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Astro News 2017.Pdf

Astro News 2017.Pdf

1 BERKELEY ASTRONOMY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY WINTER 2017 Astronomy in the News For full versions of news articles, visit news.berkeley.edu BERKELEY ASTRONOMERS astronomy world is basically yesterday.” first began to shine across the cosmos, SELECTED TO TAKE NEW SPACE Letting astronomers rather than staff take the the so-called epoch of reionization. TELESCOPE FOR A SPIN telescope for a test drive is a new concept for De Pater admits that two years is a long time NASA, said de Pater. She and her team will to wait, but hopes to use the 28.9 allocated By Robert Sanders, Media relations focus on Jupiter, its Io and Ganymede hours of observing time to measure the November 21, 2017 and its faint rings, to see if they can capture wind speeds in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, Berkeley astronomers, Imke de Pater and fine detail against the bright background of Daniel Weisz, have been chosen to lead Jupiter, which is actually too bright for the two of the first 13 groups that will test telescope to look at without filters. the capabilities of NASA’s advanced new “We will see if we can image the rings and get successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, rid of the scattered light from Jupiter, which the James Webb Space Telescope. pushes the telescope’s limits and really tests From November 2019 until April 2020, these the capabilities of JWST,” she said. teams will scan objects near and far, ranging Weisz, who studies systems, from globular from in our to planets clusters with millions of stars to in the around nearby stars, and from star systems local Universe, will take the long view. He is in the Milky Way to galaxies at the particularly interested in systems near enough edge of the universe. that individual stars can be picked out and “The diversity of science represented by counted, which can tell astronomers about the these 13 teams is amazing,” said Weisz, “we history of the galaxy and ultimately the history are definitely excited about this opportunity.” of the universe. Images of Neptune taken during twilight observing The teams are hoping for new discoveries, The James Webb telescope will be ideal for revealed an extremely large bright storm system but they’ve also been selected because of this, because its mirrors will be two and a half near Neptune’s equator (labeled ‘cloud complex’ promises to provide baseline information times the size of the mirror in the Hubble in the upper figure), a region where astronomers space telescope, effectively cutting the time it have never seen a bright cloud. The center of the for future observers and computer software storm complex is ~9,000 km across, about 3/4 the tools that those astronomers will need to takes to collect data on a cluster or galaxy by a factor of 10. This allows detailed studies of the size of Earth, or 1/3 of Neptune’s radius. The storm make sense of their observations on the brightened considerably between June 26 and July telescope. very faintest stars, some of which first started 2, as noted in the logarithmic scale of the images “With the telescope’s five-year lifetime, we to glow when the universe was a baby more taken on July 2. (N. Molter/I. de Pater, UC Berkeley/ need to use it very efficiently than 10 billion years ago. C. Alvarez, W. M. Keck Observatory) to maximize the “For studies of very faint stars in the Milky return,” Weisz Way – our own galaxy – the JWST is going to said. “The early be phenomenal,” he said. “The telescope will CONTENTS release science do roughly in its five- to 10-year mission what Astronomy in the News...... 1 program is Hubble has done in its 25-year mission for Roundtable...... 4 supposed local galaxies.” Sackler Lecture...... 4 to produce During the 20 hours of telescope time From the Chair’s Desk...... 5 science- allocated to his team, they will take images Faculty Awards and Highlights...... 5 enabling in both optical and infrared for a globular Astro Night...... 6 results cluster in the Milky Way, a very faint, dark- Welcome Graduate Students...... 6 within five matter-dominated dwarf galaxy that orbits the Commencement 2018...... 6 months Milky Way and a close neighbor and traveling Retirements...... 7 of the companion of the Milky Way, a galaxy at a In Memoriam...... 7 observations, distance of about 3 million light years. Evening with the Stars...... 7 which in the By counting and determining the age of each Upcoming Events ...... 8 James Webb star within within these galaxies, for example, Give to Astronomy...... 8 Space Telescope, he hopes to shed light on what happened early courtesy of NASA. in the universe when

