| Personal Details Summary | |
|---|---|
| Name | Michelle Thaller |
| Age / How old / Birthday / Date of Birth / DOB | November 28, 1969. As of 2024, she is around 55 years old. |
| Wedding & Marriage / Husband / Engaged / Spouse / Partner | Married. Check the full bio for relationship details. |
| Children / No. of Kids | None |
| Ethnicity / Origin / Heritage / Race | White |
| Nationality | American |
Wikipedia Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
Michelle Thaller is an American astronomer, researcher, and television personality. Known as an expert in her field with the ability to deliver scientific information dramatically, she currently works for NASA.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Dr. Michelle Lynn Thaller was born on November 28, 1969, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She is the oldest child born to parents, Hanna McDermott (mother) and Michael Thaller (father). Michelle has a sister named Susan.
- After first meeting him in Australia, Michelle married Andrew Booth (now deceased) on September 8, 2000. Andrew was an English optical engineer and fellow astrophysicist and 14 years older than Michelle. He passed away from small cell cancer on September 6, 2020, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Although Andrew was a tenure-track professor at the time of meeting Michelle, he left his secure job in Australia and moved to the States to be near Michelle, who was there conducting research.
- The couple did not have any children and lived in Davidsonville, Maryland.
Early Life and Education :
- From as early as she can remember, Michelle was obsessed with space. Her mom — who raised Michelle & her sister, has little idea where the fascination came from but recalls Michelle talking about stars at just four years old.
- Although money was tight growing up, at 12 years old, Michelle heard about a space camp in Alabama and was desperate to go. She helped pay her way by babysitting (an experience that she jokes turned her off kids.) One of three girls in a class of 50, she was chosen to be “Commander of the mission” at the end of camp — the highest honor! At the same camp, she was also named “Best Camper.”
- At Waukesha South High School, Michelle joined the debate team — something she recommends to all aspiring scientists for its transferable values.
- Moving away from home, Thaller went on to earn her B.A. in Astrophysics from Harvard University.
- Although she says she almost failed a couple of courses, she managed to graduate from the Ivy League School in 1992.
- In 1998, she earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Georgia State University.
Career, Job, Salary and Net Worth :
- Once an aspiring research professor, Michelle’s professional path took a different route after she got a job at the NASA-affiliated Jet Propulsion Laboratory. While there, she worked as a staff scientist at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center and as manager of the Education and Public Outreach program. In both cases, she got to use the famous Spitzer Space Telescope
- Known for her ability to relate science in a fun and digestible way, Michelle wrote a monthly column for the Christian Science Monitor.
- Among other shows, she has appeared on the History Channel’s The Universe and on the Discovery Channel’s How the Universe Works. She was also a writer and featured scientist on the award-winning video podcast, IRrelevant Astronomy.
- Currently, Michelle is the assistant director for science communications at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She continues to make speeches and public and media appearances.
Interesting Facts and Trivia :
- Not all about science, Michelle performs as a renaissance dancer at festivals and museums. She also collects Japanese antiques.
- Some of Michelle’s accolades include the Robert Goddard Award, the Women in Aerospace Award, and an induction into the Space Camp Hall of Fame.
- In high school, she had a picture of Carl Sagan in her locker. After attending a space camp, Michelle wore her space jumpsuit everywhere — including to the mall with her (horrified) little sister.
- What do Michelle Thaller’s tattoos mean? : Michelle has tattoos on her arms. It is in memory of her late husband Andrew, who passed away in the autumn of 2020. Michelle and Andrew both liked the song “The One” by Elton John when they started dating in the early 1990s, and it became one of their favorite songs. Andrew translated the opening verse of the song into Elvish in a love letter he gave her before they were married (he loved JRR Tolkien. It is Sindarin, written in the Feorean script). Michelle’s tattoo artist transferred Andrew’s calligraphy and tattooed it on her arms before he died. There is an unbroken script that runs up one arm, crosses her back, and goes down the other arm.
Body Figure / Physical Info
Dr Michelle Thaller Measurements :
- Eye Color : Brown
- Haircut / Hair Color : Brown with blonde streaks
- How tall / Height : No confirmed information is available.
- Pregnant? : Currently, she is not expecting a baby.
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I LOVE THE SCIENCES SO I LOVE SCIENTISTS, SO…I LOVE MICHELLE THALLER.
