About Me

Welcome to my little corner of the internet.  My name is Nathan Deg and I am an astrophysicist.  Currently I am a CIRADA software developer based at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.  This is similar to a post-doctoral position, but it has a few key differences.  Before this position, I was a SARChI post-doctoral researcher at UCT in the Cape Town.  And before that I did my Masters and Ph.D. work at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

My current research focuses on generating kinematic models of galaxies from observed HI datacubes.  I also work on polar ring galaxies, galaxy asymmetries, and numerical simulations of isolated and interacting pairs of galaxies as well as using numerical methods (including simulations) to model real objects.

The name of the site comes from the fact that I make a lot of mock observations of simulations.  Rather than looking at real photons, like observational astronomers, I usually generate and study virtual ones.

I’m also passionate about teaching and outreach.  Astronomy and astrophysics has a power to inspire people and deeply change how they see themselves in the Universe.  Seeing people gain that understanding and have one of those wonderful ‘a-ha’ moments is one of the most rewarding things that I can do.

This page has a summary of my research and gives access to a few of the tools that I use.  In addition, I have a small blog with some of my thoughts about astronomy and astrophysics, stories of my own travels, and summaries of papers and conferences that I think are interesting.  I hope you enjoy it and have a great time!