May 2019
In this issue:
- Astrophysical Detection of the Helium Hydride Ion
- Cycle 7 Observations Begun, and Cycle 8 Soon to Come
- SOFIA Science on Tour
- Upcoming Tele-Talks
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Astrophysical Detection of the Helium Hydride Ion (HeH+)
Güsten et al.,
Nature
, 2019
Researchers using SOFIA have made the first-ever detection of the helium hydride molecular ion (HeH+) in interstellar space. This discovery refines our understanding of the underlying chemical networks that control the formation and destruction of this special molecular ion, a first step toward the huge diversity of molecules in the Universe today.
(Image credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Processing: Judy Schmidt)
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Cycle 7 Observations Begun, and Cycle 8 Soon to Come!
April 30, 2019, marked the beginning of observations for the
selected proposals for Cycle 7
with the Far Infrared Field-Imaging Line Spectrometer (FIFI-LS) onboard for duty. FIFI-LS operates between 50 – 200 microns with a spectral resolution ranging between 500 and 2,000, depending on the wavelength being observed. Past observations with FIFI-LS have yielded a complete [C II] emission map of the grand design spiral galaxy M51
(Pineda 2019)
, were instrumental in differentiating the source of [C II] emission in the active galaxy NGC4258
(Appleton 2019)
, and shed light on the destruction of the molecular clouds in the Omega nebula M17 by radiation from massive stars
(Klein, in prep).
Cycle 7 will run through April 20, 2020. The
current schedule of observations
allows for 145 flight opportunities, almost a quarter of which will be Southern Deployment observations based out of Christchurch, New Zealand, in June and July 2019. Southern Deployments allow SOFIA to take advantage of the excellent winter observing conditions in the high southern latitudes. The instruments selected for the Cycle 7 Southern Deployment are the German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT), Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST), and High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-plus (HAWC+). The observing program for GREAT and FORCAST will include the SOFIA Legacy Programs, which are larger programs spanning two cycles of observation. To further benefit from SOFIA’s mobility advantage, opportunities to integrate additional shorter deployments later in Cycle 7 are also currently under consideration.
The Cycle 8 Call for Proposals is just around the corner and due for release on May 31, 2019. Astronomers interested in observing with SOFIA should review the
Quick Guide
for an overview of the SOFIA instrument suite.
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SOFIA Science on Tour
From May to August 2019, members of the SOFIA science team will be deployed across the United States to present recent SOFIA science and provide assistance to current users and proposers through seminars and workshops, depending on the needs of the local community. At no cost to participants or the host institution, SOFIA Science on Tour enables research institutes and university departments to offer staff and students free resources to learn about new research discoveries and opportunities through a diverse range of presentations, tutorials, and targeted technical support.
The current
schedule of events
will be updated regularly as new events are scheduled and host informational webpages become available. The next events currently include the following:
May 9, 2019: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
May 10, 2019: Observatory Hamburg, Germany
May 16, 2019: University of Kassel, Germany
May 17, 2019: Thuringian State Observatory, Germany
May 22, 2019: University of Washington
June 12, 2019: SOFIA Data Demo at IRSA booth, AAS Meeting, St. Louis
August 9, 2019: SOFIA Proposal Tool Webinar
Contact the
Help Desk
for more information on how to get SOFIA Science on Tour to come to your institution with an event specifically tailored to the needs of your staff and students.
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Upcoming Tele-Talks
SOFIA Tele-Talks are scientific presentations given via phone, with slides distributed ahead of time. The talks are targeted broadly towards members of the astronomy community who are interested in SOFIA science and in the current and potential scientific capabilities of the observatory. The talks are organized by Dan Lester (Univ. of Texas, Austin) and held approximately twice a month on Wednesdays at 9:00am Pacific, noon Eastern.
The next Tele-Talks are:
- June 5: David Neufeld (Johns Hopkins University); HeH+ in NGC7027
- June 12: Jorge Pineda (JPL); [CII] in M51
- July 10: Darius Lis (Caltech); D/H in Comet 46P/Wirtanen
- July 17: Maggie Thompson (UCSC); MidIR debris disk around BD+20 307
- August 7: Allison Towner (University of Virgnia, NRAO); photometry of Extended Green Objects
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Executive Editor: Joan Schmelz
Content: Raquel Destefano
Design: Leslie Proudfit
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