WINTER 2017 BERKELEY ASTRONOMY 2 3 observe gases in the atmospheres of Io and Einstein postdoctoral fellow at UC Santa of this program. It’s just been an outrageous because stars are much smaller to elements found in supernovae, but the idea of a had existed only in our Ganymede and see ripples left by comets in Barbara and Las Cumbres Observatory in success.” Molter is one of eight scholars than black holes and their mergers produce heavier atoms were more than a hundred times theoretical imagination and our computer the rings around the . Goleta, California. accepted into the program this year. His much weaker gravitational waves than do more opaque than what we’re used to seeing models,” he said. But as the data trickled “The idea is that for any solar system object, assignment during his six-week stay at the mergers. According to Berkeley in astrophysical explosions,” said Barnes. “If in, one night after the next, the images you have to assemble a mosaic of the planet GRADUATE STUDENT’S Observatory was to develop a more efficient professor of astronomy and physics Eliot heavy elements are present in the debris from began to assemble into a surprisingly or from multiple observations when TWILIGHT OBSERVATIONS method for twilight observing, making use Quataert, “We were anticipating LIGO the merger, their high opacity should give familiar picture. On the first couple nights everything is moving and rotating and REVEAL HUGE STORM ON of time that otherwise might not be used. finding a merger in the kilonovae a reddish hue.” “I think we bummed of observations, the color of the merger changing. How do you do that?” de Pater NEPTUNE Most observers in the Keck Observatory coming years but to see it so nearby – for out the entire astrophysics community when event was relatively blue with a brightness said. “We have to develop the software so community peer deep into the night sky astronomers – and so bright in normal light we first announced that,” Kasen said. “We were that matched the predictions of kilonova that astronomers can put their little postage By Robert Sanders, Media relations and cannot observe their targets during has exceeded all of our wildest expectations. predicting that a kilonova should be relatively models strikingly well if the outer layers stamps together into a map.” August 3, 2017 twilight. “Ned had never observed before, And, even more amazingly, it turns out that faint and redder than red, meaning it would be of the merger debris are made of light and he’s very bright, so when Anne told me UC Berkeley research astronomer Michael Spectacular sunsets and sunrises are enough most of our predictions of what neutron star an incredibly difficult thing to find. On the plus precious elements such as silver. However, about the program, I knew he would be the Wong is one of the co-investigators on de to dazzle most of us, but to astronomers, mergers would look like as seen by normal side, we had defined a smoking-gun – you can over the ensuing days the emission became perfect student for it,” said de Pater. “Now Pater’s team. dusk and dawn are a waste of good telescopes were right!” tell that you are seeing freshly produced heavy increasingly red, a signature that the inner observing time. They want a truly dark sky. that we’ve discovered this interesting cloud elements by their distinctive red color.” That is layers of the debris cloud also contain complex in Neptune, Ned has a running GENESIS OF THE ELEMENTS PUZZLING NEW Not Ned Molter, a UC Berkeley astronomy just what astronomers observed. the heaviest elements, such as platinum, graduate student. He set out to show start on a nice paper for his Ph.D. thesis.” While hydrogen and helium were formed in gold and uranium. “Perhaps the biggest MAY BE FROM STAR the 13.8 billion years ago, heavier A ‘TREACHEROUS PREDICTION’ surprise was how well-behaved the visual PRODUCING ANTIMATTER that some bright objects can be studied just as well during twilight, when other ASTRONOMERS STRIKE elements like carbon and oxygen were The August LIGO/Virgo discovery of a signal acted compared to our theoretical astronomers are twiddling their thumbs, COSMIC GOLD formed later in the cores of stars through meant that “judgment expectations,” Metzger noted. “No one By Robert Sanders, Media relations nuclear fusion of hydrogen and helium. But day for the theorists would come sooner November 9, 2017 and quickly discovered a new feature on had ever seen a neutron star merger up Robert Sanders, Media Relations this process can only build elements up than expected,” Kasen said. “For years the close before. Putting together the complete An exploding star that continued to shine for Neptune: A storm system nearly the size of Earth. “Seeing a storm this bright at such a October 16, 2017 to iron. Making the heaviest elements picture of such an event involves a wide nearly two years — unlike most supernovae, requires a special environment in which range of physics – general relativity, which fade after a few weeks — is puzzling low latitude is extremely surprising,” said The first detection of gravitational waves Molter, who spotted the storm complex from the cataclysmic merger of two neutron atoms are repeatedly bombarded by hydrodynamics, nuclear physics, atomic astronomers and leading theorists, including free . As neutrons stick to the physics. To combine all that and come up UC Berkeley astrophysicist Daniel Kasen, to near Neptune’s equator during a dawn stars, and the observation of visible light in atomic nuclei, elements higher up the with a prediction that matches the reality suggest that the event may be an example of test run of twilight observing