Art
I have 30 years of experience in technical illustration and graphical design. The daughter of an artist, I grew up using professional tools and software as toys. As an adult, I found myself driven to create better astronomy illustrations than were otherwise available to me. This passion (as so often happens for those of us in Gen X and younger) became a side business while I was in graduate school. My work has appeared in Astronomy Magazine, and has been used by the Planetary Science Institute and Galileo Teacher Training Program among other sites.
While I specialize in space art and technical illustration, I have also designed websites and logos for numerous equestrian businesses, and I’m open to commissions and contract opportunities. Contact me at any time to set up a free consultation.
Recently Published Works
Centaurs Gain Comet-Like Features
January 9, 2024: This image was created to illustrate a press release accompanying the paper “Semi-major Axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-Perihelion Jupiter Family Comets”.
Caption: A rapid reshaping of orbits resulting from a close encounter with Jupiter or Saturn can lead Centaurs to exhibit comet-like activity.
Credit: Planetary Science Institute / Pamela L. Gay
Technique: Photoshop
Circumbinary Planet
November 10, 2021: This image was created to illustrate a press release accompanying the paper “TIC 172900988: A Transiting Circumbinary Planet Detected in One Sector of TESS Data”.
Caption: TIC 172900988b, is roughly the radius of Jupiter, and several times more massive, but it orbits its two stars in less than one year. This world is hot and unlike anything in our Solar System.
Credit: Planetary Science Institute / Pamela L. Gay
Technique: Acrylic Fluid Pour & Photoshop
White Dwarf Debris Disk
August 1, 2021: This image was created to illustrate a press release accompanying the paper “How Sublimation Delays the Onset of Dusty Debris Disk Formation Around White Dwarf Stars”.
Caption: Older white dwarfs, the glowing cores of dead stars, often host disks of dusty debris. These are absent around young white dwarfs, where heat prevents dusts from forming.
Credit: Planetary Science Institute / Pamela L. Gay
Technique: Photoshop