Professor of Physics Aaron Steinhauer recently completed a remote observing run at Kitt Peak National Observatory, using the WIYN 3.5m telescope. Steinhauer is part of a team of researchers that is studying the structure of stars by measuring the abundance of Lithium in stellar atmospheres. The observatory, located in Arizona, allows astronomers to take high-resolution spectra of up to eighty stars in a cluster simultaneously.
Last month, Steinhauer completed a remote observing run, which included ten nights on the telescope. Steinhauer is happy to report that the weather cooperated for most nights and he was able to get excellent data.
"I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work on a major world-class telescope," says Steinhauer. "Our studies of Lithium will help us to understand the so-called Lithium gap, which is one of the most egregious failures of the standard model of stellar evolution. This particular observing run was one of the most challenging we have ever attempted because of how distant the cluster is, and how faint the stars we were observing. It was a lot of very long nights, but I’m grateful for the clear weather, and I’m excited to see what the data will tell us."
Steinhauer is working as part of a team which includes collaborators from Indiana University and the University of Kansas.