Imke de Pater

Imke de Pater is a Dutch planetary scientist and professor emerita at the University of California, Berkeley, whose research uses radio and infrared observations to study the atmospheres, magnetospheres, rings, and satellite systems of the giant planets. Her work focuses particularly on Jupiter and Saturn.

De Pater has utilized major observatories including the Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope for her planetary science research. She combines data from radio wavelengths with infrared imaging to investigate phenomena such as Jupiter's atmospheric dynamics and the ring systems of the outer planets.

Yes, Imke de Pater is a co-author of a widely used university-level planetary science textbook that covers the formation, structure, and dynamics of planets and moons in the solar system. The textbook is used in graduate and undergraduate astronomy courses at universities worldwide.

De Pater's radio and infrared observations of Jupiter have provided insights into the planet's atmospheric storms, ammonia distribution, and deep atmospheric structure. Her ground-based observational data complements findings from NASA's Juno mission, which has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016.