Mercedes Richards, a Penn State professor of astronomy and astrophysics, has been elected to a three-year term as president of the International Astronomical Union Commission 42 on Close Binary Stars, one of the largest commissions. Richards served as vice president of the commission from 2009 to 2012.

A Profile of Mercedes Richards

On Wednesday, March 25th, Mercedes Richards, professor of astrophysics and astronomy, led a lively discussion about our constantly changing solar system, at the second event of Research Unplugged's spring 2009 season. Richards explained that since astronomers are always making new developments and discoveries, it is necessary to frequently redefine planets and other aspects of our solar system.

"The decision was made that a planet must have a nice, circular-like orbit about the sun, it clearly cannot be a moon, it has to have a nearly round shape, and it must have cleared the region near the orbit." -- Mercedes Richards, professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, on the "demotion" of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet by a vote of the International Astronomical Union in Prague in 2006.

"This is a flare," says Mercedes Richards. She holds up a photograph of a glowing sphere—a star with a flaming, orange arch leaping out from its surface. "It's an enormous event on a star," says Richards, professor of astronomy and astro-physics at Penn State. "Normally gas flows in a loop like this one, but sometimes the energy is released. Imagine a pair of scissors snipping the top of the arc. When the scissors snip, the gas flows right out into space."