Knowing Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil: The astrophysicist who discovered a special galaxy

Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil is an astrophysicist from Turkey. The lady who loves physics and the sky is the first in her generation to attend school.

Mutlu-Pakdil earned her PhD last year. Here's what you need to know about her.

Well, I think I need a hint.

How about Burcin’s Galaxy?

Like Gilligan’s Island?
Playing stupid, are we?

No. Then it must be about science. Is Burcin an astronomer?
An astrophysicist at the University of Arizona. She and her team discovered a galaxy, called PGC100714, which has been nicknamed after her. The galaxy has some special characteristics.


A special galaxy?
Usually galaxies are seen as spirals, like our own Milky Way. There are rare ones, about one in a thousand that look different — a small nucleus of stars, with an outer ring some distance away. The first ring galaxy that was discovered was Hoag’s Object.

Why is that special?
It is yet to be explained how the outer ring stays attached to the inner one. Now, Burcin’s Galaxy is even rarer. It seems to have a third intermediate ring in between, making it just one of its kind.

How far is it from us?
It’s 359 million light years away.

Now tell me something more about Burcin herself? Where is she from? The surname suggests she is from somewhere in Asia.
Burcin is from Turkey. She came to the US for studies. Now she has completed her doctorate degree and is doing post-doctoral work. Also, she wears a Hijab.

So what does she have to say about the galaxy?
She says finding rare galaxies have their own advantage as they help us understand how galaxies form, evolve and change.