Cory Hurley

Darlene English

Most people look at the night sky, and wonder. Darlene English strives to help uncover some of the mystery.

There are few astronomers in Canada, the Memorial University Grenfell Campus physics lab instructor says, and fewer jobs.

She has a masters degree in astronomy from St. Marys University and years ago worked in Victoria, B.C. as a research assistant. She has dabbled in astronomy over the years as has her husband Doug Forbes, also an astronomer and physics instructor at Grenfell but she now has more than 20 years experience in the field of physics. Despite an eye on the sky, she has had a fulfilling career in Corner Brook.

More than two decades ago, Forbes applied for funding for an observatory at Grenfell. There was no large scale telescope in the province when he arrived here to teach. Grenfells is now the only one, and the largest in Atlantic Canada.

Since spring 2012, English has been able to again focus her spare time on her passion astronomy.

Her research involves a class of variable star known as the SX Phoenicis star. These stars pulsate over time, varying its light. These stars are about 50 per cent larger than the sun, she said, so the fact their radius changes is quite a spectacular phenomenon.

The interest of studying these stars is important in understanding stellar evolution.

How stars are born, what happens when they age, and eventually go through all the life stages, and die, she said.

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Astronomer hoping to one day publish her research