Skip to main content
Home

Navigation Menu

  • Back
  • About
    • Back
    • About

      Contact Us

      Business Address
      5241 Broad Branch Rd. NW

      Washington , DC 20015
      United States place Map
      Call Us (202) 387-640
    • Who We Are
      • Back
      • Leadership
      • Our Blueprint For Discovery
      • Board of Trustees
      • Financial Stewardship
      • Awards & Accolades
      • History
    • Connect with Us
      • Back
      • Outreach & Education
      • Newsletter
      • Yearbook
    • Working at Carnegie
      • Back
      • Applications Open: Postdoctoral Fellowships

    Contact Us

    Business Address
    5241 Broad Branch Rd. NW

    Washington , DC 20015
    United States place Map
    Call Us (202) 387-6400
  • Research
    • Back
    • Research Areas & Topics
    • Research Areas & Topics
      • Back
      • Research Areas
      • From genomes to ecosystems and from planets to the cosmos, Carnegie Science is an incubator for cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research.
      • Astronomy & Astrophysics
        • Back
        • Astronomy & Astrophysics
        • Astrophysical Theory
        • Cosmology
        • Distant Galaxies
        • Milky Way & Stellar Evolution
        • Planet Formation & Evolution
        • Solar System & Exoplanets
        • Telescope Instrumentation
        • Transient & Compact Objects
      • Earth Science
        • Back
        • Earth Science
        • Experimental Petrology
        • Geochemistry
        • Geophysics & Geodynamics
        • Mineralogy & Mineral Physics
      • Ecology
        • Back
        • Ecology
        • Atmospheric Science & Energy
        • Adaptation to Climate Change
        • Water Quality & Scarcity
      • Genetics & Developmental Biology
        • Back
        • Genetics & Developmental Biology
        • Adaptation to Climate Change
        • Developmental Biology & Human Health
        • Genomics
        • Model Organism Development
        • Nested Ecosystems
        • Symbiosis
      • Matter at Extreme States
        • Back
        • Matter at Extreme States
        • Extreme Environments
        • Extreme Materials
        • Mineralogy & Mineral Physics
      • Planetary Science
        • Back
        • Planetary Science
        • Astrobiology
        • Cosmochemistry
        • Mineralogy & Mineral Physics
        • Planet Formation & Evolution
        • Solar System & Exoplanets
      • Plant Science
        • Back
        • Plant Science
        • Adaptation to Climate Change
        • Nested Ecosystems
        • Photosynthesis
        • Symbiosis
    • Divisions
      • Back
      • Divisions
      • Biosphere Sciences & Engineering
        • Back
        • Biosphere Sciences & Engineering
        • About

          Contact Us

          Business Address
          5241 Broad Branch Rd. NW

          Washington , DC 20015
          United States place Map
          Call Us (202) 387-640
        • Research
        • Culture
      • Earth & Planets Laboratory
        • Back
        • Earth & Planets Laboratory
        • About

          Contact Us

          Business Address
          5241 Broad Branch Rd. NW

          Washington , DC 20015
          United States place Map
          Call Us (202) 387-640
        • Research
        • Culture
        • Campus
      • Observatories
        • Back
        • Observatories
        • About

          Contact Us

          Business Address
          5241 Broad Branch Rd. NW

          Washington , DC 20015
          United States place Map
          Call Us (202) 387-640
        • Research
        • Culture
        • Campus
    • Instrumentation
      • Back
      • Instrumentation
      • Our Telescopes
        • Back
        • Our Telescopes
        • Magellan Telescopes
        • Swope Telescope
        • du Pont Telescope
      • Observatories Machine Shop
      • EPL Research Facilities
      • EPL Machine Shop
      • Mass Spectrometry Facility
      • Advanced Imaging Facility
  • People
    • Back
    • People
      Observatory Staff

      Featured Staff Member

      Staff Member

      Staff Member

      Professional Title

      Learn More
      Observatory Staff

      Search For

    • Search All People
      • Back
      • Staff Scientists
      • Leadership
      • Biosphere Science & Engineering People
      • Earth & Planets Laboratory People
      • Observatories People
    Observatory Staff
    Dr. Michael Blanton
    Observatories Director and Crawford M. Greenewalt Chair

    Featured Staff Member

    Observatories Director Michael Blanton

    Dr. Michael Blanton

    Observatories Director and Crawford M. Greenewalt Chair

    Learn More
    Observatory Staff
    Dr. Michael Blanton
    Observatories Director and Crawford M. Greenewalt Chair

    Astronomer Michael R. Blanton joined the Carnegie Science Observatories as its 12th director in January 2026. In this role he oversees astronomical research in Pasadena and telescope operations at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.

