I looked up at the clear dark sky, not a single cloud obstructing the glimmering stars. The atmosphere was stable and the winds had retired. What a perfect time to go to the observatory! As a ten-year old, I was elated to visit the Daejeon civilian observatory with my dad that night. I couldn’t concentrate on my schoolwork all day because I was looking forward too much to the evening. I hopped over to the telescope when my turn...

Since the moment I laid eyes on Saturn, my gaze has been bound to the twinkling stars above. Wanting to solve the mysteries of the universe is what drives almost every choice that I make. In 8th grade, I started studying astronomy on my own with a book called Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics. Then, in 2013 I participated in the Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad. After that, in 2014 I had the honor to participate in the Korean Polar Research program Dasan Junior 21c,...

We do not know if life exists outside Earth. Although the scientific community believes that there must be some kind of life elsewhere in our galaxy, there have been no significant discoveries. However, I certainly believe not only that life could exist within our own solar system, but also that it will be discovered within the next decade. Because of some preliminary evidence of water on Europa, one of Jupiter’s four big moons, NASA is planning to launch spaceships...

“If you see it there, darling, then it's there.” This quote was Freddie Mercury’s response to fans continually trying to analyze his music. Yet Freddie never composed, sang, or performed for other people; he did it because he was driven to do so and because it was what he was born to do. My interest in Queen compelled me to check out the book Freddie Mercury: His Life in His Own Words from the library. I never imagined that...

“We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.” When I encountered this statement in Carl Sagan’s book Cosmos, I experienced my first real existential crisis. I realized that I am just a mere particle of the universe; my life could conceivably be meaningless. If I calculate the ratio of my age and the age of the universe, my insignificance becomes numerically apparent. 18 divided by 13.8 billion = 0.000000001304, which means that my life comprises only 0.0000001304% of...

I'm intensely interested in finding super-massive black holes and learning how galaxies evolved. Specifically I want to discover and analyze various kinds of AGNs (Active Galactic Nuclei). I have read the conclusions of AGN research projects from Dr. David Ballantyne in the Astrophysical Journal, and I would be thrilled to be able to work with him at Georgia Tech to unveil the physics of these mysterious objects. Also, Georgia Tech's Center for Relativistic Astrophysics is one of a kind, so...