NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre | |
Named after | Gerhard Herzberg |
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Founded at | Ottawa, Canada |
Location |
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Owner | Government of Canada |
Director-General | Luc Simard |
Website | astroherzberg |
Formerly called | NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (NRC-HIA) |
The NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre (NRC Herzberg, HAA) [1] is the leading Canadian centre for astronomy and astrophysics. It is based in Victoria, British Columbia. The current director-general, as of 2021, is Luc Simard. [2]
Named for the Nobel laureate Gerhard Herzberg, it was formed in 1975 as part of the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. The NRC-HIA headquarters were moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1995 to the site of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. In 2012, the organization was restructured and renamed NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics. [1]
NRC-HAA also operates the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory outside of Penticton, British Columbia and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre as well as managing Canadian involvement in the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, Gemini Observatory, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Thirty Meter Telescope, as well as Canada's national astronomy data centre. [3]
The Plaskett Fellowship is named after John Stanley Plaskett and is awarded to an outstanding, recent doctoral graduate in astrophysics or a closely related discipline. [4] Fellows conduct independent research in a stimulating, collegial environment at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Expertise in observational astrophysics is the norm, but some theoreticians were also among this distinguished group of astronomers.
Name | Dates | Current Position |
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Marshall, Madeline | 2021 - present | Plaskett Fellow, HAA |
Woods, Tyrone | 2019 - 2023 | Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba |
Hénault-Brunet, Vincent | 2017 - 2019 | Assistant Professor, Saint Mary's University |
Ngo, Henry | 2017 - 2019 | Data and Analytics Lead, Office of the Provincial Health Officer, BC Ministry of Health |
Lawler, Samantha | 2014 - 2019 | Assistant Professor, University of Regina |
McConnell, Nick | 2014 - 2016 | STEM Workforce Development and Education Manager, ISEE |
Roediger, Joel | 2013 - 2016 | Astronomer, NRC-HAA |
Kirk, Helen | 2012 - 2015 | Astronomer, NRC-HAA |
Fraser, Wesley | 2011 – 2014 | University Fellow, Queen's University Belfast |
Mann, Rita | 2010 – 2015 | Astronomer, Victoria |
Schnee, Scott | 2009 – 2010 | System Director, The Aerospace Corporation |
McConnachie, Alan | 2008 – 2011 | Instrumentation Astronomer, NRC-HAA |
Peng, Chien-Yi | 2007 – 2010 | Scientific Programmer, Giant Magellan Telescope |
Geha, Marla | 2006 – 2007 | Professor, Astronomy, Yale University |
Puzia, Thomas H. | 2006 – 2010 | Associate Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile |
Onken, Chris | 2005 – 2008 | Research Fellow, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University |
Peng, Eric | 2004 – 2007 | Faculty Research Fellow, Department of Astronomy, Peking University |
Matthews, Brenda | 2004 – 2008 | Astronomer, Millimetre Astronomy Group, NRC-HAA |
Fiege, Jason | 2002 – 2004 | Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba |
Willott, Christopher | 2002 – 2006 | Astronomer, Canadian Astronomy Data Centre, NRC-HAA |
Johnson, Jennifer | 2002 – 2005 | Professor, Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University |
Sawicki, Marcin | 2001 – 2004 | Chair of Astronomy & Physics, Astronomy and Physics, St Mary's University |
Barton, Elizabeth | 1999 – 2001 | Founder & CEO at Infiniscape Incorporated |
van Zee, Liese | 1999 – 2001 | Professor, Astronomy, University of Indiana |
Fulbright, Jon | 1999 – 2002 | GOES-R Product Readiness and Operations (PRO) Deputy and Product Quality Lead, Arctic Slope Technical Services |
Côté, Stéphanie | 1997 – 1999 | Group Leader, Canadian Gemini Office NRC-HAA |
Lavezzi, Tracey Ellen | 1997 – 1999 | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
Courteau, Stéphane | 1996 – 1999 | Professor, Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, Queen's University |
Côté, Patrick | 1994 – 1997 | Principal Research Officer, NRC-HAA |
Marzke, Ronald | 1994 – 1997 | Associate Dean of College of Science & Engineering, San Francisco State University |
Smecker-Hane, Tammy | 1992 – 1995 | Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy, University of California Irvine |
Garnavich, Peter | 1991 – 1994 | Professor, Astrophysics / Cosmology Physics, Notre Dame University |
Riegler, Michael | 1991 – 1993 | Program Manager, Word Business Unit, Microsoft Corporation |
Abraham, Roberto | 1991 - 1994 | Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toronto |
Ellingson, Erica | 1989 – 1992 | Associate Professor, Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder |
Friel, Eileen | 1988 – 1990 | Professor Emerita, University of Indiana |
