ABSTRACT It is currently assumed that infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest evoluti... more ABSTRACT It is currently assumed that infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest evolutionary stages of high-mass stars ($>$ 8 M$_{\odot}$). Submillimeter and millimeter-wave studies performed over the past 15 years show that IRDCs possess a broad variety of properties, and hence a wide range of problems and questions that can be tackled. In this paper, we report an investigation of the molecular composition and chemical processes in two groups of IRDCs. Using the Mopra, APEX, and IRAM radio telescopes over the last four years, we have collected molecular line data for CO, H$_2$CO, HNCO, CH$_3$CCH, CH$_3$OH, CH$_3$CHO, CH$_3$OCHO, and CH$_3$OCH$_3$. For all of these species we estimated molecular abundances. We then undertook chemical modeling studies, concentrating on the source IRDC028.34+0.06, and compared observed and modeled abundances. This comparison showed that to reproduce observed abundances of complex organic molecules (COMs), a 0-D gas-grain model with constant physical conditions is not sufficient. We achieved greater success with the use of a warm-up model, in which warm-up from 10 K to 30 K occurs following a cold phase.
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2012
ABSTRACT In order to answer this question, we examine the relationship between the two sites of m... more ABSTRACT In order to answer this question, we examine the relationship between the two sites of maser activity in G357.96-0.16. We also propose future observations for examining the dust properties of this interesting region of massive star formation.
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2012
ABSTRACT The bright 25 GHz series of methanol masers is formed in highly energetic regions of mas... more ABSTRACT The bright 25 GHz series of methanol masers is formed in highly energetic regions of massive star formation and provides a natural signpost of shocked gas surrounding newly forming stars. A systematic survey for the 25 GHz masers has only recently been carried out. We present the preliminary results from the interferometric follow up of 51 masers at 25 GHz in the southern sky.
Conditions and Impact of Star Formation: New Results With Herschel and Beyond, 2011
Abstract The H2O southern galactic Plane Survey (HOPS) is not just a survey for water masers. It ... more Abstract The H2O southern galactic Plane Survey (HOPS) is not just a survey for water masers. It is an unbiased survey to be undertaken with the Mopra radiotelescope which will cover 27 lines between 19.5 and 27.5 GHz, including water masers, class I and II ...
Introduction: We present evidence supporting the impact origin of a circular structure located in... more Introduction: We present evidence supporting the impact origin of a circular structure located in Palm Valley, Central Australia (24° 03' 06'' S, 132° 42' 34'' E). The ~280 m wide structure was discovered using a combination of Google Maps and a local Arrernte Aboriginal oral tradition regarding a star that fell into a waterhole called Puka in Palm Valley, Northern Territory [1][2] (see [3] for details of the discovery). Geophysical Evidence: A survey of the structure in September 2009 collected magnetic, gravity and topographic data. Geophysical modeling of the data revealed the structure has a bowl-shaped subsurface morphology, as expected for a simple impact crater. Though the structure sits within the Finke Gorge system, the models do not support an erosional origin for the structure, as no buried channels are observed. Nor does the modeling fit a volcanic origin, as the density structure at depth is consistent with fractured sandstone/sediments. Geological Evidence: One channel runs out of the crater to the south, consistent with outflow from crater-filling events, but again not with an erosional origin for the structure itself. The microstructure of rock samples collected from the site revealed the presence of planar deformation features in the quartz grains. The coincident angle of the fractures is consistent with the crystallographic fracture directions under mild-end shocks. These grains probably represent local focusing of stress as the shock wave moved through the heterogeneous grain matrix, suggesting the conditions were right for the shock pressure to locally exceed the ~7.5 GPa required to form the features, even though the bulk of the shock pressure was much less. Conclusion: Based on the level of erosion and the absence of shatter cones and meteorite fragments, we estimate the structure's age to be in the millions of years. While the presence of shocked-quartz is a direct indicator of a cosmic impact, we cannot rule out that the quartz was transported from an older structure into the Hermannsburg sandstone as it was deposited. The ~22 km wide Gosse's Bluff impact structure, located ~40 km from Palm Valley, postdates the Hermannsburg sandstone, leaving a distal unidentified impact event as a possibility. However, the bowl shaped morphology of the Palm Valley structure, as well as the fractures on the structure's walls, support an impact origin. References: [1] Austin-Broos, D., 2009, "Arrernte Past, Arrernte Present", University of Chicago Press, pp. 37-38. [2] Róheim, G., 1945, "The Eternal Ones of the Dream: a psychoanalytic interpretation of Australian myth and ritual", International Universities Press, New York, p. 183. [3] Hamacher, D.W. & Norris, R.P., 2010, Using Aboriginal Oral Traditions to locate meteorite falls and impact craters. In Ilgarijiri - things belonging to the sky, edited by R.P. Norris, Proceedings of the symposium on Indigenous Astronomy held on 27 November 2009 at Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra, Australia (in press).
