While most of us merely marvel at the beauty of such an image or the ability of science to photograph it, astronomers such as Ferland use these images to understand complex processes taking place in the galaxy. By studying the light, scientists can determine the age of stars. They can even tell us that our skin contains some of the very atoms found in such stars. Ultimately, they hope to answer questions that have forever intrigued mankind questions no less weighty than where we came from and how the universe was created. Unlike other scientists, however, astronomers cannot conduct hands-on experiments to further their research nobody can do an experiment with a star billions of light years away.
Astronomy is an observational science.
And now, in addition to instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope, Ferland and his fellow stargazers can simulate conditions in the galaxies with computers and then compare those simulations with other data from the heavens. These simulations require massive computing power and an ability to communicate via computer with other researchers around the world. It is precisely the sort of computing challenge that excites John Connolly, director of UK's Center for Computational Sciences . Connolly came to UK when the center was founded in 1987. In the 10 years since that time, the center's mission has been to support researchers in multiple disciplines across campus by meeting their needs for a computer network able to process computations several hundred times too complicated for even the most high-powered personal computer.