at W. M. the aftermath of that merger, finally answer Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaii. a long-standing question in astrophysics: periodic table are built. Where and how of nature is a real triumph for theoretical a star so hot that it produces antimatter in this process of heavy element production its core. “Normally, this area is really quiet and we Where do the heaviest elements, ranging astrophysics.” only see bright clouds in the mid-latitude from silver and other precious metals to occurs has been one of the longest Stars would have to be very massive to get standing questions in astrophysics. this hot, Kasen said, which is why most bands, so to have such an enormous cloud uranium, come from? DISTANT GALAXY SENDS astronomers assumed they existed, if at all, sitting right at the equator is spectacular.” Based on the brightness and color of the Speculation that astronomers might OUT 15 HIGH-ENERGY RADIO only in the early years of the universe. This massive storm system, which was light emitted following the merger, which see light from such heavy elements BURSTS traces back to the 1990s, but the idea But evidence that the star underwent found in a region where no bright cloud closely match theoretical predictions by had mostly been gathering dust until Robert Sanders, Media Relations repeated eruptions make “something along has ever been seen before, is about 9,000 University of California, Berkeley and August 30, 2017 these lines seem most plausible,” he said. kilometers in length, or one-third the size Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2010, when Brian Metzger, then a freshly Kasen, an associate professor of physics and of Neptune’s radius, spanning at least 30 physicists, astronomers can now say that minted graduate student at UC Berkeley, Breakthrough Listen, an initiative to find of astronomy and a at Lawrence degrees in both latitude and longitude. the gold or platinum in your wedding ring now a professor of astrophysics at signs of intelligent life in the universe, Berkeley National Laboratory, is a coauthor Molter observed it getting much brighter was in all likelihood forged during the brief Columbia University, co-authored a has detected 15 brief but powerful radio of a paper describing the weird exploding between June 26 and July 2. “Historically, but violent merger of two orbiting neutron paper with Quataert and Kasen in which pulses emanating from a mysterious star published this week in the British very bright clouds have occasionally been stars somewhere in the universe. This is they calculated the radioactivity of the and repeating source – FRB 121102 – far journal Nature. seen on Neptune, but usually at latitudes the first detection of a neutron star merger neutron star debris and estimated its across the universe. brightness for the first time. “It is possible that this was the result of star closer to the poles, around 15 to 60 degrees by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational- Fast radio bursts are brief, bright so massive that it was capable of generating north or south,” said Imke de Pater, a Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors in the “As the debris cloud expands into Three days after the merger and explosion, the bright blue glow from lighter elements in the outer regions is beginning pulses of radio emission from distant pairs of anti- and electrons in its UC Berkeley professor of astronomy and space,” Metzger said, “the decay of United States and is the first time that light to fade, giving way to the red glow from the heavier elements but largely unknown sources, and FRB core,” Kasen said. “That would cause the star Molter’s adviser. “Never before has a cloud associated with a source of gravitational radioactive elements keeps it hot, in the surrounding doughnut and spherical core. The red glow 121102 is the only one known to repeat: to go through phases of violently instability, been seen at or so close to the equator, nor waves has been detected. “We have been causing it to glow.” Metzger, Quataert, persisted for more than two weeks. (Dan Kasen image) more than 150 high-energy bursts resulting in a series of bright eruptions.” has one ever been this bright.” The discovery working for years to predict what the light Kasen and collaborators showed that have been observed coming from the Another co-author, Peter Nugent, a senior of Neptune’s mysterious equatorial cloud from a neutron merger would look like,” this light from neutron star mergers was object, which was identified last year staff scientist in the Computational Research complex was made possible by the new said Daniel Kasen, an associate professor of roughly one thousand times brighter as a dwarf galaxy about 3 billion light Division at Berkeley Lab and an adjunct Keck Visiting Scholars Program, launched physics and of astronomy at UC Berkeley than normal explosions in our years from Earth. Possible explanations professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley, helped this summer, which gives graduate students and a scientist at Berkeley Lab. “Now that galaxy, motivating them to name these for the repeating bursts range from lead observations