Events Calendar

25 Years of Science with the Chandra X-ray Observatory

Vinay Kashyap, PhD; Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian

Launched in 1999 from the Space Shuttle Columbia, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, one of NASA's Great Observatories fleet, has been playing a major role in advancing high-energy astrophysics for a quarter century. Its combination of unprecedentedly sharp mirrors, coupled with an instrument suite comprising CCDs, microchannel plates, and dispersion gratings, have allowed detailed investigations from the local to the distant Universe. I will touch upon results ranging from observations of aurorae in the solar system, to studies of stellar activity individually and in clusters, to planetary nebulae, and supernova remnants in both our Galaxy and elsewhere, to compact objects and AGNs, and X-ray jets. I will also discuss the current status and future prospects for Chandra, especially in the context of its role as a flagship observatory for X-ray astronomy.

Bio: Dr. Vinay Kashyap (UChicago '94, Astronomy & Astrophysics) is a Senior Astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. He specializes in solar & stellar coronal astrophysics, exoplanetary environments, and astrostatistics. He is a member of the Chandra X-ray Observatory calibration team, primarily responsible for the in-flight calibration of the High Resolution Camera detector onboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. He has authored or co-authored more than 125 refereed publications, several book chapters and white papers, and has been instrumental in the development of several widely used solar and astronomical analysis algorithms.

There will be a reception in 316 VAN at 3 p.m. immediately preceding the colloquium. Light refreshments will be available.