Title: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA): Project overview and a few science highlights    

Speaker: Hans Zinnecher (AIP, Potsdam)

Time & place: Friday, 3:00pm, March 27th, lecture Hall, 3rd floor  

Abstract: SOFIA, short for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is a Boeing 747SP aircraft with a 2.7m telescope flying as high as 45000 ft in the stratosphere above 99 percent of the precipitable water vapor. It has started astronomical observations in Dec 2010 and has reached full operational capability in April 2014. SOFIA is a joint project between NASA (80%) and the German DLR (20%).  

By now, SOFIA has delivered a number of exciting results and discoveries, both in mid-infrared imaging (5-40 micron) and in far-infrared (THz) heterodyne high-resolution spectroscopy, especially in the fields of star formation and astrochemistry. The work-horse instruments used to obtain these first results were FORCAST and GREAT. 

In July 2013 SOFIA was deployed to New Zealand for a total of 9 flights to observe major targets in the Southern hemisphere at THz frequencies, including the Galactic Center region as well as the Magellanic Clouds. The results are now being published. Recently, SOFIA underwent a full overhaul at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, and is now back observing successfully, with the spectrometers EXES (5-28 microns) and FIFI-LS (50-200 microns). The observation of a Pluto occultation by a bright star on June 29, 2015 in the southern hemisphere (to complement the New Horizons Mission) has been approved. End of June is also the deadline for the next call for proposals (Cycle 4). Anyone can apply, as SOFIA is an Observatory open internationally.  

Biog: Hans Zinnecker, a well-known astrophysicist from Germany with a broad theoretical and observational background in the field of star formation, is the SOFIA Science Mission Operations Deputy Director. Zinnecker, a world-leading expert in young stars and their initial mass function, covers a vast spectrum in both high-mass and low-mass star formation, including binaries, disks, jets, and exoplanets. He has contributed to many topical international conferences and meetings and served on many international committees (e.g. ESO, ESA, EC, IAU). He was the President of IAU Commission 26 on binary stars, and has been a member of several international astronomy prize selection panels. As SOFIA Mission Operations Deputy Director, Zinnecker co-directs SOFIA's overall scientific mission and is responsible for the Observatory's productivity. He also represents the German interests in both SOFIA's science and management, and is responsible for the US-based staff of the Deutsches SOFIA Institute. Amongst his various challenges is his hope to convert Herschel users to SOFIA users.