Theron Charmichael is from California and completed his degree in astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz in 2015. Now a graduate student in the astronomy department at Harvard University, Theron is studying the light from stars in the Milky Way to learn how they develop and if they have any planets orbiting them! Many telescopes have gratings that spread out light like a prism or a raindrop to form rainbows or spectrums. Depending on the source of light or what the light passed through in space, the spectrum looks different. A spectrum looks different if a star is moving or being pulled on by an orbiting planet. These difference are what many astronomers use to infer the existence of planets! Theron enjoys astronomy so much because it demonstrates how powerful our telescopes and understanding of the Universe are when he can use them to accurately know something about a star or planet that is many lightyears away from the Solar System! He is driven to share this knowledge with others through teaching and help society gain a better understanding of science and its role in everyone's lives.

My Scientific Name is a children's picture storybook developed in collaboration with female and minority scientists across many science fields. Each book is personalized using the letters of their name as a way of introducing them to many different STEM careers.