of the explosion and post-doctoral researchers experience theoretical speculation has suddenly come exotic ashes “kilonovae.” Jennifer outbursts from rotating neutron stars at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. working at the telescope, while contributing to life.” Barnes, an Einstein postdoctoral fellow with extremely strong magnetic fields “This is one of those head-scratcher type of to Keck Observatory and its scientific Apart from black holes, neutron stars are the at Columbia, worked as a Berkeley – so-called – to a more events,” he said. “At first we thought it was community. “This result by Imke and her densest objects known in the universe. They graduate student with Kasen to make speculative idea: They are directed completely normal and boring. Then it just graduate student, Ned, is a perfect example are created when a massive star exhausts its some of the first detailed predictions energy sources, powerful laser bursts kept staying bright, and not changing, for of what we’re trying to accomplish with the fuel and collapses onto itself, compressing of what a kilonova should look like. used by extraterrestrial civilizations to month after month. Piecing it all together … Keck Visiting Scholars Program,” said Anne a mass comparable to that of the into a “When we calculated the opacities of power spacecraft, akin to Breakthrough has started to shed light on what this could be. Kinney, chief scientist at Keck Observatory. the elements formed in a neutron star Starshot’s plan to use powerful laser However, I’d really like to find another one.” sphere only 10 miles across. The detection “Ned is our first visiting scholar, and his of a neutron star merger was surprising, merger, we found a lot of variation. The The study was led by Iair Arcavi, a NASA incredible work is a testament to the value lighter elements were optically similar Continued on page 4

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Continued from page 3 From the Chair’s Desk pulses to propel nano-spacecraft radio burst seen to repeat, ruling Campbell Hall, the Department of planet compositions, formation histories, The level of dedication, enthusiasm, and to our solar system’s nearest star, out theories of bursts’ origins that Astronomy’s beautiful, safe, LEED- and potentials for harboring life. We are scholarship characteristic to Astronomy Proxima Centauri. “Bursts from involved the catastrophic destruction certified building, has been our happy exceptionally fortunate that Courtney is distilled in many of our departmental this source have never been seen at of the progenitor, at least in this home now for the past three years. has joined our Department, as she is events. In particular, I encourage you attend this high a frequency,” said Andrew instance. Regardless of FRB 121102’s Here we have enjoyed summer night reinvigorating our graduate and to one of our monthly Siemion, director of the Berkeley ultimate source, when the recently observation parties via our much undergraduate teaching and Astro Nights, a popular SETI Research Center and of the detected pulses left their host galaxy, celebrated monthly Astro Nights; searched research programs in planetary …this has been a occasion for our immediate Breakthrough Listen program. our solar system was less than 2 for extraterrestrial life from the 3rd floor science, and is attracting top fruitful and exciting academic community, and First detected with the Parkes billion years old, noted Steve Croft, offices of Breakthrough SETI; and continue postdoctoral talent. year for research also a laudable endeavor a Breakthrough Listen astronomer at to teach record numbers of astrophysics of outreach to the public. Telescope in Australia, fast radio We continue to see an for our group. bursts have now been seen by UC Berkeley. Life on Earth consisted majors in our 1st floor classrooms. Envisioned, initiated, and only of single-celled organisms; it extremely high level run by our talented and several radio telescopes around the This year, we welcome Courtney Dressing of communication and world. FRB 121102 was discovered would be another billion years before enterprising group of graduate students even the simplest multi-cellular life to our faculty ranks. Courtney is an coordination between administrators, (special thanks to Carina Cheng and Lea on Nov. 2, 2012, (hence its name) observational astrophysicist specializing staff, faculty, postdocs, students, and and in 2015 it was the first fast began to evolve. Hirsch), it features free public lectures from in the detection and characterization the public, in finalizing our decadal self- faculty, postdocs, and graduate students, of extrasolar planets. Most review. We have worked relentlessly on followed by an opportunity to stargaze observers specialize in either planet revamping curriculum to reflect current using the Treffers rooftop telescope with Astrophysics Roundtable detection by transits (analyzing the tell- needs and industry trends, bringing in enthusiastic and knowledgeable student tale dimming of as a planet internationally-renowned speakers for guides. This fall’s Astrophysics Roundtable focused from rocky moon-sized orbs to gas giants