It’s me again…some people think they are other people out there in the universe. I know there are…I have seen 3 in my life time and all were at lake sereen lynnwood wa. They could be seen most any night there years ago
Hi Michelle,
I was a stargazer my self, but i am to old to do it any more. If i would have known you you would be my friend i dont have many friends that i call my friend all but 2 are dead
how would you like a small telescope that has fine detail you can put any amount of 5x
diopters with out any loss in image quality i will also give you a pro trypod
i know after i die wifes kids will toss it in trash thats what they do
if you wo not respond i will give it to any one that want it
I’m an avid viewer of The Universe and How the Universe Works. Michelle is fun to listen to and make the complicated, easier to understand. And now I understand her new tattoo .
Absolutely enjoy almost everything about the universe. I do believe that there was something prior to our universe that caused our universe to come into existence. I also believe that there is a creator who is responsible for all of this.
If the universe is expanding, will be ever intelligent enough to see into the future? Keep up the good work you’re doing. I enjoy your expertise.
Thanks,
Edward.
We constantly question where Earth got its water. Is it possible Earth formed in the outer solar system, combining rock and ice and eventually migrated into the inner solar system which allowed the ice to melt and create our oceans?
Dr. Thaller,
Your brilliant insights have answered many mysteries, but one is driving me crazy…what is the tattoo running up your right arm (from your hand up)?
I once asked an accredited astronomer this question and got “we don’t know” as an answer. Why do the planets spin? What makes them spin? Is the spinning something that just is or was there something in the universe that prompted the spinning of the planets?
Hello Michelle Thaller,
I was watching the TV Program how the Universe Works
and I want to correct something technical.
The BLACKHOLE PRODUCTION OF STARS
1. Astrologers saw a River of hydrogen flowing through space seen with the Green Bank Telescope.
2. This River of Hydrogen gas streaming into nearby galaxy NGC 6946 explains how the Black Hole at the Centre of the Galaxy supports the Star Formation.
3. Astrologers saw that there are Millions of Stars at the Centre of a Galaxy.
4. The Black Hole at the center of a galaxy draws in a river of hydrogen and old meteors
5. Hundreds of spinning stars in and around the black hole draw in and ignite the hydrogen and debris which build up layer upon layer and form stars.
6. Hydrogen stars fuse to Helium and eventually to iron and cool to form a planet like the earth with iron cores like our earth.
==================================================================
Sincerely,
Harold Samuel Hartley
Let’s just say that I admire her commitment, intelligence and, yes, her ‘mass’.
The question I have is this: If the universe is expanding, and everything is moving away from everything else, how can the Andromeda galaxy be on a collision course with the Milky Way? Shouldn’t it be moving away from us like everything else?
What is the difference between a black hole, massive black hole and a supermassive black hole? Thanks, Denny
Enjoy your insight. Very understandable for a difficult and complex subject.
I would like to know how the astrometers know how many grains of sand there are on earth? They say there are more planets or galaxies than there are grains of sand on earth. Did they count them? Shouldn’t say things they can’t backup with proof.
My favorite is the statement that there are more transistors in the world than all the leaves on all the trees of the world. Hard to believe? Well, the new Apple M1 processor has 16 billion transistors.
I’m sure someone has already thought of this, but it occurred to me that Mars needs a large moon to possible reactivate it’s vulcanism. The closest candidate would be Ceres. I know when they are closest the difference is. 892 AU. Is it possible that the combined mass of Mars and Ceres (if Ceres were placed into a tight, safe, and elliptical orbit) would regenerate Mars’ vulcanism? This would thicken Mars’ atmosphere, heat the planet slightly, and most importantly generate magnetic lines of flux, protecting the planet from cosmic rays…or alien death rays. (A little humor). Perhaps you could get Elon to donate a couple of BFR’s loaded with safe non-nuclear missiles. (a little more humor). I am sure an astrophysicist could figure out the necessary force and angles required to nudge it from it’s current orbit and get it parked into the proper location. I’m throwing the gauntlet down math nerds. Who’s going to pick it up? Of course if their combined masses are insufficient it will be a short challenge. The second step would be to “push” a big dirty snowball into Mars’ atmosphere to vaporize (Tunguska) giving Mars a much needed rain storm. Obviously step three would be to seed Mars’ atmosphere with hardy high oxygen producing plants. I realize this plan is highly ambitious, but we could terraform Mars in our lifetime, not one thousand years. I am not a scientist, a mathematician or an astrobiologist, but those of you who are can crunch the numbers and see if this is a plausible plan. Get crunching nerds. Your friend Dave