Halifax scientist off to Japan for Astro-H satellite launch

Halifax astronomer Luigi Gallo'sdecade-long work on a project is about to be launched in space.

"I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas. It's so exciting," Gallo told CBC Nova Scotia's Mainstreet Friday.

Gallo is the principal investigator forthe Canadian portion of an international project culminating next week in the launch of a space telescope from Japan.

• Listen to CBC's Susan Lunn's conversationwith Luigi Gallo

"We're going to see the instrument that we've put so much effort intoso much time and care into and we're going to put it on the back of a rocket and launch it into space," hesaid.

"It's a pretty hostile environment up there."

The project involves the JapaneseAerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, the European Space Agency,the Canadian Space Agency andGallo, an astronomy and physics professor at Halifax's SaintMary's University.

Like seeing shades within a rainbow

The Canadian scientists involved have developed a special laser alignment system, which will allow the telescope nicknamed Astro-H to take up closephotos.

"It's kind of like seeing very, very fine, very detailed shades within the colours of a rainbow," Gallo said.

The goal is to study the structure of the universe such as how black holes are made and physics in extreme conditions.

"The idea that blacks holes swallow everything and suck up everything around them isn't actually true," said Gallo, who specializes in supermassiveones.

"Black holes actually spew out a lot of material."

'Wequite literally are stardust'

The telescope will start producing data in six months, he said, after it's been calibrated and tested. He hopes it'll show the "unexpected," as well as prove some theories the scientists have.

"It gives us an idea of where we're coming from," Gallo said. "Wequite literally are stardust."

Astro-H launches inthe early morning of February 12 at the Tanegashima Space Centerby theJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which will be livestreamed. Gallo will be in Japan for the big event.