A New Approach to SETI: Targeting Alien Polluters

July 24, 2014

"Humanity is on the threshold of being able to detect signs of alien life on other worlds. By studying exoplanet atmospheres, we can look for gases like oxygen and methane that only coexist if replenished by life. But those gases come from simple life forms like microbes. What about advanced civilizations? Would they leave any detectable signs?"

CFA Press Release: A New Approach to SETI: Targeting Alien Polluters
NBC News:...

The First Stars and Galaxies

July 8, 2014

Video: Harvard Prof. Avi Loeb on structure formation in the early Universe, mapping hydrogen using 21 centimeter line, and density inhomogeneities.

Video: http://serious-science.org/videos/1194

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Telling the Story of Science

June 16, 2014

A grassroots, student-led effort to train PhD scientists to describe their research with clarity and eloquence draws interest from far and wide:

GSAS Bulletin: http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/scholarly_life/telling-the-story-of-science.php

Galactic collision gave Andromeda its arms

June 4, 2014

"Andromeda looks as if it has ring-like structures rather than spiral arms, but a simulation suggests that this could be merely a trick of perspective."

Fireman Fellowships awarded to two graduating students: Wen-fai Fong and Nathan Sanders

May 28, 2014

At the department's 2014 Awards Ceremony, Rita Fireman awarded two graduating students with the Fireman Fellowship, given each year in honor of her husband. This year's awards were given to Wen-fai Fong and Nathan Sanders.... Read more about Fireman Fellowships awarded to two graduating students: Wen-fai Fong and Nathan Sanders

2014 Shaw Prize in Astronomy

May 27, 2014

Harvard Astronomy Professor, Daniel Eisenstein, along with Shaun Cole and John Peacock, to receive the 2014 Shaw prize in astronomy for their contributions to the measurements of features in the large-scale structure of galaxies used to constrain the cosmological model including baryon acoustic oscillations and redshift-space distortions.

"The Shaw Prize is an international award established in 2002 to pay tribute to those who have made distinguished contributions to modern civilization. The three awards for Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences will...

Astronomers Create First Realistic Virtual Universe

May 12, 2014

This groundbreaking model of the universe called Illustris was created by a team of post-doc researchers headed up by Faculty member, Lars Hernquist, and graduate student, Dylan Nelson. This work was first described in a recent Nature article.... Read more about Astronomers Create First Realistic Virtual Universe

2014 Hoopes Prize and Goldberg Prize Awarded to Astrononomy Undergraduates

May 8, 2014

Alexander Krolewski, has been awarded a Hoopes Prize for the project entitled "Measuring the luminosity and black hole mass dependence of quasar-galaxy clustering at z ~ 0.8."
Natania Wolansky, has been awarded a Hoopes Prize for the project entitled "Are You There Gas? It's Me, Planet: The Effects of Gas on Growth of Gas Giant Cores through Planetesimal Accretion."... Read more about 2014 Hoopes Prize and Goldberg Prize Awarded to Astrononomy Undergraduates

John Kovac in Time Magazine's 100 most influential people

April 28, 2014

The Big Brain Explaining the Growing Universe
"Some 14 billion years ago, a violent burst of antigravity drove space to expand at a blistering rate that momentarily exceeded the speed of light..."
Read More: http://time.com/70868/john-kovac-2014-time-100/

The Region of Ideas and Invention

April 28, 2014

Harvard President, Drew Faust, dedicated her column in the Harvard Magazine this month to Astronomy due in large part to John Kovac's recent announcements concerning cosmic inflation.... Read more about The Region of Ideas and Invention

Department of Astronomy

2014