Anna Katherina Vivas (born 1972) is a
Venezuelan astrophysicist recognized for her investigations of and finding up to 100 new and very distant
RR Lyrae
RR Lyrae is a variable star in the Lyra constellation, figuring in its west near to Cygnus. As the brightest star in its class, it became the eponym for the RR Lyrae variable class of stars and it has been extensively studied by astro ...
stars. They are between 13,000 and 220,000 light years from the Sun, and are considered some of the oldest in the
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. ...
. Her research has enabled some of the first studies of the structure and properties of the whole
halo of the Milky Way and not only its innermost parts. The observation was made possible by combining a telescope with a large format camera, allowing astronomers to cover large portions of the sky in a short amount of time.
Career
Vivas is a physics graduate from the
University of the Andes and astrophysics doctor from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
.
From 2002 to 2013 she served as researcher of the
Francisco J. Duarte Astronomy Investigation Center (
Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory
The Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory ( es, OAN de Llano del Hato, or Observatorio Astronómico Nacional de Llano del Hato, code: 303) is an astronomical observatory in Venezuela. It is 3600 meters above sea level and is the coun ...
), in the village of Llano del Hato in the Venezuelan
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
, near
Apartaderos
Apartaderos is a small Andean town in Mérida State, Venezuela.
Located at an altitude of , it is the highest town in Venezuela, surrounded by páramo vegetation, the town has tourism facilities such as restaurants, gift shops and small hotels. ...
, about 50 kilometers north-east of
Mérida,
Mérida State
Mérida or Merida may refer to:
Places
*Mérida (state), one of the 23 states which make up Venezuela
*Mérida, Mérida, the capital city of the state of Mérida, Venezuela
* Merida, Leyte, Philippines, a municipality in the province of Leyte
* ...
.
In 2009 she received the
Empresas Polar
Empresas Polar is a Venezuelan corporation that started as a brewery, founded in 1941 by Lorenzo Alejandro Mendoza Fleury, Juan Simon Mendoza, Rafael Lujan and Karl Eggers in Antímano "La Planta de Antimano", Caracas. It is the largest and bes ...
Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury Science Prize
The Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury Science Prize, also known as the "Premio Fundación Empresas Polar" is the most important award offered by the private sector to contemporary scientists from Venezuela who have shown outstanding talent, creativity and pro ...
.
See also
*
Timeline of women in science
This is a timeline of women in science, spanning from ancient history up to the 21st century. While the timeline primarily focuses on women involved with natural sciences such as astronomy, biology, chemistry and physics, it also includes women f ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vivas, Kathy
1972 births
Living people
People from Tovar, Mérida
21st-century Venezuelan women scientists
Astrophysicists
Women astrophysicists
21st-century Venezuelan scientists
21st-century astronomers
University of the Andes (Venezuela) alumni
Yale University alumni