    Search For

    Search All Staff
  • Events
    • Back
    • Events
    • Search All Events
      • Back
      • Public Events
      • Biosphere Science & Engineering Events
      • Earth & Planets Laboratory Events
      • Observatories Events

    Upcoming Events

    Events

    Events

    Colloquium

    Prof. Kevin Burdge (MIT)

    From 7 minutes to 70000 years: the Renaissance of compact objects in binary (and triple) systems

    April 7

    11:00am PDT

    Seminar

    Natasha Abrams (UC Berkeley)

    Probing Binaries and Black Holes with Microlensing

    April 10

    12:15pm PDT

    explanet passing infront of a Sun
    Astronomy Lecture Series

    How To Look Inside An Exoplanet

    Astronomy Lecture Series w/ Dr. Shreyas Vissapragada

    April 14

    7:00pm PDT

  • News
    • Back
    • News
    • Search All News
      • Back
      • Biosphere Science & Engineering News
      • Earth & Planets Laboratory News
      • Observatories News
      • Carnegie Science News
    News

    Recent News

    News

    Latest

    • - Any -
    • Biosphere Sciences & Engineering
    • Carnegie Science
    • Earth & Planets Laboratory
    • Observatories
    expand_more
    Read all News
    An ancient immigrant: an artist's conception (not to scale) of the red giant SDSS J0915-7334, which was born near the Large Magellanic Cloud and has now journeyed to reside in the Milky Way. Credit: Navid Marvi/Carnegie Science.
    Breaking News
    April 03, 2026

    Found: Most pristine star in the universe

    This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken through the green and orange filters on NASA's Voyager 2 narrow angle camera. Credit: JPL
    Breaking News
    April 03, 2026

    The depths of Neptune and Uranus may be “superionic”

    An artistic rendering of TOI-5205 b courtesy of NASA
    Breaking News
    April 02, 2026

    How did this get made? Giant planet orbits small star

  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Search All
      • Back
      • Employee Resources
      • Scientific Resources
      • Postdoc Resources
      • Media Resources
      • Archival Resources
    • Quick Links
      • Back
      • Employee Intranet
      • Dayforce
      • Careers
      • Observing at LCO
      • Locations and Addresses
  • Donate
    • Back
    • Donate
      - ,

    • Make a Donation
      • Back
      • Support Scientific Research
      • The Impact of Your Gift
      • Carnegie Champions
      • Planned Giving
    Jo Ann Eder

    I feel passionately about the power of nonprofits to bolster healthy communities.

    - Jo Ann Eder , Astronomer and Alumna

    Header Text

    Postdoctoral alumna Jo Ann Eder is committed to making the world a better place by supporting organizations, like Carnegie, that create and foster STEM learning opportunities for all. 