Proceedings of the Australian Space Science Conference Series, 2011, pp. 129-140, 2011
We explore the origin of a ~280 m wide, heavily eroded circular depression in Palm Valley, Northe... more We explore the origin of a ~280 m wide, heavily eroded circular depression in Palm Valley, Northern Territory, Australia using gravity, morphological, and mineralogical data collected from a field survey in September 2009. From the analysis of the survey, we debate probable formation processes, namely erosion and impact, as no evidence of volcanism is found in the region or reported in the literature. We argue that the depression was not formed by erosion and consider an impact origin, although we acknowledge that diagnostics required to identify it as such (e.g. meteorite fragments, shatter cones, shocked quartz) are lacking, leaving the formation process uncertain. We encourage further discussion of the depression's origin and stress a need to develop recognition criteria that can help identify small, ancient impact craters. We also encourage systematic searches for impact craters in Central Australia as it is probable that many more remain to be discovered.
WGN - Journal of the International Meteor Organization, Vol. 42(1), pp. 31-34, 2013
We review the literature for perceptions of meteors in the Māori culture of Aotearoa (New Zealand... more We review the literature for perceptions of meteors in the Māori culture of Aotearoa (New Zealand). We examine representations of meteors in religion, story, and ceremony. We find that meteors are sometimes personified as gods or children, or are seen as omens of death and destruction. The stories we found highlight the broad perception of meteors found throughout the Māori culture, and note that some early scholars conflated the terms comet and meteor.
Plans to build a new telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai'i have led to months of
protests and arrests... more Plans to build a new telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai'i have led to months of protests and arrests, including several earlier this month. The ongoing protest pitches astronomers against Hawaiians wanting to protect their sacred site.
ABSTRACT It is currently assumed that infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest evoluti... more ABSTRACT It is currently assumed that infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) represent the earliest evolutionary stages of high-mass stars ($>$ 8 M$_{\odot}$). Submillimeter and millimeter-wave studies performed over the past 15 years show that IRDCs possess a broad variety of properties, and hence a wide range of problems and questions that can be tackled. In this paper, we report an investigation of the molecular composition and chemical processes in two groups of IRDCs. Using the Mopra, APEX, and IRAM radio telescopes over the last four years, we have collected molecular line data for CO, H$_2$CO, HNCO, CH$_3$CCH, CH$_3$OH, CH$_3$CHO, CH$_3$OCHO, and CH$_3$OCH$_3$. For all of these species we estimated molecular abundances. We then undertook chemical modeling studies, concentrating on the source IRDC028.34+0.06, and compared observed and modeled abundances. This comparison showed that to reproduce observed abundances of complex organic molecules (COMs), a 0-D gas-grain model with constant physical conditions is not sufficient. We achieved greater success with the use of a warm-up model, in which warm-up from 10 K to 30 K occurs following a cold phase.
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2012
ABSTRACT In order to answer this question, we examine the relationship between the two sites of m... more ABSTRACT In order to answer this question, we examine the relationship between the two sites of maser activity in G357.96-0.16. We also propose future observations for examining the dust properties of this interesting region of massive star formation.
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2012
ABSTRACT The bright 25 GHz series of methanol masers is formed in highly energetic regions of mas... more ABSTRACT The bright 25 GHz series of methanol masers is formed in highly energetic regions of massive star formation and provides a natural signpost of shocked gas surrounding newly forming stars. A systematic survey for the 25 GHz masers has only recently been carried out. We present the preliminary results from the interferometric follow up of 51 masers at 25 GHz in the southern sky.
Conditions and Impact of Star Formation: New Results With Herschel and Beyond, 2011
Abstract The H2O southern galactic Plane Survey (HOPS) is not just a survey for water masers. It ... more Abstract The H2O southern galactic Plane Survey (HOPS) is not just a survey for water masers. It is an unbiased survey to be undertaken with the Mopra radiotelescope which will cover 27 lines between 19.5 and 27.5 GHz, including water masers, class I and II ...
