Founded in 1994, the mission of the Center is to support the advancement of astronomical science by providing the means by which to exploit observations at very high resolutions. The Center demonstrates this focus through its current activities and plans for state-of-the-art adaptive optics systems and related technologies for the many large telescope projects of Steward Observatory, in cooperation with partners from elsewhere on campus, across the country, and around the world. These devices significantly reduce the main limitation of ground-based telescopes, the severe reduction of image quality that results from turbulence in Earth's atmosphere. Operating at near-infrared wavelengths, the Center's AO systems allow imaging and spectroscopy at the limit of resolution of optical diffraction. These advances in astronomers' abilities to view the heavens represent the biggest leap in astronomical technology since the invention of the telescope itself.
Currently, the Center explores and implements a broad range of instrumental and analytical techniques for both ground- and space-based observations. Adaptive Optics systems are not the Center's end products; the enhancement of astronomical science that comes from Adaptive Optics and AO-enabled techniques is an ultimate CAAO goal. This requires of the Center parallel development of both ancillary instrumentation and data reduction capabilities, as well as the invention of new observational techniques, especially space-based techniques for the detection of exo-Earths.
Events of Interest
Bi-weekly CAAO AO Science talk
Every other Thursday at 12 pm, Room N305
November 19: Keith Powell speaks about Wavefront controller for the MMT and Blake Coughenour will describe composite deformable mirror for astronomyAstronomical Events
Funding Opportunities
NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) Applications:NASA announces a call for graduate fellowship proposals to the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) program for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Applications Due: February 1, 2010
The NESSF call for proposals and submission instructions are located at the NESSF 09 solicitation index page at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ - click on "Solicitations" then click on "Open Solicitations" then select the "NESSF 10" announcement.
nspires.nasaprs.comNSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG) Proposals:
Proposals Due: November 15, 2009
Upcoming Meetings
AAS Winter Meeting January 3 - 7, 2010, Washington, D.C. AAS WebsiteExoplanets rising: Astronomy and Planetary Science at the Crossroads March 29 - April 2, 2010, UC Santa Cruz Conference Website
AAS Summer Meeting May 23 - 27, 2010, Miami, FL AAS Website
SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation June 27 - July 2, 2010, San Diego, CA SPIE Website
Steward/NOAO Colloquium
Thursdays at 4:00 PMSteward Observatory Room N210
Joint Colloquium Series Website
Link to Upcoming Talks Schedule
Theoretical Astrophysics Colloquium
Mondays at 4:00 p.m.Kuiper Space Sciences Room 308
