The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

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Aaron Oppenheimer

Center for Astrophysics

Systems Engineer

Aaron Oppenheimer

aaron.oppenheimer@cfa.harvard.edu

About

Aaron Oppenheimer has been designing complex systems for 30 years, including high performance graphics processors, web-based knowledge management tools, kitchen appliances, medical devices for global health applications, and electric vehicle charging systems. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar and mandolin. Aaron lives in Cambridge with his wife and two children.

BS Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon

Telescopes and Instruments

Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)

Black holes are found in the centers of most galaxies, where they can influence star formation and the distribution of atoms in the environment surrounding them. However, direct observation of a black hole is difficult because it is so small relative to their masses. Founded by Shep Doeleman at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) captured the first image ever taken of a black hole: specifically, the ring of light produced by matter just as it falls into the black hole at the center of the nearby galaxy M87. The EHT is a virtual observatory consisting of telescopes spanning the planet, from Greenland to the South Pole. The international collaboration operating the EHT includes observatories affiliated with the Center for Astrophysics: the CfA’s Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the Greenland Telescope.

Visit the EHT Website