    Learn more arrow_forward
  • Home

Abstract
We report the detection of a hot Jupiter (M-p = 1.75(-0.17)(+0.14) M-J, R-p = 1.38 +/- 0.04R(J)) orbiting a middle-aged star (log g = 4.152(-0.043)(+0.030)) in the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) southern continuous viewing zone (beta = -79 degrees.59). We confirm the planetary nature of the candidate TOI-150.01 using radial velocity observations from the APOGEE-2 South spectrograph and the Carnegie Planet Finder Spectrograph, ground-based photometric observations from the robotic Three-hundred MilliMeter Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, and Gaia distance estimates. Large-scale spectroscopic surveys, such as APOGEE/APOGEE-2, now have sufficient radial velocity precision to directly confirm the signature of giant exoplanets, making such data sets valuable tools in the TESS era. Continual monitoring of TOI-150 by TESS can reveal additional planets and subsequent observations can provide insights into planetary system architectures involving a hot Jupiter around a star about halfway through its main-sequence life.
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
As part of the 100IAS survey, a program aimed to obtain nebular-phase spectra for a volume-limited and homogeneous sample of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), we observed ASASSN-18tb (SN 2018fhw) at 139 d past maximum light. ASASSN-18tb was a fast-declining, sub-luminous event that fits well within the observed photometric and spectroscopic distributions of the SN Ia population. We detect a prominent H alpha emission line (L-H alpha = 2.2 +/- 0.2 x 10(38) ergs s(-1)) with FWHM approximate to 1100 km s(-1) in the nebular-phase spectrum of this SN Ia. High-luminosity H alpha emission (L-H alpha greater than or similar to 10(40) ergs s(-1)) has previously been discovered in a rare class of SNe Ia-like objects showing circum-stellar medium (CSM) interactions (SNe Ia-CSM). They predominantly belong to overluminous (M-max <-19 mag in optical) 1991T-like SNe Ia and are exclusively found in star-forming galaxies. By contrast, ASASSN-18tb is a sub-luminous SN Ia (M-B,M-max similar to-17.7mag) found in an early-type galaxy dominated by old stellar populations. We discuss possible origins for the observed hydrogen. Of the 75 SNe Ia for which we have so far obtained nebular spectra in 100IAS, no other SN shows a similar to 1000 km s(-1) H alpha emission line with comparable line luminosity as ASASSN-18tb, emphasizing the rarity of such emission in the nebular phase. Based on preliminary results from our survey, the rate for ASASSN-18tb-like nebular H alpha emission could be as high as similar to 10 per cent among sub-luminous SNe Ia.
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
We report comprehensive multi-wavelength observations of a peculiar Type Ia-like supernova ("SN Ia-pec") ASASSN-15pz. ASASSN-15pz is a spectroscopic "twin" of SN 2009dc, a so-called "Super-Chandrasekhar-mass" SN, throughout its evolution, but it has a peak luminosity M-B,(peak) = -19.69 +/- 0.12 mag that is approximate to 0.6 mag dimmer and comparable to the SN 1991T sub-class of SNe Ia at the luminous end of the normal width-luminosity relation. The synthesized Ni-56 mass of M-56Ni = 1.13 +/- 0.14 M-circle dot is also substantially less than that found for several 2009dc-like SNe. Previous well-studied 2009dc-like SNe have generally suffered from large and uncertain amounts of host-galaxy extinction, which is negligible for ASASSN-15pz. Based on the color of ASASSN-15pz, we estimate a host extinction for SN 2009dc of E(B - V)(host) = 0.12 mag and confirm its high luminosity (M-B,(peak) [2009dc] approximate to -20.3 mag). The 2009dc-like SN population, which represents similar to 1% of SNe Ia, exhibits a range of peak luminosities, and do not fit onto the tight width-luminosity relation. Their optical light curves also show significant diversity of late-time (greater than or similar to 50 days) decline rates. The nebular-phase spectra provide powerful diagnostics to identify the 2009dc-like events as a distinct class of SNe Ia. We suggest referring to these sources using the phenomenology-based "2009dc-like SN Ia-pec" instead of "Super-Chandrasekhar SN Ia," which is based on an uncertain theoretical interpretation.
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
Theoretical models of protoplanetary disc dispersal predict a phase where photoevaporation has truncated the disc at several au, creating a pressure trap which is dust-rich. Previous models predicted this phase could be long-lived (similar to Myr), contrary to the observational constraints. We show that dust in the pressure trap can be removed from the disc by radiation pressure exerting a significant acceleration, and hence radial velocity, on small dust particles that reside in the surface layers of the disc. The dust in the pressure trap is not subject to radial drift so it can grow to reach sizes large enough to fragment. Hence small particles removed from the surface layers are replaced by the fragments of larger particles. This link means radiation pressure can deplete the dust at all particle sizes, Through a combination of 1D and 2D models, along with secular models that follow the disc's long-term evolution, we show that radiation pressure can deplete dust from pressure traps created by photoevaporation in similar to 10(5) yr, while the photoevaporation created cavity still resides at 10 s of au. After this phase of radiation pressure removal of dust, the disc is gas-rich and dust depleted and radially optically thin to stellar light, having observational signatures similar to a gas-rich, young debris disc. Indeed many of the young stars (less than or similar to 10 Myr old) classified as hosting a debris disc may rather he discs that have undergone this process.