passes in front of its host star) or our weekly Colloquium, CIPS, TAC, and on one of Astronomy’s great strengths, occupying orbits of once-unimaginable detection by radial velocities (analyzing Department Lunch seminars, and addressed As you can see from various news exoplanet research. variety. From the thousands of planetary the Doppler shifts of stellar absorption issues ranging from faculty hiring needs to developments in this issue, this has been The universe teems with planets - systems known researchers are piecing lines as a planet forces its host to revolve the use policy of the undergraduate research a fruitful and exciting year for research for essentially every star harbors one if not together the narrative of how they, and by around their common center of mass). lab. Our appointed Astronomy Climate our group. I continue to be proud to serve multiple worlds, covering the full range extension the Earth, came to be. Courtney is an expert in both methods. Advisors work tirelessly to raise awareness as Chair of Astronomy, and look forward to This exciting event brought together new By measuring planet radii through transits of issues related to gender equity and what unfolds as we enter the new year. faculty hire Courtney Dressing with existing and planet masses by radial velocities, she inclusion through one-on-one interventions, ones, Eugene Chiang and James Graham characterizes these otherworldly worlds a Department-wide survey, and Town Hall and highlighted the important work being to zeroth order, starting humanity on discussions. done by postdocs and students. Discussing the journey to understanding extrasolar Eugene Chiang efforts by Berkeley astronomers to push into new discovery space using every Student Lea Hirsch spoke on solar-type stars possible tool, speakers covered Doppler having at least one binary companion. spectroscopy, transit light curves, extreme FACULTY AWARDS AND HIGHLIGHTS adaptive optics imaging and massively Dr. Chiang concluded the discussion An international team of 50 astronomers researchers that is “in recognition of Barnes (now Einstein postdoctoral fellow parallel computation. Joining the faculty by touching on efforts to provide led by UC Berkeley Assistant Professor Dan distinguished performance and a unique at Columbia) and Eliot Quataert were speakers were PhD student Lea Hirsch, greater support for Berkeley astronomy Weisz has been selected to be among the first potential to make substantial contributions to confirmed. In their groundbreaking research, Miller Postdoctoral Fellow Rebecca Jensen- graduate students and developing novel users of the James Webb Space Telescope their field.” https://sloan.org/fellowships/ they theoretically predicted that debris flung Professor Courtney Dressing discusses TESS, the instrumentation that will enable researchers (JWST), NASA’s flagship mission that will out into space during the collision of two Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission. Clem, and researcher Dan Werthimer. Aaron Parsons, lead investigator, and to glimpse another pale blue dot. launch in 2019. Their program, which focuses his team of researchers for the Hydrogen neutron stars would shine in a characteristic on measuring the properties of stars such Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) project way. The ejected cloud of neutron star debris as age and chemical composition in nearby were the recipients of $5.8 million in new forms many of the heaviest elements in galaxies, was one of thirteen programs funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore nature, including gold, platinum, uranium, SACKLER LECTURE selected out of 100 submitted as part of the Foundation. The HERA project, led by UC and Berkelium. Radioactive heating from call for Early Release Science with JWST. This Berkeley, will help build 110 new telescopes these and other elements keeps the debris Sandy Faber presented this year’s annual Currently Professor Emerita of Astronomy project, the largest was a very competitive selection process, with hot, powering the light that was observed. The Sackler lecture in November. Her talk, titled & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, Sandy galaxy survey yet beyond the planned 240, creating a much only 13 out of 106 programs chosen. Berkeley more sensitive array able to detect faint radio effects confirmed by the merger answered a “Cosmic Knowledge and the Long-Term Faber helped to discover in the with Hubble, which is was the only institute to have two programs long-standing question in astrophysics: where Strategy of the Human Race,” discussed what universe, and, with UCSC colleagues Joel revealing how infant signals at a wavelength of 21 centimeters. approved. Imke de Pater’s program was the “Expanding HERA will help us map bubbles do the heaviest elements in nature come she describes as the ultimate challenge to our Primack and George Blumenthal, co-invented galaxies formed 95% additional recipient of this honor. from? Not only did our Berkeley species: How will we utilize the information the standard paradigm for galaxy formation of the way back to of ionization around early galaxies in our Imke de Pater’s JWST