The Washburn Observer Volume 1, No. 2 • Fall 2011 • www.astro.wisc.edu SALT Commissioning Produces Unique Proposals, Experiences Inside This Issue The Proposals in star formation and black hole activity triggered by a merger between two Letter from the Chair 2 W astronomy people are really excited about galaxies. “SALT’s Fabry-Perot capability Please Keep in Touch 2 Uusing the South African Large Telescope enables us to observe a spectral line at Kelley Hess Balances (SALT)—so much so that they’ve asked for more each position of the extended ionized Science and Sports 3 observation time in the coming semester than the gas cloud across a wide field of view,” 135 hours that are available for UW-Madison. says Corey. Universe in the Park 4 Fifteen proposals were accepted to use the UW John Chisholm, a second-year Department Welcomes time. Astronomy graduate students are especially graduate student, proposes to use RSS First Grainger Fellow 5 excited about the telescope’s new capabilities. to observe an extremely unusual galaxy News Notes 5 Third-year graduate student Greg Mosby culled from a survey of several hundred is enthusiastic about using the new Robert thousand distant galaxies. The galaxy Stephan Jansen Retires 6 Stobie Spectrograph (RSS) to better understand is remarkable because of the strong and Jack Honor Finds Perfect Fit 7 how massive galaxies are influenced by the broad lines of highly ionized oxygen supermassive black holes lurking at their centers. and neon in its spectrum, indicating Board of Visitors 7 This fall, he is undertaking a pilot study focused very energetic processes in the galaxy. on three powerful quasars, powered by black “SALT’s superior collecting area and holes, that are actively feeding on gas and advanced spectrograph enable an shining brightly. Greg will take advantage of extremely deep, high quality spectrum RSS’s impressive of this faint galaxy to be taken in a short sensitivity to probe amount of time,” says John. the faint outskirts A list of accepted SALT proposal of the quasar host titles and descriptions will be posted galaxies that are less at www.astro.wisc.edu. (Click on Our affected by the glare Science, Research Observatories, South from the quasars. African Large Telescope.) He aims to test a popular theory that “It was cowboy astronomy. We’d mergers between galaxies trigger both come up with simple solutions black hole activity and hope they’d work.” and bursts of star — Eric Hooper formation. “It’s All hands were on deck and all eyes on the RSS as it was being lifted up onto the telescope. Inset photo: “Second light” image of Omega Centauri exciting to start my The Experiences National Science Foundation Fellowship work on a telescope that’s so important to our department,” stronomy Department scientists says Greg. AEric Hooper, Ken Nordsieck and Fourth year graduate student Corey Wood’s proposal takes advantage of a Marsha Wolf have returned from South novel mode of RSS called a Fabry-Perot. It will enable him to map the structure and Africa, where they were placing the new velocity of highly ionized oxygen gas surrounding five quasars. This gas is believed Robert Stobie Spectrograph back on the to have been violently expelled from the quasar host galaxy by an abrupt increase Continued on page 3 The Washburn Observer Letter from the Chair into an integral and invaluable part of finished that sentence, one of our finish- our department community. ing graduate students emailed me ask- Working with the Board and our ing for Jere Fluno’s address so she could alumni more broadly is one of the most write to him about her job outcome.) enjoyable facets of my professional life. As I begin my final year as chair, The diversity of fascinating and delight- I want to also express my personal ful people is a rich pleasure. The shared thanks. Our alumni allow me the plea- dedication to the vitality and success of sure of being able to say “yes:” To the the department is an inspiration. And undergraduate last fall who asked if he the unexpected adventures are a blast! could go to the American Astronomi- How else would we have seen a Shuttle cal Society to present his research at launch from the VIP area? (Dave Radza- Green Bank. To the graduate students nowski, the current NASA chief of staff, who had an idea of their own that they is a department alumnus.) wanted to try out with “grad queue” Bob Mathieu, Astronomy Department chair The ways that our alumni and observing time on WIYN and asked if Board members give of themselves for we could support their travel. To Matt second newsletter is always an the department are wonderfully varied. Bershady and Jay Gallagher, who asked A auspicious moment. While the first Some contribute their time