The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Support Our Science

In Memoriam - Patrick Thaddeus

Share this Page
Research Topics
Science Fields
In Memoriam - Patrick Thaddeus

Patrick Thaddeus

Colleagues,

I am very sorry to report that Pat Thaddeus passed away on April 28 at the age of 84.

Pat was a highly influential teacher and astronomer for over 50 years, including the past 30 at the CfA. His interests were extremely broad, including pioneering work on the cosmic microwave background radiation, planetary atmospheres, and large-scale studies of star formation and galactic structure. He was one of the founders of the now flourishing field of astrochemistry. His elegant laboratory spectroscopy provided ironclad identifications of many new molecules of astronomical interest, and his observational program was responsible for the discovery of more than one-quarter of the 150 molecules known to exist in space.

Pat was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Physical Society. His many honors include the Herschel Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society, the Sir Harold Thompson Memorial Award, and an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Chicago.

A memorial service to celebrate Pat's life will be held at the following time and place:

Saturday, June 17, 11 AM
Story Chapel, Mt. Auburn Cemetery
580 Mt. Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

The chapel is right inside the main gate at 580 Mt. Auburn St, and parking will be available on the nearby cemetery roadways.

With best regards,

Charles Alcock, Director
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Related News

News Release

CfA Celebrates 25 Years with the Chandra X-ray Observatory
News Release

The Radcliffe Wave is Waving

News Release

Cosmic Superbubble’s Magnetic Field Charted in 3D for the First Time
News Release

New Study Sheds Light on Why Stellar Populations Are So Similar in Milky Way
News Release

Close Encounter More Than 10,000 Years Ago Stirred Up Spirals Near Galactic Center
News Release

Did Supernovae Help Form Barnard's Loop?
Science Update

Star Formation Models Including Jets, Radiation, Winds, and Supernovae

News Feature

Astrophysics Student Wins International 'Dance Your PhD' Competition
Science Update

The Magnetic Field in Milky Way "Bones"
News Release

1,000-Light-Year Wide Bubble Surrounding Earth is Source of All Nearby, Young Stars

Projects

AstroAI

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
AstroAI is a institute dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence to enable next generation astrophysics at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. Learn More
1

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
2

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.
3

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.
4

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.
5

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.
6