Jean L. Turner

Last updated
Jean L. Turner
Alma mater Harvard University (A.B. Astronomy)
UC Berkeley (Ph.D. Astronomy)
Scientific career
Fields Astrophysics
Institutions University of California, Los Angeles

Jean L. Turner is an astrophysicist and distinguished professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Los Angeles. [1] She was lead author on research and discovery of a particular star cluster in the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253, considered 'remarkable' for being an extremely dusty gas cloud and having highly efficient star formation. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Contents

Career

Turner received her AB in astronomy from Harvard University and her PhD degree in astronomy from UC Berkeley. She was a Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Fellow (1984-1986), a visiting associate at Caltech (2004), Caroline Herschel visiting fellow at Space Telescope (2007), and visiting scientist at the Joint ALMA Observatory (2011). Turner was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2006, [16] [17] and the UCLA Physics and Astronomy Department chair from 2014 to 2018. [1]

She is an active member of the International Astronomical Union, [18] and has also contributed to the development and commissioning of the Hat Creek Millimeter Interferometer and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. [19]

Research areas

Her research specialty is in the gaseous environments of young 'super star clusters' in local galaxies, including O star winds and star formation efficiency. [20] The youngest star clusters are typically embedded in dusty gas clouds, and therefore hidden from optical telescopes, so observations are done with infrared and millimeter wavelength telescopes. [21] Such studies can help explain the differences in early Milky Way and Population III stars. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galaxy</span> Large gravitationally bound system of stars and interstellar matter

A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek galaxias (γαλαξίας), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System. Galaxies, averaging an estimated 100 million stars, range in size from dwarfs with less than a thousand stars, to the largest galaxies known – supergiants with one hundred trillion stars, each orbiting its galaxy's center of mass. Most of the mass in a typical galaxy is in the form of dark matter, with only a few percent of that mass visible in the form of stars and nebulae. Supermassive black holes are a common feature at the centres of galaxies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globular cluster</span> Spherical collection of stars

A globular cluster is a spheroidal conglomeration of stars that is bound together by gravity, with a higher concentration of stars towards their centers. They can contain anywhere from tens of thousands to many millions of member stars, all orbiting in a stable, compact formation. Globular clusters are similar in form to dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and the distinction between the two is not always clear. Their name is derived from Latin globulus. Globular clusters are occasionally known simply as "globulars".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open cluster</span> Large group of stars less bound than globular clusters

An open cluster is a type of star cluster made of tens to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud and have roughly the same age. More than 1,100 open clusters have been discovered within the Milky Way galaxy, and many more are thought to exist. They are loosely bound by mutual gravitational attraction and become disrupted by close encounters with other clusters and clouds of gas as they orbit the Galactic Center. This can result in a loss of cluster members through internal close encounters and a dispersion into the main body of the galaxy. Open clusters generally survive for a few hundred million years, with the most massive ones surviving for a few billion years. In contrast, the more massive globular clusters of stars exert a stronger gravitational attraction on their members, and can survive for longer. Open clusters have been found only in spiral and irregular galaxies, in which active star formation is occurring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star formation</span> Process by which dense regions of molecular clouds in interstellar space collapse to form stars

Star formation is the process by which dense regions within molecular clouds in interstellar space, sometimes referred to as "stellar nurseries" or "star-forming regions", collapse and form stars. As a branch of astronomy, star formation includes the study of the interstellar medium (ISM) and giant molecular clouds (GMC) as precursors to the star formation process, and the study of protostars and young stellar objects as its immediate products. It is closely related to planet formation, another branch of astronomy. Star formation theory, as well as accounting for the formation of a single star, must also account for the statistics of binary stars and the initial mass function. Most stars do not form in isolation but as part of a group of stars referred as star clusters or stellar associations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starburst galaxy</span> Galaxy undergoing an exceptionally high rate of star formation

A starburst galaxy is one undergoing an exceptionally high rate of star formation, as compared to the long-term average rate of star formation in the galaxy, or the star formation rate observed in most other galaxies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Eye Galaxy</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