and wisdom to purchase narrow-band filters for their usually gets the most notice and celebra- to guiding the department, including research using the infrared camera on tion, it is the second that suggests the designing the new website! Others bring WIYN. To Eric Hooper, who asked if he possibility of a long future. their telescopes to Universe in the Park could travel to Bombay to build a col- In this issue, we take a moment events. Some contribute to our historical laboration with our SALT partner. And to introduce you to the Department of archives. And so often I receive notes finally, to the long-forgotten but wise Astronomy Board of Visitors. It was from the UW Foundation about financial student who asked if the students could John Wiley who advised us early in the gifts from alumni, many of whom I did buy pizza each week to attract the senior last decade to form such a Board. To not know before, and some of whom graduate students to Journal Club! be honest, our initial reaction was a bit were here before I came to Wisconsin. quizzical…or, as my daughter would say, Each gift is special to us, and together clueless. Fortunately, John had the wis- they make a world of difference. We are dom to ask David Beckwith if he would deeply grateful to all those who help us be willing to form the Board and help teach our students, nurture our young guide our first steps together. Dave, then researchers, and advance Wisconsin Russ Christesen and Don Procknow, and discoveries. Bob Mathieu now Jere Fluno have nurtured the Board (I am not making this up–just as I Astronomy Department chair The Washburn Observer is the alumni Please Keep in Touch If you wish to make a tax-deductible gift newsletter of the Department of Astronomy to the Department of Astronomy fund, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. which allows the department to support 475 N. Charter St. • Madison, WI 53706 We’d like to hear from you. Please special opportunities for students, staff Email: [email protected] send any news we can include in and faculty, you may contribute online at www.astro.wisc.edu (click on Friends Website: www.astro.wisc.edu future newsletters or any changes & Alumni, Make a Gift) or send a check, Chair of the Department of Astronomy: in your contact information to: Professor Robert Mathieu payable to the UW Foundation, to: UW [email protected] or UW- Foundation, US Bank Lockbox 78807, Editor: Barbara Sanford Madison Department of Astronomy, Milwaukee, WI 53278-0807. Questions may Contact for gifts information: 475 N. Charter St., Madison, WI be directed to Department of Astronomy Robert Mathieu Chair Bob Mathieu, [email protected]. [email protected] • (608) 262-8689 53706, Attn: Barb Sanford. edu, (608) 262-8689 or UW Foundation Christopher Glueck, UW Foundation Director of Development Chris Glueck, [email protected] • (608) 265-9952 Facebook: UW Madison [email protected], Astronomy Department Design: Wisconsin Alumni Association Twitter: @uwastro (608) 265-9952. 2 “SALT” continued on from page 1 Kelley Hess Balances Science and Sports Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) and commissioning the instrument this past “Astronomers think that galaxies (northern) spring. Here they share some of spend most of their lifetime in the their experiences. group environment and that that is Ken Nordsieck spent more than three where they undergo most of their months at the SALT site, preparing the evolution,” she says. “But these groups instrument to be put on the telescope. are hard structures to identify. This “Lifting the instrument on April 9 was a is the first dedicated study from the spectacular milestone,” he says. Within two perspective of their gas content to also days, they had a second light image of the examine the surrounding large scale biggest globular cluster in the Milky Way. environment.” “Within a week, a rare stellar explosion of T Pyxidis occurred, its first outburst “Cycling and running are since 1967. It was an ideal ‘commissioning lamp.’ This convinced me that I have the Kelley Hess (center) gives her all for the UW Cycling Club team. what I do so that I can come back to astronomy each day right religion,” says Ken. He got very little sleep working on the telescope and then the stronomy Department graduate feeling refreshed and excited instrument. On a regular basis, he stayed Astudent Kelley Hess is perhaps to discover something new.” up all night and then worked with the day most famous in the department for — Kelley Hess crews. “But it was all worth it,” he says. winning the Mad City Marathon in “It’s fun to get complex, unique modes 2006. Last year, she placed seventh in For the past three years, Hess working.” her age group in the Ironman triathlon.