Astrana - Tana Joseph
Dr Tana Joseph - Post Doctoral Fellow at University of Amsterdam, Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar, Royal Society Newton International Fellow, Founder and Director of AstroComms, an InspiringFifty Woman in Science and Technology in South Africa 2020.
Her Research: Tana studies binary star systems. These are two astronomical objects that are locked in a gravitational tug of war as they rotate around each other. We don’t just call them binary stars because, while most binary systems are two stars, some are a star and a black hole or a star and a neutron star. A neutron star is only the size of a city it weighs as much as a star!
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It sounds quite peaceful, just rotating around la-dee-da, but it can actually be incredibly destructive with one or both members of the system being ripped apart by gravitational interactions. This is particularly true for binary systems that involve a black hole (the densest objects in the universe) or a neutron star (the second densest). Interactions with such dense objects are intense and these systems are called x-ray binaries as they emit X-rays, along with radio waves and visible light. Tana studies how these types of X-ray binary star systems, form, grow and affect neighboring stars. It’s all part of understanding how the universe, and the stars and other objects in it, came to exist.
To study X-ray binaries, Tana uses many different telescopes. X-ray binaries produce, visible light, radio waves, and of course X-rays. And she uses telescopes that are able to see those different forms of energy. These include South Africa’s premier telescopes - The MeerKAT (radio telescope) and the South African Large Telescope (visible light) as well as the space telescopes the Hubble (visible light), CHANDRA (X-ray), and XMM (X-ray) and telescopes in the USA and Australia.
The specific question that Tana is trying to understand is why certain types of blackhole X-ray binaries are found in galaxies where according to our current understanding, they shouldn’t be. Science says they shouldn’t be there but the data and observations say they are. Clearly something isn’t right. Our understanding isn’t correct and so there is a more science to do - new theories, more observations, new more powerful telescopes to use, and go from there.
Tana’s Strengths: Communication! This includes grant writing, scientific paper writing, and communicating science to the public - she even runs her own science communication company AstroComms. Also problem solving and maybe most important, tenacity.
Her heroes: Her parents. They helped grow Tana’s curiosity and love for science. When she was young the Cape Times newspaper regularly printed pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope and she would cut them out and paste them in a notebook. Now she’s a PhD astrophysicist who has used that telescope herself!
Why does astronomy research matter? It’s a common question, why are we looking up at the stars and spending money on space telescopes when there are so many problems here on earth? There are a number of different answers that range from the very practical to the philosophical. The practical ones, which are usually what people want, relate to all of the different applications that come out of astronomy research or have been developed to make astronomy research possible - radio sensing, rockets, etc. Many of them we never could have imagined at the time the research and funding was considered. Here’s a short list, what do you think, does it justify the spending? 1) The cell phone camera a device that can start a political revolution or make a viral video 2) GPS which has revolutionised the efficiency of transport of goods 3) MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) used to detect cancer and perform other medical imaging 4) remote sensing of crops from space - allowing farmers to fine tune the application of fertilisers and pesticides to provide more and cheaper food on your table 5) maybe most importantly, highly skilled people involved in all of the different aspects of astronomy research - data scientists, engineers, programmers, IT experts, and more who go to start business and apply what they know to the next challenges we face. Want a longer list? See what NASA has lead to with more to come every year.
In isiZulu
UDkt Tana Joseph: Usebenza Ngesikhundla Sobudokotela eNyuvesi yase-Amsterdam, Isazi Sokucwaninga Ngokuvakashela i-Fulbright, i-Royal Society Newton International Fellow, Umsunguli kanye noMqondisi we-AstroComms, Owesifazane Okhuthazayo Wamashumi amahlanu Kwesayensi Nobuchwepheshe eNingizimu Afrika 2020.
Ucwaningo Lwakhe: U-Tana ufunda amasistimu enkanyezi kanambambili. Lezi izinto ezimbili zezinkanyezi ezivaleleke emdonsisweni wokudonselana kwamandla adonsela phansi njengoba zizungezana. Asimane sibabize ngezinkanyezi ezimbaxambili ngoba, kuyilapho iningi lezinhlelo kanambambili ziyizinkanyezi ezimbili, ezinye ziyinkanyezi nomgodi omnyama noma inkanyezi nenkanyezi yenutroni. Inkanyezi ye- neutron ilingana nedolobha kuphela enesisindo esilingana nenkanyezi!
NJENGAMASOSAYENSI? SISEKELE NGESIKHATHI SITHOLA UKULANDIWA OKUNEsinqumo ESIPHEZULU
Kuzwakala kunokuthula impela, kuzungeza nje i-la-dee-da, kodwa empeleni kungalimaza ngendlela emangalisayo ilungu elilodwa noma womabili ohlelo ehlukaniswa phakathi ukusebenzisana kwamandla adonsela phansi. Lokhu kuyiqiniso ikakhulukazi kumasistimu kanambambili afaka imbobo emnyama (izinto eziminyene kakhulu endaweni yonke) noma inkanyezi eyinutroni (okuminyene kwesibili). Ukusebenzelana nezinto ezinjalo eziminyene kunamandla futhi lezi zinhlelo zibizwa ngokuthi ama-x-ray binaries njengoba ekhipha ama-X-ray, kanye namaza omsakazo nokukhanya okubonakalayo. U-Tana ufunda ukuthi lezi zinhlobo zezinhlelo ze-X-ray kanambambili zezinkanyezi, zakha, zikhula futhi zizithinte kanjani izinkanyezi ezingomakhelwane. Konke kuyingxenye yokuqonda ukuthi indawo yonke, nezinkanyezi nezinye izinto ezikuwo, zaba khona kanjani.