The Black Eye Galaxy is a relatively isolated spiral galaxy 17 million light-years away in the mildly northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by Edward Pigott in March 1779, and independently by Johann Elert Bode in April of the same year, as well as by Charles Messier the next year. A dark band of absorbing dust partially in front of its bright nucleus gave rise to its nicknames of the "Black Eye", "Evil Eye", or "Sleeping Beauty" galaxy. M64 is well known among amateur astronomers due to its form in small telescopes and visibility across inhabited latitudes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centaurus A</span> Radio galaxy in the constellation Centaurus

Centaurus A is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered in 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop from his home in Parramatta, in New South Wales, Australia. There is considerable debate in the literature regarding the galaxy's fundamental properties such as its Hubble type and distance. NGC 5128 is one of the closest radio galaxies to Earth, so its active galactic nucleus has been extensively studied by professional astronomers. The galaxy is also the fifth-brightest in the sky, making it an ideal amateur astronomy target. It is only visible from the southern hemisphere and low northern latitudes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sombrero Galaxy</span> Galaxy in the constellation Virgo

The Sombrero Galaxy is a peculiar galaxy of unclear classification in the constellation borders of Virgo and Corvus, being about 9.55 megaparsecs from the Milky Way galaxy. It is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster. It has an isophotal diameter of approximately 29.09 to 32.32 kiloparsecs, making it slightly bigger in size than the Milky Way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sculptor Galaxy</span> Intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor

The Sculptor Galaxy is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor. The Sculptor Galaxy is a starburst galaxy, which means that it is currently undergoing a period of intense star formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6946</span> Galaxy in the constellations Cepheus & Cygnus

NGC 6946, sometimes referred to as the Fireworks Galaxy, is a face-on intermediate spiral galaxy with a small bright nucleus, whose location in the sky straddles the boundary between the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus. Its distance from Earth is about 25.2 million light-years or 7.72 megaparsecs, similar to the distance of M101 in the constellation Ursa Major. Both were once considered to be part of the Local Group, but are now known to be among the dozen bright spiral galaxies near the Milky Way but beyond the confines of the Local Group. NGC 6946 lies within the Virgo Supercluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 7793</span> Galaxy in the constellation Sculptor

NGC 7793 is a flocculent spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Sculptor. It was discovered in 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop. The galaxy is located at a distance of 12.2 million light years and is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 227 km/s. NGC 7793 is one of the five brightest galaxies within the Sculptor Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 5253</span> Irregular galaxy in the M83 group of galaxies

NGC 5253 is an irregular galaxy in the constellation Centaurus. It was discovered by William Herschel on 15 March 1787.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4710</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4710 is an edge-on lenticular galaxy in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered on March 21, 1784 by German-British astronomer William Herschel. This galaxy has a B-band visual magnitude of 11.60 and an angular size of 3.0′ × 0.8′. It is located at a distance of 54.5 ± 3.6 million light-years (16.7 ± 1.1 Mpc) from the Milky Way, and is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 1,129 km/s. This is a member of the Virgo Cluster, with a projected offset of ~6° from the cluster center and a cluster crossing time of around two billion years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 346</span> Open cluster in the constellation Tucana

NGC 346 is a young open cluster of stars with associated nebula located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) that appears in the southern constellation of Tucana. It was discovered August 1, 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop. J. L. E. Dreyer described it as, "bright, large, very irregular figure, much brighter middle similar to double star, mottled but not resolved". On the outskirts of the cluster is the multiple star system HD 5980, one of the brightest stars in the SMC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6530</span> Open cluster in the constellation Sagittarius

NGC 6530 is a young open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Sagittarius, located some 4,300 light years from the Sun. It exists within the H II region known as the Lagoon Nebula, or Messier 8, and spans an angular diameter of 14.0′. The nebulosity was first discovered by G. B. Hodierna prior to 1654, then re-discovered by J. Flamsteed circa 1680. It was P. Loys who classified it as a cluster in 1746, as he could only resolve stars. The following year, G. Le Gentil determined it was both a nebula and a cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 299</span> Open star cluster in the constellation Tucana

NGC 299 is an open cluster of stars in the main body of the Small Magellanic Cloud – a nearby dwarf galaxy. It is located in the southern constellation of Tucana, just under 200,000 light years distant from the Sun. The cluster was discovered on August 12, 1834, by English astronomer John Herschel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3311</span> Galaxy in the constellation Hydra

