Galaxies are huge objects in the night sky that each contain millions, to trillions of stars. They not only vary incredibly in size, but also in structure, colour, and age. Dr Sabine Bellstedt is an astronomer, who uses large telescopes from all over the world to learn about this incredible diversity of galaxies.
Her PhD involved a deep dive into a small handful of galaxies, learning how best to analyse light at the edges of galaxies, which are very faint. After moving to Perth in 2018, her focus shifted to a much larger scale. She now spends her time analysing hundreds of thousands of galaxies. This scope of astronomy involves working with numerous international collaborations and projects, producing huge datasets, and utilising leading Australian supercomputers to expand our knowledge. Looking forward, Sabine spends much of her time planning for the future when astronomers will study millions of objects in our cosmos.
Sabine was one of 60 Australian women selected to be a 2021/22 “Superstar of STEM” – a program organised by Science & Technology Australia to help promote the visibility of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
