Lurgan born Professor Louise Harra awarded prestigious medal and prize for work in solar physics

Professor Harra is a member of the leading astronomical research centre, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium’s management team. Indeed it was a school trip to the Planetarium which inspired her vocation in life.

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Former Banbridge Academy pupil, Professor Harra was recognised for her pioneering contributions to the development of extreme ultraviolet imaging and spectroscopy instrumentation for solar space missions and how that can be used to enhance our understanding of the Sun.

A graduate of Queen’s University in Belfast, she is an international expert in solar physics with numerous outstanding achievements and contributions to the field. These include her current leadership of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Solar-C Solar Spectral Irradiance Monitor, a novel contribution to the mission that will lead to new insights into the effects of flare related extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance on the Earth’s atmosphere.

Professor Louise Harra said: “It is a great honour to receive the Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin medal and prize. Armagh Observatory and Planetarium operates at the forefront of astronomical research, and excels in public outreach in science. I am proud to be a member of the organization’s management team and hope to continue my engagement with them in the future. A school trip to the Planetarium as a child hugely influenced my career choice and I hope that Armagh Observatory and Planetarium will continue to inspire future generations of STEM leaders.”

Throughout her career, Professor Harra has made unique contributions to our understanding of fundamental questions around the processes that trigger explosive energy release in the solar atmosphere and drive solar wind formation. Her exceptional leadership of Hinode led to the EIS team winning the Royal Astronomical Society’s Group Achievement Award in 2015.

Her achievements as the PI of EIS led her to be chosen to be the co-PI of the EUV Imager (EUI) on the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter mission. Here, she led a team in the development of the critical electronics system for EUI, while playing a key role in defining the science goals for the instrument and the mission and promoting it to the international community.

Her combined contributions to the exploitation of data from Hinode and work on supporting the development of EUI were also recognised by the award of the British Interplanetary Society’s Sir Arthur C Clarke award in 2014. Professor Harra has collaborated with colleagues in Japan throughout her career. These collaborations began during her time as Resident Scientist for the Yohkoh mission and she has nurtured them throughout her involvement with Hinode and most recently Solar-C. The success of this collaborative research was recognised in 2016 by The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation’s Daiwa Adrian Prize for UK–Japan research collaboration.

Professor Harra now resides in Switzerland where she is active within the solar community, but her influence is still felt here. Her collaborations with Japanese colleagues have enabled UK scientists to take part in the Solar-C mission. To find out more about Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, visit: https://www.armagh.space