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Caltech
Department of Astronomy

Astronomy Homepage

The Astronomy Department at the California Institute of Technology is part of the Division of Physics, Math, and Astronomy. The primary mission of our department is twofold: the performance of cutting-edge research in astronomy and astrophysics, including theory, observation, and experiment, as well as the education of undergraduate and graduate students and training of postdoctoral research associates who will comprise the scientists and leaders of tomorrow. We are located in the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics on the Caltech campus.

OVRO 40-meter radio telescope
Research Highlights
ZTF: Zwicky Transient Facility at Palomar COMAP: the CO Mapping Array Pathfinder at OVRO SPHEREx Mission
Keck Observatory telescope domes
Observatories
OVRO Palomar Observatory W. M. Keck Observatory LIGO

Upcoming Events

All Events
January 23, 2026 2:00 pm

TAPIR Seminar

Online and In-Person Event
Waveform Systematics Across the Gravitational-Wave Spectrum: From LIGO to LISA
Aasim Jan, Graduate Student, Center for Gravitational Physics, University of Texas, Austin,
January 23, 2026 8:00 pm

Stargazing Lecture

Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics
"Simulating Galaxies, Stars, Planets, and Giant Black Holes on a Computer"
Phil Hopkins, Ira S. Bowen Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics, Caltech,
January 28, 2026 4:00 pm

Astronomy Colloquium

Cahill, Hameetman Auditorium
Galaxy Evolution in the Resolved Universe
Daniel Weisz, Associate Professor of Astronomy; Head Graduate Advisor, Astronomy Department, UC Berkeley,
February 4, 2026 4:00 pm

Astronomy Colloquium

Cahill, Hameetman Auditorium
TBD
Pradip Gatkine, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA,
February 6, 2026 2:00 pm

TAPIR Seminar

Online and In-Person Event
An introduction to solar inertial waves
Catherine Blume, Graduate Student, Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences, UColorado Boulder,
February 11, 2026 4:00 pm

Astronomy Colloquium

Cahill, Hameetman Auditorium
TBD
Emily Rauscher, Associate Professor, Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan,

Recent Publications

For a complete publications list, see feeds.library.caltech.edu