{"id":17772,"date":"2022-02-03T08:17:35","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T08:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=17772"},"modified":"2022-02-03T08:17:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T08:17:35","slug":"norman-murray-awarded-dannie-heineman-prize-for-astrophysical-achievements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/norman-murray-awarded-dannie-heineman-prize-for-astrophysical-achievements\/17772\/","title":{"rendered":"Norman Murray awarded Dannie Heineman Prize for astrophysical achievements"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Heineman committee have selected Norman Murray as the winner of the Dannie Heineman award “for his deep theoretical insight into an exceptionally broad range of astrophysical phenomena, including the dynamics of planetary systems, accretion disk winds in active galactic nuclei, and star formation and feedback in galaxies.”<\/p>\n
“As I looked over the list of past recipients of the Heineman Prize, I felt both thrilled and humbled. I’ve been fortunate to work in such an exciting period of discovery in astronomy,” explained Murray. “I have been lucky to work with so many great people. They have taught and inspired me. I hope, in turn, to teach and inspire others.”<\/p>\n
“AIP congratulates Dr Murray for this achievement and his work into many of the phenomena that occur in our universe,” commented Michael Moloney, chief executive officer of AIP. “One can only be impressed by the significant breadth of the scope of his work – from understanding the formation of planets to the nature of some of the most active galactic-scale phenomena in the universe. And with his work being informed by observations across the electromagnetic spectrum, his research is universal in many dimensions.”<\/p>\n
In addition to studying protoplanets, Murray has also investigated the life cycle of quasars, the brightest objects in the universe, and how they influence their host galaxies.<\/p>\n
“I am delighted to see this prestigious Dannie Heineman award go to Professor Murray,” said AAS president Paula Szkody. “His broad knowledge of physical principles, which he has applied to helioseismology and the solar magnetic field, planetary systems within and outside our solar system, star and galaxy formation, and active galactic nuclei and winds, has contributed to major advancements in both physics and astronomy.”<\/p>\n
Murray credits his third-grade teacher, Mrs. Adamack, for inspiring his nascent interest in the physical world. She purchased a 3-inch refracting telescope for him that came with a solar filter so he could observe sunspots safely. Growing up in a rural area with very little light pollution, it enabled him to see the Milky Way without a telescope. By using the gift from his teacher, he could see details in brighter planets such as Venus, Jupiter.<\/p>\n
Years later, Murray circled back to the night sky in his quest to understand the most luminous and energetic objects in the universe, quasars. These supermassive black holes slowly accrete gas from a disk, and Murray wanted to know how they worked.<\/p>\n
“In the 1990s, my co-workers and I figured out how the intense light of a quasar drives winds,” Murray explained. “These winds produce characteristic emission and absorption lines, providing astronomers a means by which to measure the redshift, and hence, the distance to the quasar. Many years later, I realised, along with several others, that these winds could affect the rate at which galaxies produced stars. I should note that the exact mechanism is still being worked out.”<\/p>\n