Astronomy - June 2015

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6 ASTRONOMY • JUNE 2015

BY DAVID J. EICHER

FROM THE EDITOR

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T

his month, we have the

first of a long series of

delights — the distin-

guished astronomer

Jeff Hester begins a

new monthly column, “For

Yo u r C o n s i d e r a t i o n” (p. 10).

Hester will keep us

apprised of all manner of

thoughts and interesting

notions from the science of

astronomy and cosmology,

in a very sharp and witty

way. If you don’t know him,

here’s an introduction:

After earning his doctor-

ate in space physics and

astronomy from Rice

University, Hester moved

west to the California

Institute of Technology.

There he joined the team

responsible for the Hubble

Space Telescope Wide-Field

and Planetary Camera

(WFPC). So began a career

that placed Hester in a front-

row seat for some of the

most extraordinary events in

the history of science.

Shortly after the launch of

Hubble, Hester found him-

self sitting in front of a com-

puter on live national

television when the first

image from the telescope

was radioed to the ground. It

was that image that alerted

people to the possibility that

something was amiss. He

went on to join the science

team responsible for

WFPC2, the camera that

fixed Hubble. What was his

take on the experience when

the first image was radioed

back after the servicing mis-

sion? “It was a lot more fun

the second time around!”

During his scientific

career, Hester has worked on

a variety of astrophysical

questions. He is especially

well known for his work on

star formation, supernova

remnants, pulsar winds, and

the early history of the solar

system. His Hubble image of

the Eagle Nebula (commonly

referred to as “The Pillars of

Creation”) is arguably the

most famous astronomical

image of all time. It was fea-

tured on a U.S. postage

stamp, and last year Time

magazine selected the image

as among the 100 most inf lu-

ential photographs in history.

Hester is known for

the depth and breadth

of his insights as well as

his uncommon ability to

communicate complex

ideas in an accessible and

entertaining way. He has

appeared in dozens of tele-

vised documentaries discuss-

ing his work, not to mention

a commercial for an Irish

hard cider. Broadcaster Hugh

Downs referred to Hester as

“one of the greatest explain-

ers in our midst today.”

Hester recently took early

retirement from Arizona

State University after spend-

ing 20 years on the faculty.

He is now working as a

speaker and certified profes-

sional coach, sharing his

experience and insight with

individuals and organiza-

tions looking for success in

changing times. “Everyone

looks at the world through

their own lens. I help them

sharpen their focus,” he says.

You can find his website at

http://www.jeff-hester.com.

You will enjoy his future

thoughts about the cosmos!

Yo u r s t r u l y,

David J. Eicher

Editor

Introducing

columnist

Jeff Hester

COURTESY JEFF HESTER

Follow the Dave’s Universe blog:

http://www.Astronomy.com/davesuniverse

Follow Dave Eicher on Twitter: @deicherstar