Introduction: We present evidence supporting the impact origin of a circular structure located in... more Introduction: We present evidence supporting the impact origin of a circular structure located in Palm Valley, Central Australia (24° 03' 06'' S, 132° 42' 34'' E). The ~280 m wide structure was discovered using a combination of Google Maps and a local Arrernte Aboriginal oral tradition regarding a star that fell into a waterhole called Puka in Palm Valley, Northern Territory [1][2] (see [3] for details of the discovery). Geophysical Evidence: A survey of the structure in September 2009 collected magnetic, gravity and topographic data. Geophysical modeling of the data revealed the structure has a bowl-shaped subsurface morphology, as expected for a simple impact crater. Though the structure sits within the Finke Gorge system, the models do not support an erosional origin for the structure, as no buried channels are observed. Nor does the modeling fit a volcanic origin, as the density structure at depth is consistent with fractured sandstone/sediments. Geological Evidence: One channel runs out of the crater to the south, consistent with outflow from crater-filling events, but again not with an erosional origin for the structure itself. The microstructure of rock samples collected from the site revealed the presence of planar deformation features in the quartz grains. The coincident angle of the fractures is consistent with the crystallographic fracture directions under mild-end shocks. These grains probably represent local focusing of stress as the shock wave moved through the heterogeneous grain matrix, suggesting the conditions were right for the shock pressure to locally exceed the ~7.5 GPa required to form the features, even though the bulk of the shock pressure was much less. Conclusion: Based on the level of erosion and the absence of shatter cones and meteorite fragments, we estimate the structure's age to be in the millions of years. While the presence of shocked-quartz is a direct indicator of a cosmic impact, we cannot rule out that the quartz was transported from an older structure into the Hermannsburg sandstone as it was deposited. The ~22 km wide Gosse's Bluff impact structure, located ~40 km from Palm Valley, postdates the Hermannsburg sandstone, leaving a distal unidentified impact event as a possibility. However, the bowl shaped morphology of the Palm Valley structure, as well as the fractures on the structure's walls, support an impact origin. References: [1] Austin-Broos, D., 2009, "Arrernte Past, Arrernte Present", University of Chicago Press, pp. 37-38. [2] Róheim, G., 1945, "The Eternal Ones of the Dream: a psychoanalytic interpretation of Australian myth and ritual", International Universities Press, New York, p. 183. [3] Hamacher, D.W. & Norris, R.P., 2010, Using Aboriginal Oral Traditions to locate meteorite falls and impact craters. In Ilgarijiri - things belonging to the sky, edited by R.P. Norris, Proceedings of the symposium on Indigenous Astronomy held on 27 November 2009 at Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra, Australia (in press).
Proceedings of the Australian Space Science Conference Series, 2011, pp. 129-140, 2011
We explore the origin of a ~280 m wide, heavily eroded circular depression in Palm Valley, Northe... more We explore the origin of a ~280 m wide, heavily eroded circular depression in Palm Valley, Northern Territory, Australia using gravity, morphological, and mineralogical data collected from a field survey in September 2009. From the analysis of the survey, we debate probable formation processes, namely erosion and impact, as no evidence of volcanism is found in the region or reported in the literature. We argue that the depression was not formed by erosion and consider an impact origin, although we acknowledge that diagnostics required to identify it as such (e.g. meteorite fragments, shatter cones, shocked quartz) are lacking, leaving the formation process uncertain. We encourage further discussion of the depression's origin and stress a need to develop recognition criteria that can help identify small, ancient impact craters. We also encourage systematic searches for impact craters in Central Australia as it is probable that many more remain to be discovered.
WGN - Journal of the International Meteor Organization, Vol. 42(1), pp. 31-34, 2013
We review the literature for perceptions of meteors in the Māori culture of Aotearoa (New Zealand... more We review the literature for perceptions of meteors in the Māori culture of Aotearoa (New Zealand). We examine representations of meteors in religion, story, and ceremony. We find that meteors are sometimes personified as gods or children, or are seen as omens of death and destruction. The stories we found highlight the broad perception of meteors found throughout the Māori culture, and note that some early scholars conflated the terms comet and meteor.
Plans to build a new telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai'i have led to months of
protests and arrests... more Plans to build a new telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai'i have led to months of protests and arrests, including several earlier this month. The ongoing protest pitches astronomers against Hawaiians wanting to protect their sacred site.
Uploads
protests and arrests, including several earlier this month. The ongoing protest pitches
astronomers against Hawaiians wanting to protect their sacred site.
protests and arrests, including several earlier this month. The ongoing protest pitches
astronomers against Hawaiians wanting to protect their sacred site.