Pierce, Michael | 1988 – 1991 | Professor, University of Wyoming |
Bolte, Michael | 1987 – 1990 | Professor, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Lick Observatory |
Welch, Douglas | 1986 – 1988 | Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, McMaster University |
Ratnatunga, Kavan | 1986 – 1988 | Senior Research Scientist, Carnegie-Mellon University |
Westpfahl, David | 1986 – 1988 | Professor, Department of Physics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology |
Crabtree, Dennis | 1986 – 1988 | Astronomer, NRC-HAA |
Durand, Daniel | 1986 – 1989 | Retired, former Research Council Officer, NRC-HAA |
Smith, Graeme | 1984 – 1986 | Professor, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Lick Observatory |
Stauffer, John | 1984 – 1986 | Research Scientist, Spitzer Science Centre |
Stetson, Peter | 1983 – 1984 | Retired, former Principal Research Officer, NRC-HAA |
Campbell, Bruce | 1983 – 1987 | Financial consultant |
Olszewski, Edward | 1982 – 1984 | Astronomer, Steward Observatory |
Yee, Howard | 1982 – 1984 | Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto |
Stryker, Linda | 1981 – 1983 | Emeritus Professor, Arizona State University |
Massey, Philip | 1980 – 1983 | Astronomer, Lowell Observatory |
Mochnacki, Stefan | 1980 – 1982 | Retired, professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto |
Harris, Hugh | 1980 – 1982 | Astronomer, U.S. Naval Observatory |
Quintana, Hernán | 1979 – 1981 | Professor, Department of Astronomy (former Chair), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile |
Pritchet, Christopher | 1978 – 1981 | Retired, professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy (former Chair), University of Victoria |
Lawrie, David | 1978 – 1980 | Director, Sensing and Exploitation Department, Aerospace Corporation |
Poeckert, Roland | 1977 – 1979 | Unknown |
Rucinski, Slavek | 1975 – 1977 | Retired, formerly professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Associate Director, David Dunlap Observatory, University of Toronto |
The Covington Fellowship is named after Arthur Covington and is awarded to an outstanding, recent doctoral graduate in astrophysics or a closely related discipline. [5] Fellows conduct independent research in a stimulating, collegial environment at the institute at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Penticton, BC. DRAO staff expertise is in observational radio astronomy and the development of instrumentation and technology for radio telescopes. Current and past Covington Fellows are:
Name | Dates | Current Position |
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Jennifer West | 2023-present | Covington Fellow, Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, NRC-HAA |
Mehrnoosh Tahani | 2019-2022 | Banting Fellow, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University |
Trey Wenger | 2019-2022 | NSF Fellow, Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Paul Scholz | 2016-2019 | Dunlap Fellow, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto |
Timothy Robishaw | 2011-2013 | Senior Research Officer, Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, NRC-HAA |
Maik Wolleben | 2008-2011 | Founder, Skaha Remote Sensing |
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of 66 radio telescopes in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, which observe electromagnetic radiation at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The array has been constructed on the 5,000 m (16,000 ft) elevation Chajnantor plateau – near the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. This location was chosen for its high elevation and low humidity, factors which are crucial to reduce noise and decrease signal attenuation due to Earth's atmosphere. ALMA provides insight on star birth during the early Stelliferous era and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation.
The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. The Dominion architect responsible for the building was Edgar Lewis Horwood. The main instrument is the 72-inch-aperture (1.83 m) Plaskett telescope, proposed and designed by John S. Plaskett in 1910 with the support of the International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research.
John Stanley Plaskett was a Canadian astronomer.
Llano de Chajnantor Observatory is the name for a group of astronomical observatories located at an altitude of over 4,800 m (15,700 ft) in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The site is in the Antofagasta Region approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the town of San Pedro de Atacama. The exceptionally arid climate of the area is inhospitable to humans, but creates an excellent location for millimeter, submillimeter, and mid-infrared astronomy. This is because water vapour absorbs and attenuates submillimetre radiation. Llano de Chajnantor is home to the largest and most expensive astronomical telescope project in the world, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). Llano de Chajnantor and the surrounding area has been designated as the Chajnantor Science Reserve by the government of Chile.
The Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) is a national research institute funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, located at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. CITA's mission is "to foster interaction within the Canadian theoretical Astrophysics community and to serve as an international center of excellence for theoretical studies in astrophysics." CITA was incorporated in 1984.
The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory is a research facility founded in 1960 and located at Kaleden, British Columbia, Canada. The site houses four radio telescopes: an interferometric radio telescope, a 26-m single-dish antenna, a solar flux monitor, and the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) — as well as support engineering laboratories. The DRAO is operated by the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics of the National Research Council of the Government of Canada. The observatory was named an IEEE Milestone for first radio astronomical observations using VLBI.
The Algonquin Radio Observatory (ARO) is a radio observatory located in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1959 in order to host a number of the National Research Council of Canada's (NRC) ongoing experiments in a more radio-quiet location than Ottawa.
Roberto Abraham, FRSC is a Canadian astronomer and is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Toronto and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Arthur Edwin Covington was a Canadian physicist who made the first radio astronomy measurements in Canada. Through these he made the valuable discovery that sunspots generate large amounts of microwaves at the 10.7 cm wavelength, offering a simple all-weather method to measure and predict sunspot activity, and their associated effects on communications. The sunspot detection program has run continuously to this day.
The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, is among the largest astrophysics groups in the UK. It includes the Jodrell Bank Observatory, the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, and the Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre. The centre was formed after the merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST which brought two astronomy groups together. The Jodrell Bank site also hosts the headquarters of the SKA Observatory (SKAO) - the International Governmental Organisation (IGO) tasked with the delivery and operation of the Square Kilometre Array, created on the signing of the Rome Convention in 2019. The SKA will be the largest telescope in the world - construction is expected to start at the end of this decade.
Okanagan Falls is a community located on the south end of Skaha Lake in British Columbia.
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey is a review of astronomy and astrophysics literature produced approximately every ten years by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. The report surveys the current state of the field, identifies research priorities, and makes recommendations for the coming decade. The decadal survey represents the recommendations of the research community to governmental agencies on how to prioritize scientific funding within astronomy and astrophysics. The editing committee is informed by topical panels and subcommittees, dedicated conferences, and direct community input in the form of white papers summarizing the state of the art in each subdiscipline. The most recent report, Astro2020, was released in 2021.
Patrick Thaddeus was an American professor and finished his career as the Robert Wheeler Willson Professor of Applied Astronomy Emeritus at Harvard University. He is best known for mapping carbon monoxide in the Milky Way galaxy and was responsible for the construction of the CfA 1.2 m Millimeter-Wave Telescope.
Thomas M. Dame is Director of the Radio Telescope Data Center at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, a Senior Radio Astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and a Lecturer on Astronomy at Harvard University. He is best known for mapping the Milky Way galaxy in Carbon Monoxide and for the discovery of both the Far 3 kpc Arm and the Outer Scutum–Centaurus Arm of the Milky Way.
Laura Ferrarese is a researcher in space science at the National Research Council of Canada. Her primary work has been performed using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.
The Algonquin 46m radio telescope (ARO) is a radio telescope at the Algonquin Radio Observatory, Canada. This radio telescope is historically famous for taking part in the first successful very long baseline interferometry experiment in the 1960s, where it was experimentally arrayed with the 26-metre Telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory near Penticton, British Columbia.
Michael Bolte is a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California Santa Cruz. From 2005 - 2012 he was the Director of the University of California Observatories which operates Lick Observatory near San Jose California, co-manages the W.M. Keck Observatory, and leads the University of California participation in the Thirty-Meter Telescope Project. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the CARA Board that oversees the W.M. Keck Observatory from 2005 - 2013 and has been a Director on the Board of Directors for the Thirty-Meter Telescope International Observatory since 2005.
Sean Dougherty is a Canadian astrophysicist who has been involved in a large number of radio astronomical facilities, both Canadian and international.
Marla C. Geha is an American astronomer who specializes in dwarf galaxies, and especially the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. She is a professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University, and director of telescope resources for Yale.
We operate Canada's national observatories and a national astronomy data centre