Bradley Sky Cam

This is a zenith-pointed camera (AXIS 214) that allows us to monitor the sky day and night above Bradley Observatory. During the day, the images are used in correlation with the LIDAR atmospheric science project (see below). At night, the images are a useful way to gauge the quality of the night sky for observing. The image updates automatically every 30s.

Teaching and Current Work

Teaching 2009-2010

Last fall, I taught two classes, Astronomy 300 (Astrophysics I: Radiation) and First Year Seminar 190E (Galileo, the Telescope, and the Birth of Modern Science). In Astronomy 300, students made observations with the 0.9-m SARA telescope that we operate jointly with 9 other colleges and universities. Students in my FYS built and used Galileoscopes, which are a cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy. This spring I am teaching PHY 103 (Elements of Physics II), PHY 103L, and PHY 211 (Introduction to Scientific Computing). Students in PHY211 are learning to use Maple, MatLab and C programming in problem solving.

Research and Writing

Research

Most of my astronomical research is focused on the early phases of massive star formation in the Milky Way Galaxy. I use radio telescopes like the Very Large Array in Socorro, NM to observe ionized gas that is lit up near young massive stars. The regions that I study are basically like "hidden" versions of the familiar Orion Nebula--hidden behind a veil of molecular gas that only very long wavelengths can penetrate. I have also made observations with the Spitzer Telescope (an orbiting infrared telescope), the Gemini North telescope, and the Submillimeter Array (SMA). Some of my more recent papers are listed below.

One general characteristic of massive stars is that they have much shorter lifetimes than stars like the Sun. Solar type stars live for perhaps 10 billion years. Massive stars are lucky if they live 10 million years. As a result, the early stages of massive star formation are likewise short lived, and due to the location of young massive stars--often within dense molecular clouds--they are impossible to observe at optical wavelengths. I use the Very Large Array of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory to make most of my observations of massive star forming regions in our Galaxy. The new VLA correlator will be coming on line this spring (2010), and I hope to make observations using the expanded capabilities of the EVLA.

Since the College is now a member of the SARA consortium, I am starting to use SARA data more in my research. I am also active with the LIDAR project, a pulsed laser that is used in atmospheric sensing in an NSF-supported collaboration with GTRI (Georgia Tech Research Institute). The image above is a zenith view from the Observatory (day or night), and it updates each time you reload the page.

Popular Science Writing

I am interested in conveying astronomical discoveries to a wide audience, which has led me to do some popular science writing. I am co-author of the Complete Idiot's Guide to Astronomy (4th edition, 2008), and also co-author of Recent Advances and Issues in Astronomy and Van Nostrand's Concise Encyclopedia of Science (Wiley, 2003). I am also the author of Physics Made Simple (Doubleday, 2004).

In Fall 2009, in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, Bradley Observatory at Agnes Scott College dedicated the Metro Atlanta Solar System, which is a scale model of the solar system, centered on the plaza at Bradley Observatory. This model (the MASS), connects the College to locations throughout the greater Atlanta area,

Student-Faculty Research

I am currently working on a radio frequency observing project with Hannah Marlowe ('11); we are planning to study the Sgr B2 star forming region with new data from the EVLA. Hannah and I have just submitted an observing proposal to the VLA (February 1, 2010).

The following is a listing of some of my recently published research papers:

1. Massive star formation and feedback in W49A: the source of our Galaxy's most luminous water maser outflow, 2009, MNRAS, 399, 952, Nathan Smith, Barbara Whitney, Peter Conti, Chris G. De Pree, James M. Jackson

2. Spitzer IRAC and MIPS Imaging of Clusters and Outflows in Nine High-Mass Star Forming Regions, K. Qiu, Q. Zhang, S. T. Megeath, R. A. Gutermuth, H. Beuther, D. S. Shepherd, T. K. Sridharan, L. Testi, C. G. De Pree, 2008, The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 685, Issue 2, pp. 1005-1025

3. VLA Observations of C91α Recombination Line Emission in W49A North, 2006, The Astrophysical Journal, 644, 27, A. Roshi, C. G. De Pree, W. M. Goss, K. R. Anantharamaiah

Questions or comments? Send me an email