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Avi Loeb Receives 2013 Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award

Avi Loeb Receives 2013 Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award

Dr. Avi Loeb is the recipient of the 2013 Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award from the American Astronomical Society for his book, "How Did the First Stars and Galaxies Form?" (Princeton University Press, 2010). According to the selection committee, "In this lively but concise account, Avi Loeb addresses astronomical processes in a physically intuitive manner, with an emphasis on the big picture. This book provides excellent supplemental material for university classes in cosmology and galaxy formation."

Loeb's latest book, "The First Galaxies in the Universe" (with Steven Furlanetto, Princeton University Press, 2012) will be the subject of a launch event and book signing Friday, February 1, from 2-3 p.m. in Phillips Auditorium at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Avi Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. He serves as Chair of the Department of Astronomy and director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC), within the Center for Astrophysics. He also is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

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Atomic and Molecular Physics, High Energy Astrophysics, Optical and Infrared Astronomy, Radio and Geoastronomy, Solar, Stellar, and Planetary Sciences, Theoretical Astrophysics, Harvard University Department of Astronomy, Science Education Department, Central Engineering, Director's Office, Chandra X-ray Center, Institute for Theoretical Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics, Institute for Theory and Computation

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GMACS

Optical and Infrared Astronomy, Central Engineering

GMACS - Moderate Dispersion Optical Spectrograph for the Giant Magellan Telescope is a powerful optical spectrograph that will unlock the power of the Giant Magellan Telescope for research ranging from the formation of stars and planets to cosmology.

For Scientists

Coordinated Molecular Probe Line Extinction Thermal Emission (COMPLETE) Survey of Star Forming Regions

Radio and Geoastronomy

Star formation is a complex process, beginning from cold clouds of gas and dust and ending with the diverse population of stars we observe in our galaxy and beyond. Studying that process requires many different types of astronomical observations to capture the composition, dynamics, and other properties of star-forming regions. While most researchers focus on certain aspects of these systems, the COordinated Molecular Probe Line Extinction Thermal Emission (COMPLETE) Survey of Star Forming Regions was an ambitious project designed to capture as much information as possible, using data from multiple observatories to accomplish the task. During the survey’s data-collecting period, each of these observatories provided a different type of observation on three star-forming regions in the Milky Way, across the infrared, microwave, and radio part of the spectrum of light. COMPLETE was a collaboration between astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and other universities around the world.

Gould's Belt Survey

Radio and Geoastronomy

Gould’s Belt is a long chain of clouds in the Milky Way comprised of stellar nurseries and hot young stars. Stretching across a substantial part of the night sky, Gould’s Belt includes the Orion Nebula — the middle object in Orion’s “sword” — and a number of other star-forming regions. These regions are opaque in visible light, so the Spitzer Gould’s Belt Survey project used NASA’s Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope, the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory, and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii to map the region in infrared and submillimeter light. The survey was led by scientists at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, in collaboration with a number of other institutions around the world. Since the completion of observations in 2006, the data has continued to supply astronomers with insights into the formation of new stars in the Milky Way.

The Cygnus-X Spitzer Legacy Survey

The Cygnus-X region of the Milky Way is a veritable factory for making new stars, including a large number of giant hot stars. The Cygnus-X Spitzer Legacy Survey is dedicated to studying how these giant stars formed, and how they affect the growth of smaller stars in their vicinity. Led by researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, this survey used NASA’s Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope to identify and track the course of star formation in Cygnus-X in multiple wavelengths of infrared light. Though the observational portion of the survey is over, researchers at CfA and many other institutions continue to generate new astronomical insights from its data.

ANCHORS

Star-forming regions are sources of intense radiation, from radio waves to X-rays. The ANCHORS (AN archive of CHandra Observations of Regions of Star formation) database documents over 10,000 X-ray sources in these regions of space, collected in the early 2000s by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This archive is managed by astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. ANCHORS is designed to be easy to use, allowing for sorting of data through a simple online interface.