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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
February 9, 2026 3:00 pm

Astronomy Tea Talk

Cahill 370
Gaia's Exoplanet Potential
Caleb Lammers, 3rd year PhD student, Princeton University,
February 9, 2026 7:30 pm

Astronomy on Tap

"Funding for NASA" and "Exoplanet Atmospheres"
Jack Kiraly, Director of Government Relations, The Planetary Society,
Tom Greene, Executive Director, IPAC, Caltech,
February 11, 2026 12:15 pm

Caltech/IPAC Lunch Seminar

Online Event
Interpreting JWST Spectra for Signs of Habitability and Life with Atmospheric Models
Nicholas Wogan, NASA AMES,
February 11, 2026 4:00 pm

Astronomy Colloquium

Cahill, Hameetman Auditorium
The Next Revolution: Exoplanet Atmospheric Characterization at High-Resolution
Emily Rauscher, Associate Professor, Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan,
February 18, 2026 4:00 pm

Astronomy Colloquium

Cahill, Hameetman Auditorium
Magnetism and morphology in the interstellar medium
Susan Clark, Assistant Professor of Physics, Stanford University,
February 25, 2026 4:00 pm

Astronomy Colloquium

Cahill, Hameetman Auditorium
Supermassive Black Holes in the Early Universe: from Luminous Quasars to the Little Red Dots
Xiaohui Fan, Regents Professor of Astronomy, Astronomer, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona,

Recent Publications

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