SA Extra: Interview With Dr. Guenther Eichorn

Guenther and his team created and still maintain the astrophysical data service, known as ADS. This is a searchable database of astronomical publications. It includes digitized copies, or links to digitized copies, of almost every astronomical journal article ever published. This database is crutial to any researcher. What used to take days laboring in libraries and worshipping the God of Xerox now takes only minutes and can be done laying in bed in PJs (as I’m doing now as I write this).

It is really difficult to describe the importance of ADS to astronomy. It not only saves time, but opens it up to so many who otherwise didn’t have access to astronomical research. This includes - but is not limited to - those in small or rural colleges, underdeveloped countries and amateur astronomers. As a result, astronomy is rapidly becoming more internationalized than many other sciences.

Guenther is somewhat of a quiet person, so this interview is short. It is also heavy in detail as I wanted to know all about the story behind ADS and the team that runs it. So this interview may not be as interesting to non-astronomers. If so, rest assured we have more interviews in the can and a chit chat show coming soon..