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
We report the discovery of the microlensing planet OGLE-201 8-BLG-0740Lb. The planet is detected with a very strong signal of Delta chi(2) similar to 4630, but the interpretation of the signal suffers from two types of degeneracies. One type is caused by the previously known close/wide degeneracy, and the other is caused by an ambiguity between two solutions, in which one solution requires the incorporation of finite-source effects, while the other solution is consistent with a point-source interpretation. Although difficult to be firmly resolved based on only the photometric data, the degeneracy is resolved in strong favor of the point-source solution with the additional external information obtained from astrometric and spectroscopic observations. The small astrometric offset between the source and baseline object supports that the blend is the lens and this interpretation is further secured by the consistency of the spectroscopic distance estimate of the blend with the lensing parameters of the point-source solution. The estimated mass of the host is 1.0 +/- 0.1 M-circle dot and the mass of the planet is 4.5 +/- 0.6 M-J (close solution) or 4.8 +/- 0.6 M-J (wide solution) and the lens is located at a distance of 3.2 +/- 0.5 kpc. The bright nature of the lens, with I similar to 17.1 (V similar to 18.2), combined with its dominance of the observed flux suggest that radial-velocity (RV) follow-up observations of the lens can be done using high-resolution spectrometers mounted on large telescopes, e.g., Very Large Telescope/ESPRESSO, and this can potentially not only measure the period and eccentricity of the planet but also probe for close-in planets. We estimate that the expected RV amplitude would be similar to 60 sin i m s(-1).
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
Each of the giant planets within the Solar system has large moons but none of these moons have their own moons ( which we call submoons). By analogy with studies of moons around short-period exoplanets, we investigate the tidal-dynamical stability of submoons. We find that 10 km-scale submoons can only survive around large ( 1000 km-scale) moons on wide-separation orbits. Tidal dissipation destabilizes the orbits of submoons around moons that are small or too close to their host planet; this is the case for most of the Solar system's moons. A handful of known moons are, however, capable of hosting long-lived submoons: Saturn's moons Titan and Iapetus, Jupiter's moon Callisto, and Earth's Moon. Based on its inferred mass and orbital separation, the newly discovered exomoon candidate Kepler-1625b-I can in principle host a large submoon, although its stability depends on a number of unknown parameters. We discuss the possible habitability of submoons and the potential for subsubmoons. The existence, or lack thereof, of submoons may yield important constraints on satellite formation and evolution in planetary systems.
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
We present optical photometry and spectroscopy of the Type Ia supernova SN2018cqj/ATLAS18qtd. The supernova exploded in an isolated region at similar to 65 kpc from the S0 galaxy IC 550 at z = 0.0165 (D 74 Mpc) and has a redshift consistent with a physical association to this galaxy. Multicolor photometry show that SN2018cqj/ATLAS18qtd is a low-luminosity (M-Bmax approximate to -17.9 mag), fast-declining Type Ia, with color stretch s(BV) 0.6 and B-band decline rate Delta m(15)(B) 1.77 mag. Two nebular-phase spectra obtained as part of the 100IAS survey at +193 and +307 days after peak show the clear detection of a narrow H alpha line in emission that is resolved in the first spectrum with FWHM 1200 km s(-1) and L-H alpha 3.8 x 10(37) erg s(-1). The detection of a resolved H alpha line with a declining luminosity is broadly consistent with recent models where hydrogen is stripped from the nondegenerate companion in a single-degenerate progenitor system. However, the amount of hydrogen consistent with the luminosities of the H alpha line would be similar to 10(-3) M, which is significantly less than theoretical model predictions in the classical single-degenerate progenitor systems. SN2018cqj/ATLAS18qtd is the second low-luminosity, fast-declining SN Ia after SN2018fhw/ASASSN-18tb that shows narrow H alpha in emission in its nebular-phase spectra.
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
