From an early age, astrophysicist Robin Cook had a deep desire to understand the world around him.
“He was never good enough to accept things at their face value … I always wanted to understand the inner workings of things,” he said.
It was this natural curiosity that led him to pursue a professional career researching space and its unknowns.
“No wonder I naturally went into astronomy,” he said.
“There are so many unanswered questions in astronomy, we actually have a fairly limited knowledge of what there really is.
“And for me, that’s very exciting.”
Looking at the “beautiful spirals” of galaxies
Dr. Cook is an associate researcher at the International Center for Research in Radio Astronomy (ICRAR), led by Curtin University and the University of Western Australia.
Founded in 2009, the research center develops astronomy, engineering and data-intensive science.
Dr. Cook studies the structure of galaxies. (Provided by: Robin Cook)
The research area of Dr. Cook within ICRAR is about the evolution of galaxies, more specifically the structure of these galaxies.
“My specific area of research is studying … the shapes of galaxies, whether it’s these beautiful spirals, like our own Milky Way galaxy, or these massive elliptical mosh-pit-like galaxies, and galaxies they have these different structures, these different shapes, ”he said.
The research process of Dr. Cook is with asking questions.
“How can you go from a universe that started as clouds of hydrogen gas, the simplest element in the universe and then allowed 10 billion years of evolution, having galaxies with huge amounts of structure and complexity? ” he asks.
“How do you go from something so simple to something so complex?”
Its role in developing the understanding of the evolution of galaxies is to measure them, a task he says can be a challenge.
“Measuring numbers and quantifying the shapes of galaxies is a very important thing and quite difficult to do, so we spend a lot of time measuring them and … comparing them to different aspects of the galaxy and trying to understand, in short, its evolution., “he said.
UWA astronomers are eagerly awaiting NASA’s revelation of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope. (Provided by: Robin Cook)
Dr. Cook’s research had a huge boost last week when the world first saw images of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most powerful space telescope.
The images of this innovative technology are a game changer for astrophysicists like Dr. Cook.
“I used this unprecedented imaging data to study galaxies never seen in the distant universe by measuring their morphologies and the characteristics of their stars,” he said.
“In astronomy, looking further into the universe also means looking back in time, which is why the JWST is crucial in revealing the mysteries of the early universe.”
Breaking ideas
Measuring galaxies is not the only challenge in academia.
For many new students in science fields, the scientific method is a very thorough process.
“While we are trying to present accurate interpretations of the world around us, we are also trying to prove that we are wrong,” Dr. Cook said.
“It’s an ongoing process of coming up with ideas and then breaking them down. And that’s hard for students getting into that for the first time.”
Dr. Cook shows 3D printed models of the Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope at the Astrofest. (Provided by: Robin Cook)
Dr. Cook said the scientific method was key to unlocking new knowledge and that he was intrigued by the discoveries that arose when using it.
“If we kept proving ourselves right, we would never really learn anything new or interesting,” he said.
“We also discover really fascinating things, so [astronomy is] an excellent field to be in. “
Dr. Cook, who is a young career researcher, said the wonder of being an astrophysicist could not yet be believed.
“I’ve pinched myself, that I can go to work every day and … look at the universe and see things that no one had seen before in their life,” he said.
“I’m the only one who’s seen these unique objects. It’s really great to do that.”
Dr. Cook explaining the physics of radio astronomy to students at Stargirls STEM camp. (Provided by: Robin Cook)
Beyond researching unpublished objects in space, Dr. Cook also has a keen interest in the history of astronomy, especially in the ways in which indigenous cultures have used it for tens of thousands of years.
“It’s very fascinating to live here in Australia, where we have the oldest continuous culture that lives here,” he said.
“Indigenous cultures were using astronomy, not just as a storytelling technique, but as a tool for navigation, for timing, for record keeping.”
“There’s a lot we can learn from people who have been doing this for, you know, 70,000 – 100,000 more years.”
And despite the immensity of the universe, which some may find discouraging, Dr. Cook said our place in the universe was “settlement.”
“All the atoms in the universe were made inside the stars, either by melting atoms into heavier ones, like iron and oxygen and all the fun things we have around us, but also in through spectacular supernova explosions when the stars go out. ”He said.
“Knowing that we come from the stars of the universe and that we are part of the universe itself is a rather humble thought.
“We’re part of this universe. We’re not just inside it.”