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The Heidi Hammel Scrapbook
At Work Space Pioneer

When astronomer Heidi Hammel first began studying Uranus and Neptune, little was known about them. This meant she could be a pioneer, discovering things no one else had ever seen.

The Great Comet Crash

In 1994 Heidi led a team of scientists that used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe a comet crashing into Jupiter. Dubbed "The Great Comet Crash," this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Heidi talked about it to the whole world on the TV news. She described the impacts, speaking of a "bruised planet" with a series of "black eyes."

Since then Heidi has returned to studying her favorite planets, Neptune and Uranus. She has discovered many more interesting facts about Neptune, like how fast its winds blow (up to 1,500 miles per hour) and where most of the storm systems are likely to be located. She uses the Hubble Space Telescope to observe Neptune and Uranus, gathering more information about these faraway worlds.

Here's the Hubble
Heidi used the Hubble Space Telescope (a powerful Earth-orbiting telescope) to study the Great Dark Spot on Neptune for a second time in 1994 and discovered it had disappeared.
The Great Dark Spot
  The Great Dark Spot on Neptune  
In 1988, 29-year-old Heidi was invited to be part of an important NASA mission. The purpose: to study the spaceprobe Voyager 2's images as it flew by Neptune. Voyager 2's images—the closest pictures ever taken of Neptune—revealed a huge hurricane-like storm in the planet's southern hemisphere. Heidi helped give the spot its name: the Great Dark Spot.
The Hubble Space Telescope took time lapse images showing the impact sites that results from the Comet Crash
The Hubble Space Telescope took time-lapse images showing the massive impact sites and plumes of debris that resulted from the Great Comet Crash.
Heidi says, Whenever I go to a telescope, I never know exactly what I am going to see
life on planet earth

Heidi now balances her work with a marriage and raising three children. She speaks all over the world about astronomy. In 2002 Discover magazine named her one of the "50 Most Important Women in Science." Heidi may not have set foot on another planet, but her discoveries make her every bit an explorer.

Heidi's Tips for Planet Gazer's