We present DES16C3cje, a low-luminosity, long-lived type II supernova (SN II) at redshift 0.0618, detected by the Dark Energy Survey (DES). DES16C3cje is a unique SN. The spectra are characterized by extremely narrow photospheric lines corresponding to very low expansion velocities of less than or similar to 1500 km s(-1), and the light curve shows an initial peak that fades after 50 d before slowly rebrightening over a further 100 d to reach an absolute brightness of M-r similar to 15.5 mag. The decline rate of the late-time light curve is then slower than that expected from the powering by radioactive decay of Co-56, but is comparable to that expected from accretion power. Comparing the bolometric light curve with hydrodynamical models, we find that DES16C3cje can be explained by either (i) a low explosion energy (0.11 foe) and relatively large Ni-56 production of 0.075 M-circle dot from an similar to 15 M-circle dot red supergiant progenitor typical of other SNe II, or (ii) a relatively compact similar to 40 M-circle dot star, explosion energy of 1 foe, and 0.08 M-circle dot of Ni-56. Both scenarios require additional energy input to explain the late-time light curve, which is consistent with fallback accretion at a rate of similar to 0.5 x 10(-)(8) M-circle dot s(-1).
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
Robotic fiber positioner (RFP) arrays are becoming heavily adopted in wide-field massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey instruments. RFP arrays decrease nightly operational overheads through rapid reconfiguration between fields and exposures. In comparison to similar instruments, SDSS-V has selected a very dense RFP packing scheme where any point in a field is typically accessible to three or more robots. This design provides flexibility in target assignment. However, the task of collisionless trajectory planning is especially challenging. We present two multiagent distributed control strategies that are highly efficient and computationally inexpensive for determining collision-free paths for RFPs in heavily overlapping workspaces. We demonstrate that a reconfiguration path between two arbitrary robot configurations can be efficiently found if a "folded" state, in which all robot arms are retracted and aligned in a lattice-like orientation, is inserted between the initial and final states. Although developed for SDSS-V, the approach we describe is generic and thus applicable to a wide range of RFP designs and layouts. Robotic fiber positioner technology continues to advance rapidly, and in the near future ultra-densely packed RFP designs may be feasible. Our algorithms are especially capable in routing paths in very crowded environments, where we see efficient results even in regimes significantly more crowded than the SDSS-V RFP design.
View Full Publication open_in_new
Abstract
There is a wide consensus that Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) originate from the thermonuclear explosion of CO white dwarfs (WDs), with the lack of hydrogen in the observed spectra as a distinctive feature. Here, we present supernova (SN) 2016jae, which was classified as an SN Ia from a spectrum obtained soon after its discovery. The SN reached a B-band peak of -17.93 +/- 0.34 mag, followed by a fast luminosity decline with s(BV)0.56 +/- 0.06 and inferred Delta m(15)(B) of 1.88 +/- 0.10 mag. Overall, the SN appears to be a 'transitional' event between a 'normal' SN Ia and a very dim SN Ia, such as 91bg-like SNe. Its peculiarity is that two late-time spectra, taken at +84 and +142 days after the peak, show a narrow line of H alpha (with full width at half maximum of similar to 650 and 1000 km s(-1), respectively). This is the third low-luminosity and fast-declining SN Ia, after SN2018cqj/ATLAS18qtd and SN2018fhw/ASASSN-18tb, found in the 100IAS survey to show a resolved narrow H alpha line in emission in its nebular-phase spectra. We argue that the nebular H alpha emission originates in an expanding hydrogen-rich shell (with velocity <= 1000 km s(-1)). The hydrogen shell velocity is too high to be produced during a common envelope phase, though it may be consistent with some material stripped from an H-rich companion star in a single-degenerate progenitor system. However, the derived mass of this stripped hydrogen is similar to 0.002-0.003 M-circle dot, which is much less than that expected (> 0.1 M-circle dot) from standard models for these scenarios. Another plausible sequence of events is a weak SN ejecta interaction with an H shell ejected by optically thick winds or a nova-like eruption on the CO WD progenitor some years before the SN explosion.
View Full Publication open_in_new

Pagination

  • Previous page chevron_left
  • …
  • Page 784
  • Page 785
  • Page 786
  • Page 787
  • Current page 788
  • Page 789
  • Page 790
  • Page 791
  • Page 792
  • …
  • Next page chevron_right
Subscribe to

Get the latest

Subscribe to our newsletters.

Privacy Policy
Home
  • Instagram instagram
  • Twitter twitter
  • Youtube youtube
  • Facebook facebook

Science

  • Biosphere Sciences & Engineering
  • Earth & Planets Laboratory
  • Observatories
  • Our Research Areas
  • Our Blueprint For Discovery

Legal

  • Financial Statements
  • Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Careers

  • Working at Carnegie
  • Scientific and Technical Jobs
  • Administrative & Support Jobs
  • Postdoctoral Program
  • Carnegie Connect (For Employees)

Contact Us

  • Contact Administration
  • Media Contacts

Business Address

5241 Broad Branch Rd. NW

Washington, DC 20015

place Map

© Copyright Carnegie Science 2026