Announcements

IPAC Legend Jack Lampley Retires

IPAC News • June 21st, 2023

One of the original IPACers, and a beloved “father figure” to all IPACers, Jack Lampley, is stepping off after 41 years at Caltech/IPAC and more than 52 years at Caltech/JPL.

IRSA Newsletter: Issue 2023.4

Project News • May 24th, 2023

The latest IRSA Newsletter has information about ZTF Data Release 17, COSMOS2020 Catalog Release, availability of data from the IRTF/TEXES instrument, and IRSA Viewer updates.

NASA Completes Heart of Roman Space Telescope’s Primary Instrument

Project News • May 16th, 2023

The heart of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was recently delivered to Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado, for integration into the WFI (Wide Field Instrument). Called the FPS (Focal Plane System), it serves as the core of Roman’s camera.

Moon Gazing: The Long Story of Lunar Research at Caltech

Project News • May 15th, 2023

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission marks a new chapter in Caltech’s enduring exploration of Earth’s closest celestial companion.

Caught in the Act: Astronomers Detect a Star Devouring a Planet

Project News • May 3rd, 2023

A new study published online Wednesday, May 3, in the journal Nature documents the first observation of an aging star swallowing a planet. After running out of fuel in its core, the star began to grow in size, shrinking the gap with its neighboring planet, eventually consuming it entirely.

The Young Cluster of Galaxies at the Edge of the Universe

IPAC News • April 26th, 2023

Takahiro Morishita, a staff scientist at IPAC, was first author on a paper using JWST data to look back in time to the early beginnings of the universe, a mere 650 million years after the Big Bang. and observe the baby stages of seven interacting galaxies forming into a protocluster. This...

Framework for NASA’s Roman Spacecraft Moves to Goddard Clean Room

Project News • April 26th, 2023

The primary structure that will serve as the “bones” of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has moved into the big clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The spacecraft bus, Roman’s primary support element, will now be built upon this skeletal framework.

Goddard Team Builds, Tests Calibrator for NASA’s Roman in Record Time

Project News • April 19th, 2023

A vital subsystem for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was recently delivered to Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado, and installed in the spacecraft’s Wide Field Instrument (WFI). Called the Simplified Relative Calibration System (sRCS), this component will allow astronomers to measure...

IPAC Selects Ben Rusholme As Its First Chief Engineer

IPAC News • April 17th, 2023

IPAC is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Benjamin Rusholme to serve in the new and inaugural role of Chief Engineer at IPAC.

Keck Planet Finder First Data Release & Moving Object Search Available in PyKOA

Project News • April 11th, 2023

KOA announces the first release of Keck Planet Finder (KPF) data, and the Moving Object Search Service (MOSS) is now accessible through the Python client PyKOA.