Dr. Colleen A. Wilson-Hodge

"The nearby black hole, Cygnus X-1, makes a lot of noise," said Dr. Colleen A. Wilson-Hodge, a NASA astrophysicist at the NSSTC."If this black hole were in the frequency range where we could hear it, it would hum."

This "humming" of the black hole, scientists now believe, was loud enough to give the false impression that the X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 was inactive.But thanks to a new technique developed by Wilson-Hodge and fellow NSSTC researcher Dr. Mark Finger, they now believe it was as active as ever.
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"After we accounted for the hum of Cygnus X-1, we realized the pulsar was active during this time frame after all," said Wilson-Hodge."The signal was merely fainter, as we can now observe using the new techniques.

"Correlating the gamma ray observations with optical and infared observations taken by Dr. Malcolm Coe of the University of Southampton and Dr. Juan Fabregat of the University of Valencia in Spain showed the researchers why the pulsar became fainter - the disk of material around the companion star became less dense, giving the pulsar less material to consume.

In addition to discovering the pulsar wasn't "quiet" during those 32 months, the research led to another discovery about the star system."For the first time ever, we've been able to observe a wave of density in gamma-rays," Wilson-Hodge said.
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"With every advance -- whether in how we obtain the data, or how we analyze the data -- we obtain yet another piece of the cosmic puzzle," Wilson-Hodge said.

"The nearby black hole, Cygnus X-1, makes a lot of noise," said Dr. Colleen A. Wilson-Hodge, a NASA astrophysicist at the NSSTC."If this black hole were in the frequency range where we could hear it, it would hum."

This "humming" of the black hole, scientists now believe, was loud enough to give the false impression that the X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 was inactive.But thanks to a new technique developed by Wilson-Hodge and fellow NSSTC researcher Dr. Mark Finger, they now believe it was as active as ever.
...
"After we accounted for the hum of Cygnus X-1, we realized the pulsar was active during this time frame after all," said Wilson-Hodge."The signal was merely fainter, as we can now observe using the new techniques."

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"For the first time ever, we've been able to observe a wave of density in gamma-rays," Wilson-Hodge said.

Density waves -- compression waves, like sound, that travel through cosmic objects and cause a collection of gas – have been observed in the optical wavelength, but never in the X-ray wavelength, until now.

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"With every advance -- whether in how we obtain the data, or how we analyze the data -- we obtain yet another piece of the cosmic puzzle," Wilson-Hodge said."Every breakthrough brings us that much closer to understanding star activity across the universe."

The new study, titled "A decade in the life of EXO 2030+375," was published in the May 1 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

A collaboration that enables scientists, engineers and educators to share research and other facilities, the NSSTC is a partnership with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama universities and federal agencies.It focuses on space science, Earth sciences, materials science, biotechnology, propulsion, information technology and optics.

New analysis of old data shows that instead, the pulsar was simply outshone by a black hole that happened to be in the same part of the sky and had become more active during the period, NASA astrophysicist Colleen Wilson-Hodge told SPACE.com.Wilson-Hodge and her colleagues used data collected by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.They developed a new technique to distinguish the signals of the more massive black hole, called Cygnus X-1, and the pulsar, named EXO 2030+375.The results were reported in the May 1 issue of the Astrophysical Journal and announced by NASA today.

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New analysis of old data shows that instead, the pulsar was simply outshone by a black hole that happened to be in the same part of the sky and had become more active during the period, NASA astrophysicist Colleen Wilson-Hodge told SPACE.com.Wilson-Hodge and her colleagues used data collected by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.

"The nearby black hole, Cygnus X-1, makes a lot of noise," said Dr. Colleen A. Wilson-Hodge, a NASA astrophysicist at the NSSTC."If this black hole were in the frequency range where we could hear it, it would hum."

This "humming" of the black hole, scientists now believe, was loud enough to give the false impression that the X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 was inactive.But thanks to a new technique developed by Wilson-Hodge and fellow NSSTC researcher Dr. Mark Finger, they now believe it was as active as ever.
...
"After we accounted for the hum of Cygnus X-1, we realized the pulsar was active during this time frame after all," said Wilson-Hodge."The signal was merely fainter, as we can now observe using the new techniques."

...
"For the first time ever, we've been able to observe a wave of density in gamma-rays," Wilson-Hodge said.

Density waves -- compression waves, like sound, that travel through cosmic objects and cause a collection of gas - have been observed in the optical wavelength, but never in the X-ray wavelength, until now.

...
"With every advance -- whether in how we obtain the data, or how we analyze the data -- we obtain yet another piece of the cosmic puzzle," Wilson-Hodge said."Every breakthrough brings us that much closer to understanding star activity across the universe."

The new study, titled "A decade in the life of EXO 2030+375," was published in the May 1 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

A collaboration that enables scientists, engineers and educators to share research and other facilities, the NSSTC is a partnership with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama universities and federal agencies.It focuses on space science, Earth sciences, materials science, biotechnology, propulsion, information technology and optics.

