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Students participate in observational and computational astrophysics research using telescopes and supercomputing resources. The lab supports preparation for graduate study and research careers.

The Astrophysics Lab is used specifically for research in planetary science and astrophysics. Faculty and students can observe with the SARA telescopes in Arizona and Chile or use one of the Mac, Linux or PC workstations set up with software packages such as IRAF and IDL used in analyzing astronomical images and spectroscopy.

Examples of current research include stellar astrophysics (atmospheres, activity and rotation, binary stars, interferometric imaging, roAp stars and white dwarfs), the interstellar medium (optical and radio mapping) and planetary science (lunar and planetary exospheres).

Equipment

• SARA observing stations
• Four Macs used for astrophysical data reduction and analysis
• HP DesignJet 500PS poster printer
• One conference table with large screen TV
• The lab features a suite of Macs, set up with software packages such as IRAF and IDL used in analyzing astronomical images and spectroscopy. Students can also remotely login to Embry-Riddle’s Vega supercomputer to perform astrophysical calculations on as many as 360 cores.
• Computer dedicated to observations with SARA complete the labs computational resources