Yolanda Gómez Castellanos (1962–2012) was a Mexican astronomer who studied interstellar clouds including planetary nebulae and compact H II regions. [1] [2] She became known for the discovery of water vapor through emissions from astrophysical masers associated with OH/IR stars and planetary nebulae, [1] [2] evidence for the extremely recent formation of the associated nebula. [3]
Gómez was born in Mexico City, [4] [5] in 1962. [5] [6] She studied physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), earning a bachelor's degree in 1985 and completing her doctorate in 1990. [4]
After postdoctoral research at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, she became a researcher at UNAM in 1993, first in the Institute of Astronomy and after 2001 as a founding member of the Center for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Morelia campus of UNAM. [2] [5]
She died on 16 February 2012. [2] [5] [6]
Gómez was a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. [7] In 2005, UNAM gave her the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Recognition. [5] In 2008 the government of Michoacán gave her the State Prize for the Dissemination of Science and Technology. [6]
Yolanda Gómez Castellanos (1962–2012) was a Mexican astronomer who studied interstellar clouds including planetary nebulae and compact H II regions. [1] [2] She became known for the discovery of water vapor through emissions from astrophysical masers associated with OH/IR stars and planetary nebulae, [1] [2] evidence for the extremely recent formation of the associated nebula. [3]
Gómez was born in Mexico City, [4] [5] in 1962. [5] [6] She studied physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), earning a bachelor's degree in 1985 and completing her doctorate in 1990. [4]
After postdoctoral research at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, she became a researcher at UNAM in 1993, first in the Institute of Astronomy and after 2001 as a founding member of the Center for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Morelia campus of UNAM. [2] [5]
She died on 16 February 2012. [2] [5] [6]
Gómez was a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. [7] In 2005, UNAM gave her the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Recognition. [5] In 2008 the government of Michoacán gave her the State Prize for the Dissemination of Science and Technology. [6]