program is titled universe and will extend our ability to find correctly predict many properties of the light afforded to us by modern astronomy, such based on it. She led the team that discovered the Big Bang. that was observed; they also played a key role as how the Galaxy was assembled, how the ubiquitous massive black holes at the centers “ERS observations of the Jovian System as the earliest signs of in our The Raymond and Demonstration of JWST’s Capabilities for universe,” said Aaron Parsons. interpreting the data from this unique event, Sun and Earth were formed, and where the of galaxies. She’s helped to build and use Beverly Sackler their analysis published this year in Nature Solar System Science.” Dan Weisz’s program In an exciting breakthrough this year, via precious chemical elements that comprise some of the world’s largest telescopes, Distinguished Lecturer (see www.astro.berkeley.edu/news for more our bodies came from, to answer questions including the twin 10-meter Keck giants on is titled: “The Resolved Stellar Populations the merging of neutron stars detected by in Astronomy is a free Early Release Science Program.” information). about what’s in store? For the first time in Mauna Kea and the Hubble Space Telescope, annual event made possible by an endowment the LIGO observatory, history, the human race is poised to use that for which she and her graduate student/ Dan Weisz also received a 2017 Alfred the predictions made 7 years ago by Daniel Daniel Kasen was also named a Fellow of the from Raymond and Beverly Sackler in efforts to American Physical Society this year. knowledge of our cosmic past to predict our postdoc Jon Holtzman diagnosed the optical bring notable speakers to the Berkeley campus. P. Sloan Research Fellowship. This is a Kasen, former PhD students Brian Metzger cosmic future. flaw. Currently she leads the CANDELS prestigious national award for early career (now faculty at Columbia) and Jennifer

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ASTRO NIGHTS RETIREMENTS – Astro Night is a free stargazing and lecture observatory. Members of the astronomy event open to the public. The monthly department are in attendance to answer Professor Reinhard Genzel retired this across the entire 1-1000mm band. He and his work, including Medal of event is usually held on the first Thursday any questions. Fall 2017 speakers included fall, after over two decades on campus his laboratory were the first to track the the Max-Planck Society Miller Fellowship, of each month (during select months, as Gibor Basri, Jessica Lu, and Associate as a faculty member at UC Berkeley. He motions of stars at the center of the Milky of The Shaw Prize Foundation, weather permits), starting with lecture Project Astronomer Steve Croft. Spring was appointed to Astronomy in a joint Way and show that they were orbiting a very Einstein Medal of the Albert-Einstein- and Q&A session, followed by guided talks will resume April 2018. Details can appointment with his home department massive object, most likely a black hole. Gesellschaft AEG, Newton Lacy Pierce stargazings using our fleet of telescopes, be found at http://astro.berkeley.edu/i/ of Physics in fall 2011. A scholar of He left campus in in 1986 to become Prize of the American Astronomical Society, including our 17-inch roof-top telescope astro-night. experimental astrophysics, infrared and Director of the Max Planck Institute for Harvey Prize in the field of Science & submillimeter astronomy, Genzel’s research Extraterrestrial Physics, where he had been Technology from the Israel Institute of contributed greatly to the understanding of appointed an honorary Professor in 1988 Technology, and the Herschel Medal from the physical processes and the evolution of at the Ludwig-Maximilian University. He the Royal Astronomical Society. Welcome to our newest Graduate Students active galaxies; as well as to the development returned to Berkeley in 1999. He continues to serve campus in his post- of novel instrumentation, including sensitive The Astronomy community is excited to welcome our new graduate students to the department! Our 2017 first year cohort Genzel is the recipient of many awards for retirement appointment as professor of the brings diverse backgrounds and broad research interests – we welcome them as they begin their graduate studies! infrared spectrometers and imagers graduate school.

Jordan Fleming (Duke University): Philipp Kempski (Oxford University): Nathan Sandford (Pomona College): Jordan’s research experience has been Philipp has worked on condensed matter Nathan is interested in galaxy formation in structural acoustics, as he studied theory as well as galactic outflows into dark and evolution, and in and IN MEMORIUM: HAROLD WEAVER mechanical engineering prior to changing matter halos. He is interested in continuing evolution. He has previously worked on Harold Francis Weaver, a pioneer of Townes. For decades, Weaver used the married in 1939, before the elder Trumpler to physics. He is interested in , research in physics and cosmology using modeling gradients in spatially who discovered the telescope to study other aspects of the supervised Weaver’s Ph.D. dissertation