Stars in her eyes

Leah Albrow finds meaning in life by gazing at the cosmos, writes CAITLIN SYKES.

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Astronomy student Leah Albrow is exploring planets beyond our solar system at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Lab.

A daughter of astronomers who found a second home at Canterbury’s Mt John Observatory, Albrow grew up with a sense of wonder and excitement about space. And she knows she’s not alone in her fascination.

“A lot of people I’ve met know the stars in the South Island better than I do. I can point to anything and ask, ‘What’s that?’ They’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s a star cluster. You can’t see it, but if you zoom in really close, there are actually three stars there,’” she says.

“There are many talented amateur astronomers in New Zealand – people who aren’t professional scientists but who know the stars well and have amazing equipment set-ups because it’s their passion.”

It’s a passion Albrow is helping harness as an intern at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California. The University of Canterbury student is among a cohort of five New Zealand postgraduates (the others are Celine Jane, Daniel Wrench, Jack Naish and Michaela Dobson) undertaking JPL internships supported by the government-funded New Zealand Space Scholarship programme and private sponsors.

During their internships, students are paired with JPL scientists or engineers who mentor them as they undertake specific projects to gain experience in their fields – as well as contribute to advancing the work of Nasa and the lab. For her 14 weeks at JPL, Albrow has been paired with mentors Anjali Tripathi and Rob Zellem, who are both experts on exoplanets – planets that lie beyond our solar system.