The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

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Anya Nugent

Center for Astrophysics

Harvard Observatory Postdoctoral Fellow

Anya Nugent

anya.nugent@cfa.harvard.edu

About

Dr. Anya Nugent studies the host galaxies of various extragalactic transients. She received her PhD from Northwestern in 2024. Her thesis focused on short gamma-ray burst (GRB) host galaxies, which derive from neutron star mergers and contribute to the heavy element enrichment of the Universe. At the CfA, Anya will expand her host studies to different kinds of supernovae (SNe) to better understand their origins. Anya furthermore has extensive experience using optical and NIR observatories, including the MMT and Magellan, and stellar population modeling code Prospector. She is a member of the Villar Group and the Young Supernova Experiment.

Northwestern University, Hamilton College

Telescopes and Instruments

Magellan Telescopes

The twin Magellan Telescopes in Chile are each 6.5 meter optical telescopes. These telescopes are both equipped with instruments to take images and spectra of light from a wide variety of astronomical sources, including exoplanet systems, star-forming regions, supernova remnants, and interacting galaxies. The Magellan Telescopes — named Baade and Clay — are hosted at the Las Campanas Observatory and are operated by a consortium of institutions, including the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Carnegie Institution for Science, University of Arizona, the University of Michigan, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition, CfA scientists and engineers provided a wide field f/5 focal system (including secondary mirror and corrective optics), and a powerful astronomical camera for use at the Clay telescope.

Visit the Magellan Telescopes Website

MMT Observatory

The MMT Observatory is the premier visible-light and infrared telescope jointly managed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and the University of Arizona. Located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) in southern Arizona, this 6.5-meter (21 foot) telescope is used to study objects across the field of astronomy, from the Solar System to distant galaxies. The MMT has provided a testbed for new telescope technologies developed by scientists and engineers at the CfA and the University of Arizona.

Visit the MMT Website