NGC 3311 is a super-giant elliptical galaxy located about 190 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on March 30, 1835. NGC 3311 is the brightest member of the Hydra Cluster and forms a pair with NGC 3309 which along with NGC 3311, dominate the central region of the Hydra Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 708</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 708 is an elliptical galaxy located 240 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda and was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on September 21, 1786. It is classified as a cD galaxy and is the brightest member of Abell 262. NGC 708 is a weak FR I radio galaxy and is also classified as a type 2 Seyfert galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 759</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 759 is an elliptical galaxy located 230 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. NGC 759 was discovered by astronomer by Heinrich d'Arrest on September 17, 1865. It is a member of Abell 262.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4302</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4302 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

References

  1. 1 2 "Jean Turner: Biography | UCLA Division of Astronomy & Astrophysics". www.astro.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  2. ↑ Turner, J. L.; Beck, S. C.; Benford, D. J.; Consiglio, S. M.; Ho, P. T. P.; Kovács, A.; Meier, D. S.; Zhao, J.-H. (March 2015). "Highly efficient star formation in NGC 5253 possibly from stream-fed accretion". Nature. 519 (7543): 331–333. arXiv: 1503.05254 . Bibcode:2015Natur.519..331T. doi:10.1038/nature14218. ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   25788096. S2CID   4396346.
  3. ↑ Wolpert, Stuart; UCLA (2015-03-19). "Young Star Cluster Displays Highly Efficient Star Formation". SciTechDaily. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  4. ↑ January 2006, Space com Staff 11 (11 January 2006). "Astronomers See 'Star Formation on Steroids'". Space.com. Retrieved 2020-07-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "NGC 5253". wise-obs.tau.ac.il. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  6. ↑ "Over million young stars found in nearby galaxy". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  7. ↑ "Astronomers watch star clusters spewing out dust: New observations confirm long-standing theory that stars are copious producers of heavy elements". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  8. ↑ "More Than a Million Stars Forming In a Mysterious Dusty Gas Cloud - SpaceRef". spaceref.com. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  9. ↑ "'Stunned' scientists discover star cluster". From the Grapevine. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  10. ↑ "Nearby "Dwarf" Galaxy is Home to Luminous Star Cluster". Technology Org. 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  11. ↑ Press, Viva Sarah (2015-06-10). "Astronomers discover colossal star cluster". ISRAEL21c. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  12. ↑ "Astronomers Spot Millions Of Stars Forming In Small Nearby Galaxy". IFLScience. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  13. ↑ "Over million young stars found in nearby galaxy". The Hindu. PTI. 2015-03-19. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  14. ↑ "News Page (Astronomy & Astrophysics) - American Friends of Tel Aviv University". www.aftau.org. Retrieved 2020-07-26.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. ↑ "UCLA astronomers watch star clusters spewing out dust". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  16. ↑ "UCLA Fellows elected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science". ucla.edu.
  17. ↑ "Astronomy (Section D) | American Association for the Advancement of Science". www.aaas.org. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  18. ↑ "International Astronomical Union | IAU". www.iau.org. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  19. 1 2 "Jean Turner Homepage | UCLA Division of Astronomy & Astrophysics". www.astro.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  20. ↑ Turner, Jean L. (August 2015). "Submillimeter View of Gas and Dust in the Forming Super Star Cluster in NGC 5253". Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. 12 (S316): 31–35. arXiv: 1509.08531 . doi: 10.1017/S1743921316008735 . ISSN   1743-9213.
  21. ↑ Turner, Jean L.; Consiglio, S. Michelle; Beck, Sara C.; Goss, W. M.; Ho, Paul. T. P.; Meier, David S.; Silich, Sergiy; Zhao, Jun-Hui (2017-09-01). "ALMA Detects CO(3–2) within a Super Star Cluster in NGC 5253". The Astrophysical Journal. 846 (1): 73. arXiv: 1706.09944 . Bibcode:2017ApJ...846...73T. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa8669 . ISSN   1538-4357. S2CID   119006175.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.