial
telescopes can be found. The progress of
computing enables them to accomplish a majority
of their work from their laboratory.
They also participate, in international
teams, in implementing computer programmes,
as well as developing new observation and
measurement tools.
Tough training
You’ve probably already guessed that
to become an astrophysicist you’ll
need to study science for a long time. You
can only specialise once you have reached
a master’s degree. A good command
of English and computing is crucial, a taste
for dreaming, precision and the capacity
to work in a team are vital. But above all,
places are scarce: as an example, in France,
there are only 700 astronomers and less
than twenty positions per year in the research
field. When some astrophysicists finish
their training, some are likely to choose
other paths, notably in the space technology
application industry.
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Meeting
with Catherine Cesarsky, astrophysicist
Catherine Cesarsky grew up in Buenos Aires
where she studied physics applied to astronomy.
She is a top astrophysicist with her feet
strongly rooted on Earth where she runs
the ESO* (European Organisation for Astronomical
Research in the Southern Hemisphere). She
is passionate about galaxies that are several
thousand light years away! Meeting with
a star fanatic…
IOONOS: What made
you want to become an astrophysicist ?
Catherine Cesarsky: I liked math at school
but when I reached university I found it
a little bland. I then chose to add physics
and when I had to pick a speciality for
my postgraduate diploma I chose astrophysics.
I stayed in this field and to this day I
am still very happy I did!
As soon as I could access research, I soon
realised how much I enjoyed it. It's beyond
anything I could have imagined. The Universe
is full of surprises and the technical progress
of our era is such that we discover new
things every day.
IOONOS: Could you
describe your career path ?
Catherine Cesarsky: I studied physics for
five years at the University of Buenos Aires
(Bachelor’s degree, postgraduate diploma)
with some astrophysics, and then I obtained
a doctoral degree (five years) in astronomy
in the United States, at Harvard.
Before I joined the ESO, I ran an astrophysics
department at the Commissariat à
l’énergie atomique (CEA), then
I joined the Department of physical science.
I am today the president of the scientific
programme comity of the CNES* (French space
agency).
IOONOS: Has your
job changed over the years ?
Catherine Cesarsky: Everything has changed
since I first started out! What happens
today has nothing in common with what happened
10 years ago! There is a real explosion
of knowledge today. Also different techniques
and work methods have appeared over the
years.
Internet means we can work with people all
over the world. Before, there were just
two or three people working on a project
but now, teams of 15 or 20 people are international
and it works tremendously well. Moreover,
we don’t need to know the instruments
so much.
In prior days, astronomers would spend nights
in clod frozen domes (so as not to damage
the telescope no heating was allowed), with
their eyes stuck to the instrument…
Today, we are comfortably sat in front of
screens; there is no need for us to be near
the telescope.
IOONOS: What future
do you think is in store for astrophysicists
?
Catherine Cesarsky: Astronomers, or astrophysicists,
of my generation feel that they are living
in a golden age, as if there were no chance
of it getting better and better… I
only half believe that; we are far from
having understood everything and everyone
knows that the more you know, the less you
really know! I am certain that things will
continue to improve and be more and more
addictive!
IOONOS: What advice
would you give a young person who is interested
in your profession ?
Catherine Cesarsky: You need a solid grounding
in math and physics. Physics and more physics!
And if you are interested in instrumental
aspects then you need to study engineering.
Just studying maps of the sky doesn’t
lead you anywhere. You must work hard from
a very young age, don’t miss your
chance, especially in France, where you
won’t be given a second chance.
IOONOS: What is your most emotional memory
as an astrophysicist ?
Catherine Cesarsky: That would have to be
the very first time I went to the observatory
of Paranal, Chile. At that time I didn’t
work for the ESO. But it was most certainly
due to the feeling I had that day that I
accepted the job I was offered later on
when I was offered it.
I worked for a long time and with many people
on the Isocam, a space instrument on board
a satellite. And I must admit that when
the first image from my infrared camera
reached us, showing that everything was
working, I was over the moon!
When I was theoretical physician at the
very beginning of my career, I had been
trying to resolve a problem for a very long
time. And one night, it happened in a flash
that enabled me to resolve everything all
at once. We were a team but it was me who
had the answer that meant we could solve
the problem once and for all!
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