Ukuze atadishe amabhinari e-X-ray, u-Tana usebenzisa izibonakude eziningi ezihlukene. Ama-X-ray binaries akhiqiza, ukukhanya okubonakalayo, amaza omsakazo, kanye nama-X ray. Futhi usebenzisa izibonakude ezikwaziyo ukubona lezo zinhlobo ezahlukene zamandla. Lezi zihlanganisa itheleskopu ephambili yaseNingizimu Afrika - I-MeerKAT (itheleskopu yomsakazo) kanye Nethelesikophu Enkulu yaseNingizimu Afrika (ukukhanya okubonakalayo) kanye nezibonakude zasemkhathini i-Hubble (ukukhanya okubonakalayo), i-CHANDRA (i-X-ray), ne-XMM (i-X-ray). kanye nezibonakude e-USA nase-Australia.
Umbuzo othize uTana azama ukuwuqonda ukuthi kungani izinhlobo ezithile zamabhinari e-X-ray ama-blackhole zitholakala emithaleni lapho ngokokuqonda kwethu kwamanje, akufanele zibe khona. Isayensi ithi akumele ibe khona kodwa imininingwane nokubonwayo ithi ikhona. Ngokusobala kukhona okungalungile. Ukuqonda kwethu akulungile ngakho-ke kunesayensi eyengeziwe okufanele yenziwe - imibono emisha, ukuqaphela okwengeziwe, izibonakude ezintsha ezinamandla kakhulu ongazisebenzisa, bese usuka lapho.
Amandla kaTana: Ukuxhumana! Lokhu kubandakanya ukubhala kwesibonelelo, ukubhala iphepha lesayensi, kanye nokuxhumana nesayensi emphakathini - uze aqhube nenkampani yakhe yezokuxhumana ngesayensi i-AstroComms. Futhi ukuxazulula izinkinga futhi mhlawumbe okubaluleke kakhulu, ukuqina.
Amaqhawe akhe: Abazali bakhe. Basize ukukhulisa ilukuluku likaTana nothando lwesayensi. Ngesikhathi esemncane iphephandaba i-Cape Times lalivame ukuphrinta izithombe ezivela ku-Hubble Space Telescope futhi wayezisika azinamathisele ebhukwini lokubhalela. Manje useyisazi sezinkanyezi ze-PhD esisebenzise leso sibonakude ngokwakhe!
Kungani ucwaningo lwezinkanyezi lubalulekile? Umbuzo ovamile, kungani sibheka izinkanyezi futhi sisebenzisa imali ukuthenga izibonakude zasemkhathini ekubeni kunezinkinga eziningi kangaka lapha emhlabeni? Kunezimpendulo eziningana ezahlukene ezisukela kwengokoqobo kuye kweyefilosofi. Okuphathekayo, okuvamise ukuba yilokho abantu abakufunayo, kuhlobana nazo zonke izinhlelo zokusebenza ezahlukene eziphuma ocwaningweni lwesayensi yezinkanyezi noma ezenzelwe ukwenza ucwaningo lwezinkanyezi lwenzeka – izinzwa zomsakazo, amarokhethi, njll. Eziningi zazo esingakaze sizicabange. isikhathi lapho ucwaningo noxhaso lucatshangelwa ngalo. Nalu uhlu olufushane, ucabangani, ingabe luthethelela ukusetshenziswa kwemali? 1) Ikhamera kamakhalekhukhwini idivayisi engaqala uguquko lwezepolitiki noma yenze ividiyo enegciwane 2) i-GPS eguqule ukusebenza kahle kokuthuthwa kwempahla 3) I-MRI (imaging resonance magnetic) esetshenziselwa ukuthola umdlavuza nokwenza ezinye izithombe zezokwelapha 4) ukuzwa okukude kwezitshalo kusuka emkhathini - okuvumela abalimi ukuthi balungise kahle ukufakwa kukamanyolo nezibulala-zinambuzane ukuze banikeze ukudla okwengeziwe nokushibhile etafuleni lakho 5) mhlawumbe okubaluleke kakhulu, abantu abanamakhono aphezulu ababambe iqhaza kuzo zonke izici ezihlukene zocwaningo lwezinkanyezi - ososayensi bedatha, onjiniyela, abahleli bohlelo, ochwepheshe be-IT, nabaningi abaya kuqala ibhizinisi futhi basebenzise abakwaziyo kuzinselele ezilandelayo esibhekana nazo. Ufuna uhlu olude? Bona ukuthi i-NASA iholeleni ngokuningi okuzayo minyaka yonke.