Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

File:Center for Astrophysics.jpg

SAO exterior, Cambridge, MA

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) to form the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

History

The SAO was founded in 1890 by Samuel Pierpont Langley, the Smithsonian's third Secretary, primarily for studies of the sun. Langley is remembered today as an aeronautical pioneer, but he was trained as an astronomer and was the first American scientist to perceive "astrophysics" as a distinct field. Langley invented the bolometer and discovered infrared radiation from the sun.

In 1955, the SAO moved from Washington, D.C. to Cambridge, to affiliate with HCO and to expand its staff, facilities, and most importantly, its scientific scope. Fred Whipple, the first director of SAO in this new era, accepted a national challenge to create a worldwide satellite-tracking network, a decision that would establish SAO as a pioneer and leader in space science research.

Smithsonian and the USAF Project Space Track shared observations and ephemerides throughout the early days of satellite tracking, 1957–1961.

In 1973, the ties between Smithsonian and Harvard were strengthened and formalized by the creation of the joint Harvard-Smithsonian CfA.

Remote stations

SAO has operated a number of remote stations over the years.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Station	Type	Latitude	Longitude	El. (m)	Opened	Closed	Coordinates
Mount Wilson, California	Solar	34º13'N	118º56'W	1737	1908	1920
Hump Mountain, North Carolina	Solar	36º8'N	82º0'W	1500	1917	1918
Calama, Chile	Solar	22º28'S	68º56'W	2250	1918	1920
Mount Montezuma, Chile	Solar	22º40'S	68º56'W	2711	1920	?
Mount Harquahala, Arizona	Solar	33º48'N	113º20'W	1721	1920	1925
Table Mountain, California	Solar	34º22'N	117º41'W	2286	1925	1962
Mount Brukkaros, Namibia	Solar	25º52'S	17º48'E	1586	1926	1931
Mount Saint Catherine, Egypt	Solar	28º31'N	33º56'E	2591	1934	1937
Burro Mountain, New Mexico	Solar	32º40'N	108º33'W	2440	1938	1946
Organ Pass, New Mexico	Space Track	32º25'N	253º27'E
Olifantsfontein, South Africa	Space Track	25º58'S	28º15'E
Woomera, Australia	Space Track	31º06'S	136º46'E
Cadiz, Spain	Space Track	36º28'N	353º48'E
Shiraz, Iran	Space Track	29º38'N	52º31'E
Curaçao, Netherlands West Indies	Space Track	12º05'N	291º10'E
Jupiter, Florida	Space Track	27º01'N	279º53'E
Haleakala, Hawaii	Space Track	20º43'N	203º45'E
Villa Dolores, Argentina	Space Track	31º57'S	294º54'E
Mitaka, Japan	Space Track
Nani Tal, India	Space Track
Arequipa, Peru	Solar, Space Track
Oak Ridge Observatory

The SAO today

Currently, more than 300 scientists at the CfA are engaged in a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education.

SAO's pioneering efforts in the development of orbiting observatories and large ground-based telescopes, the application of computers to astrophysical problems, and the integration of laboratory measurements, theoretical astrophysics, and observations across the electromagnetic spectrum have contributed much to our current understanding of the universe.

The Chandra X-ray Observatory is managed and operated by SAO from Cambridge. With the University of Arizona, SAO also manages the MMT Observatory.

Directors

• Samuel Pierpont Langley 1890–1906
• Charles Greeley Abbot 1906–1942
• Loyal Blaine Aldrich 1942–1955
• Fred Lawrence Whipple 1955–1973
• George B. Field 1973–1982 (with the creation of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in 1973, the director of SAO and the Harvard College Observatory became a joint position)
• Irwin I. Shapiro 1982–2004
• Charles R. Alcock 2004–

External links

• SAO homepage
• Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics