SIRTF

Currently, I am working with Dr. Daniel Dale on proposal work for NASA's upcoming SIRTF mission.  SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility) will do for infrared astronomy what Hubble has been able to do for our understanding of the visible universe.  To be launched in August, SIRTF will help astronomers probe the early history of the universe, see previously hidden objects such as debris disks around nearby stars, and detect brown dwarfs and large planets in neighboring solar systems.

Astronomers do not currently have an ideal model for the formation of stars.  Dr. Dale currently focuses on the study of intragalactic dust and its role in star formation over various epochs in the past.  This summer, I have been collecting information on a few sets of galaxies to be observed in an upcoming projects of Dr. Dale's.  I have looked into which of these galaxies are already reserved by other astronomers for SIRTF work.  Of the galaxies that are still available for observing, I have been determining future dates which would be ideal for observing each galaxy.  Due to the position of the sun, there are only certain times that SIRTF will be able to view a particular galaxy.  Further, there will only be certain position angles that will be available to the spectrograph on those days (leading to more or less data obtained for a given galaxy).  It has been my job to figure out which dates would provide the maximum amount of data for each galaxy.

I was lucky enough to accompany Dr. Dale in a number of nights of observing on Jelm Mountain at WIRO (Wyoming Infrared Observatory).  On these evenings, we collected preliminary data for one of Danny's proposals.  In addition to the arduous task of observing in the wee hours of the morning, I was responsible for taking in the fantastic views of Wyoming seen at 10,000 feet.


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