large-scale structure, dark matter, and both analytic and computational models. resolved galaxies, observations of near- first microwave laser, or maser, in space, interstellar medium and conducted large- on peculiar stars, star clusters and stellar galaxies. Casey Lam (MIT): Casey’s prior research Earth asteroids, and searching for gamma passed away peacefully in his Kensington, scale surveys of interstellar hydrogen. statistics. ray excess from dark matter annihilation. Steven Giacalone (University of includes math theory, kicked out of California, home on April 26 at the age of 99. Among the many astronomers he mentored Over Weaver’s career, he published more Chicago): Steven has worked on research the galactic disk, and primordial black holes. Sarafina Nance(University of was Carl Sagan, whom he encouraged to than 70 professional papers. He retired in involving transit timing variations in She is interested in continuing to research Texas-Austin): Sarafina is interested Weaver was a professor emeritus of explore his far-out ideas on the beginnings 1988, but remained very much involved in the Kepler data, modeling planetary migration, observational cosmology and black holes, in theoretical and computational astronomy, the founder of UC Berkeley’s of life in the universe. department until nearly the end of his life. and dust transport and magnetic fields but appreciates a data-driven approach to astrophysics on supernovae. Sarafina’s Radio Astronomy Laboratory and its in protoplanetary disks. He is interested theoretical work. research experience has been on stripped- director from 1958 until 1972 and a Weaver was born Sept. 25, 1917, in San Jose, “Harold was truly a giant in our in continuing to work in and envelope supernova progenitor models former chairman of the Department of where he lived with his parents above a Department of Astronomy,” said colleague dynamics but finds most areas interesting. using the MESA code. Astronomy. He joined the UCB astronomy spaghetti factory. After high school, as he Alex Filippenko. “I will always remember his faculty in 1951. was deciding whether to study astronomy warm smile, his generosity and how he kept or classics, Carmel poet Robinson Jeffers going with his research and other activities Weaver founded the Radio Astronomy befriended him and encouraged his well into old age.” Spring 2018 Commencement Laboratory in 1958. The lab dedicated its telescope building. Finally deciding to He is survived by his wife, Cecile, three first telescopes in June 1962, in Hat Creek continue with astronomy, he went on to On May 16, 2017 the Departments of 2017 UNDERGRAD AWARDS The faint, the poor, and the steady: studies of Valley in Northern California. Using the children – Margot of Tucson, Arizona, Astronomy and Physics held their joint Commencement Speaker low-, metal-poor, and non-pulsating obtain his bachelor’s degree in 1940 and Paul of Kensington and Kirk of Houston, populations of high-mass X-ray binaries dish, Weaver and his colleagues discovered his Ph.D. in 1942 in astronomy from UC commencement ceremony in Zellerbach Hall. Goni Halevi the first astrophysical maser – microwave Texas – six grandchildren and 11 great- The Department of Astronomy congratulates Berkeley. Department Citation for Outstanding Scholarship SPRING 2017 amplification by stimulated emission or grandchildren. He and his wife donated our 47 undergraduate students receiving Leo Milos Pitelka Steinmetz Katherine Rebecca de Kleer As an undergraduate taking a course in their home in Kensington to the university their A.B. degrees, 4 graduate students radiation, the radio equivalent of a laser Dorothea Klumpke Roberts Prize – for Adviser: Imke de Pater – which had only been realized on Earth practical astronomy, he met his future wife, to be used after their deaths to fund the who have completed their masters, and 7 outstanding scholarly achievement Extreme Worlds of the Outer Solar System: Cecile Trumpler, daughter of UC Berkeley Trumpler-Weaver Endowed Professorship Ph.D. recipients for the 2016-17 academic Dynamic Processes on Uranus & Io eight years earlier by the late UC Berkeley Imad Pasha physicist and Nobel laureate Charles astronomer Robert Trumpler. They of Astronomy at UC Berkeley. year. Dr. Lars Bildsten, Director of the Daniel Edward Wark Award – for astronomy Nicholas Adam Hand Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and majors in excellent academic standing Adviser: Uros Seljak Gluck Professor of Theoretical Physics at Magdelena Allen Modeling galaxy clustering and redshift space the University of California, Santa Barbara, Timothy Ross distortion in Fourier space Evening with the Stars gave the commencement talk. Prior to the Eve Jihyun Lee The department hosted its annual Evening Ms. Lee, described their efforts to detect, infrared instrumentation, large telescopes commencement ceremony, Astronomy OUTSTANDING GRADUATE Adviser: Eugene Chiang with the Stars event on March 23rd, characterize, and understand the origins and adaptive optics. Their lively talk awarded several prizes to graduating students STUDENT INSTRUCTOR AWARDS The Late-Time Formation and Dynamical featuring an engaging talk by Professor