Astronomy student Leah Albrow is exploring planets beyond our solar system at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Lab.
A daughter of astronomers who found a second home at Canterbury’s Mt John Observatory, Albrow grew up with a sense of wonder and excitement about space. And she knows she’s not alone in her fascination.
“A lot of people I’ve met know the stars in the South Island better than I do. I can point to anything and ask, ‘What’s that?’ They’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s a star cluster. You can’t see it, but if you zoom in really close, there are actually three stars there,’” she says.
“There are many talented amateur astronomers in New Zealand – people who aren’t professional scientists