"The nearby black hole, Cygnus X-1, makes a lot of noise," said Dr. Colleen A. Wilson-Hodge, a NASA astrophysicist at the NSSTC."If this black hole were in the frequency range where we could hear it, it would hum."

This "humming" of the black hole, scientists now believe, was loud enough to give the false impression that the X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 was inactive.But thanks to a new technique developed by Wilson-Hodge and fellow NSSTC researcher Dr. Mark Finger, they now believe it was as active as ever.
...
"After we accounted for the hum of Cygnus X-1, we realized the pulsar was active during this time frame after all," said Wilson-Hodge.
...
"For the first time ever, we've been able to observe a wave of density in gamma-rays," Wilson-Hodge said.
...
"With every advance -- whether in how we obtain the data, or how we analyze the data -- we obtain yet another piece of the cosmic puzzle," Wilson-Hodge said.

"The nearby black hole, Cygnus X-1, makes a lot of noise," said Dr. Colleen A. Wilson-Hodge, a NASA astrophysicist at the NSSTC."If this black hole were in the frequency range where we could hear it, it would hum."

This "humming" of the black hole, scientists now believe, was loud enough to give the false impression that the X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 was inactive.But thanks to a new technique developed by Wilson-Hodge and fellow NSSTC researcher Dr. Mark Finger, they now believe it was as active as ever.
...
"After we accounted for the hum of Cygnus X-1, we realized the pulsar was active during this time frame after all," said Wilson-Hodge.
...
"For the first time ever, we've been able to observe a wave of density in gamma-rays," Wilson-Hodge said.
...
"With every advance -- whether in how we obtain the data, or how we analyze the data -- we obtain yet another piece of the cosmic puzzle," Wilson-Hodge said.

Colleen Wilson-Hodge, a Modern-Day Astrophysicist
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Photo of Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge (link to larger version)
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Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge

Image indicating mouse-over for phonetic pronounciationImage indicating mouse-over for phonetic pronounciationPlastic bats hang from the ceiling and stuffed bats perch on top of Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge's computer.Scientists even call the conference room the Bat Cave.But Wilson-Hodge does not study bats.She uses a special device called BATSE to study things in space.She is an astrophysicist and tries to answer questions like, "Why did this star explode?"Or, "how can a star have gravity so strong that it devours other objects?"

Colleen became interested in astronomy in the third grade.She read about the Voyager and Viking spacecraft.Her mother took her to the library to check out astronomy books.Her parents also bought her a small telescope.

"I remember many nights outside with my dad, studying the craters on the Moon and talking about what we saw," she said.

As a little girl Colleen and her dad studied the Moon with a small telescope.Now she studies the far reaches of the universe using BATSE, searching for a special kind of invisible energy called gamma rays.
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Using BATSE, Colleen discovered two stars that no one had ever seen before.The stars she found are called "X-ray pulsars."
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That's what the two new stars are that Colleen discovered.

"When I think I've found something new, I can't wait to get to work to find out more about it," said Colleen."I'm like a kid waiting to open a Christmas present."

"In the future, I would love to help design an instrument that the next generation of astrophysicists can use to learn even more about the universe," she said.Her advice for young people with their eyes toward the stars is "to always follow your dreams and make them a reality by studying hard and taking lots of math and science classes.Most of all believe in yourself, and you can achieve your dreams."

Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge is an astrophysicist who has worked for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama for 10 years.
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After high school, Colleen went to the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga for 2.5 years, then to the University of Arkansas for 2.5 more years.Usually it takes 4 years to get a bachelor's degree, but Colleen spent 5 years because she got 2 degrees (one in physics and one in math), and she worked with NASA as a co-op student.

Co-op students work with NASA part of the year and go to college part of the year.Colleen started working on BATSE with NASA when she was still working on her bachelor's degrees.This is what led her to study the universe in X-rays andgamma-rays." I was interested in astrophysics when I went to college," said Colleen, "but the co-op job had more of an effect on my future career than any of my classes did."

Then, while working for NASA, she spent 6 more years taking courses and studying at the University of Alabama in Huntsville to get a master's degree and doctorate in physics.It was a lot of work, but Colleen thinks it was worth it because now she can spend her time learning about the universe and making discoveries.

NASA Physicist Realizes Her Dreams By Discovering Two New Stars With Space-Based Observatory (June 9, 1999) -- As a child, NASA astrophysicist Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge and her father observed craters on the Moon with a small telescope.Now, using one of NASA's most powerful telescopes, she has been able to ... > full story

'The nearby black hole, Cygnus X-1, makes a lot of noise,' said Dr Colleen A Wilson-Hodge, a NASA astrophysicist at the NSSTC. 'If this black hole were in the frequency range where we could hear it, it would hum.' This 'humming' of the black hole, scientists now believe, was loud enough to give the false impression that the X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 was inactive.But thanks to a new technique developed by Wilson-Hodge and collaborators, they now believe it was as active as ever.
...
In addition to discovering the pulsar wasn't 'quiet' during those 32 months, the research led to another discovery about the star system. 'For the first time ever, we've been able to observe a density wave in gamma-rays,' Wilson-Hodge said.