of extrasolar planets using specialized included demonstrations of the technologies during an an intimate celebration in Campbell Goni Halevi Signature of Small Planets James Graham, Department underlying the direct imaging Hall. We are proud of our students and are Nicholas S. Kern Sedona H. Price Chair Eugene Chiang, and of planets. reminded of their amazing accomplishments Wren A. Suess Adviser: Mariska T. Kriek graduate students Jason Wang as they take their knowledge out into the Galaxies in the Young Universe: Structures, After the lecture, guests world. Congratulations to the Class of 2017! M.A. DEGREES • FALL 2016 Masses, and Composition of Star-Forming Galxaies and Eve Lee. enjoyed an extended Dominic Ryan at z ~ 1.5-3 The evening began with opportunity to discuss the Yunfan Zhang 2017 GRADUATE AWARDS Isaac Steven Shivvers conversation and hors talk with the speakers and Mary Elizabeth Uhl Prize – for outstanding Adviser: Alexei V. Filippenko d’oeuvres as guests mingled were treated to a tour of scholarly achievement by a graduate student SPRING 2017 Tom Zick The Deaths of Massive Stars: Core Collapse with Astronomy department the Campbell Hall rooftop finishing their dissertation in Astronomy or Supernovae and Pre-Explosion Mass Loss Physics, with a preference to Astronomy. faculty members. Following telescope and guided star PH.D. DEGREES • FALL 2016 Dyas Utomo the reception, Drs. Graham Professor Aaron Parsons talks Grad student Jason Wang presents his gazing by graduate students Eve Jihyun Lee Francesca Maria Fornasini Katherine Rebecca de Kleer Adviser: Leo Blitz and Chiang, with Mr. Wang and with guests of EWTS. research during the 2017 EWTS lecture. Carina Cheng and Lea Hirsch. Adviser: John Tomsick and Mariska T. Kriek Molecular Clouds and Star Formation in Galaxies

WINTER 2017 WINTER 2017 BERKELEY ASTRONOMY BERKELEY ASTRONOMY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY DEPARTMENT OF ASTRONOMY 501 CAMPBELL HALL #3411 BERKELEY, CA 94720-3411

UPCOMING EVENTS Evening with the Stars Spring 2018 Cal Day April 21, 2018 Commencement May 15, 2018 2017 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Distinguished Lecture in Astronomy Fall 2018 Astronomy Faculty Roundtable Fall 2018 Astro Night Public Lecture and Star Viewing April 2018; first Thursday of each month Science @ Cal Monthly Lectures 3rd Saturday of each month UC Berkeley location changes each month Visit http://scienceatcal.berkeley.edu

Newsletter Credits: Marissa Dominguez, Lochland Trotter, Robert Sanders, Eugene Chiang. Photos: Lea Hirsch, Lochland Trotter, Nick Cole.

Support Berkeley Astronomy On behalf of the faculty, students, and staff we extend our greatest Student Observatory Fund assists with the purchase and thanks to our friends and donors for helping to preserve and enhance maintenance of the latest instrumentation and teaching the scholarship, teaching, and research excellence of the Berkeley observatories managed by the Astronomy Department. The Astronomy Department. fund also provides support for the department’s upper-division Berkeley Astronomy is home to world-renowned scientists and undergraduate laboratory course - the capstone experience for all researchers and is universally regarded as one of the top astronomy astronomy majors. departments in the world. Our award winning faculty and outstanding Friends of Astronomy Fund supports all facets of the students are engaged in some of the most fascinating research today– department’s program budget, from research travel for students, to from studying the relationship between planets and moons in our solar recruitment of top faculty, to the day-to-day material needs of the system, to discovering new planets, galaxies, and black holes, to creating classrooms and teaching labs. a road map for exploring the structure of the Universe. Graduate Student Support Fund directly benefits our students. As a friend of the department, you already know the important role Funding for fellowships is a top priority in the department, as a full private funding has in supporting our endeavors toward excellence. year fellowship can cost more than $35,000 and will only continue Over the past decade, state funding has continued to decline and the to increase. Offering student support is one of our best tools for Astronomy Department has increasingly relied on the generosity of our attracting the brightest and most promising students. alumni and friends to maintain our mission of award-winning teaching and research. Without the support of our extended family, we would be unable to maintain our standard of providing the best resources for our Thank you for your generosity! faculty, researchers and students. Did you know–many employers match gifts to UC Berkeley? To We invite you to make a gift discuss matching or other opportunities to support Astronomy at to any of the following funds, Berkeley, contact Maria Hjelm, Director of Development and College each a critical component Relations, [email protected]. in the investment of our future. Visit http://give.berkeley. GO BEARS! edu/#astronomy to make an online gift, or use the enclosed envelope.

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