The big sign to the left of the entrance to one of the most important scientific labs in the world reads: "Harvard Radcliffe Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center." Tacked inconspicuously to a nearby fence is a smaller, humbly-lettered sign reading "Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics."

Given the size of the two signs, undergraduates may not realize that lying just behind the building where they play basketball and shoot pool is the main entrance to one of the premier astrophysics centers in the world.

With roughly 200 scientists, 200 technicians, observers, engineers, and programmers, and 200 administrative support staff members, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) has the potential to be imposing and impersonal.

However, a visit to the main facilities across from the Quad will show a very different reality. Walking through the halls, one sees casually clothed men and women aged 18 to 80 greeting each other with a joke or two. The doors to offices are nearly all open, with the busy researcher eager to take a break from the rigors of theoretical galactic dynamics analysis to chat with a fellow physicist or employee.

"The atmosphere here is pretty laid back," says Rachel A. Osten `96, an undergraduate researcher in high energy astrophysics. "Astronomers are very casual. Many wear jeans and burks."

World Class Resources

But within this casual setting, scientists are taking on some serious scientific challenges. The CfA's facilities include labs, machine shops, fully networked VAX and Sun computers, and the 60,000 volume astronomical library.

The CfA facilities also include the Whipple Observatory in Arizona, which houses among other equipment the Multiple Mirror Telescope used for interferometric observations of the stars. The Oak Ridge Observatory in Harvard, Mass., is also part of the CfA and features an 84-foot radio antenna currently being used to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

But those who work at the center seem to agree that by far the most valuable resource the CfA provides is the people working there. "When you have a question, there's always somebody who's an expert in every field," says Aaron J. Romanowsky, a first year graduate student working on theoretical galactic dynamics.

John Cobuzzi, a technician at the CfA, helps to develop mirros for a NASA X-ray studying telescope. Nestled in a lab filled with imposing rhinoceros-sized equipment designed to measure iridium lenses, Cobuzzi says the best thing about the CfA is "the "people here, the living knowledge."

He adds more excitedly, "there are people here who were working on the Apollo [lunar landing] project~. Just shows you the depth of personal knowledge available here."

Undergraduate Opportunity

Students in both the Physics and Astronomy and Astrophysics departments are encouraged to pursue research at the center for their junior and senior projects. For example, Cynthia B. Phillips '95 is now mapping the geology of Venus, while Andrea M. Gilbert '95 is working on modelling the galactic magnetic field.

Rather than pursue an independent project, many undergraduate students serve as assistants to the professional researchers. Osten works with a group that does "mostly solar physics." She says a term-time job "is a pretty sweet deal" and allows her to make her own hours.

Michael D. Hartl '96 works term-time in an X-ray solar astronomy group at the center. Though Hartl does not receive course credit for the job, he says he loves the "friendly community" atmosphere at the center and its proximity to the Quad where he lives.

Osten explains that students do not have to be astronomy or physics concentrators to get a job working at the CfA. "A friend of mine ended up working at the CfA after taking Science A-17...and he's a social studies major!"

Engineering

In addition to theoretical and appliedresearch, the facility at 60 Garden Street is alsoa site for astrophysical engineering.

When scientists Richard L. Nicoll and EduardoR. Oteiza aren't "causing trouble," they'redesigning and developing masers--a variation oflasers using microwaves--which can be used fordeep space tracking of satellites and globalpositioning systems, Nicoll says.

The maser lab at the CfA is one of only threein the world, and "we make the most here," saysNicoll. NASA is currently commissioning the lab todesign masers which will be used in space in 1997.

In the high energy physics division of the CfA,physicist Suzanne E. Romaine is working on aproject to develop high quality lenses for thesuccessor to the NASA satellite "Einstein."

The original Einstein satellite, which waslaunched in the '70s, contained CfA-engineeredinstruments allowing it to produce the firstfocused images of X-ray sources in space.

Research Discoveries

Not surprisingly, the CfA is mainly devoted toresearch, where it has made many significantdiscoveries.

For example, a joint effort between CfAscientists and a group in Chile has recently shownthat the universe may be more than five billionyears younger than the previously acceptedestimate of 20 billion.

Using a process that involves observing theearly stages of supernova explosions, Professor ofAstronomy Robert P. Kirshner and fellow researcherBrian P. Schmidt were able to develop a "customyardstick" to measure the age of the universe.

Meanwhile, Professors of Astronomy Margaret J.Geller and John P. Huchra are measuring thespectra and velocity of distant galaxies at theWhipple Observatory. The pair plans to create athree-dimensional map of galaxy distributionacross the universe. Their unexpected resultsindicate that the universe is made up of giantbubble-like voids, whose boundaries are wheregalaxies reside.

"It may make more physical sense to regard thevoids [as opposed to the galaxies] as thefundamental large-scale structures of theuniverse," the scientists say.

More recently, CfA researchers discoveredcompelling evidence for the existence of blackholes. The research team of Professor of AstronomyJames M. Moran, also a senior scientist at theCenter, worked with scientists from Japan toanalyze the data coming from 10 radio telescopes.

The 10 radio telescopes are scattered acrosshalf the world, and make up a network called theVery Long Baseline Array (VLBA). Using the VLBA,scientists are able to make velocity measurementsof far-away galaxies. Analysis of the results haveindicated the presence of a gravitational mass sodense it can only be a black hole.

Moran notes that the VLBA is so powerful that"if you were on the moon, we could use [it] tomeasure how fast your fingernails were growing."

History

Harvard's astrophysical juggernaut began as allscientific institutions begin...with a grant. In1843 the sighting of a huge comet fueled publicinterest in astronomy, resulting in a $25,730Harvard grant which was used to build a 15-inchdiameter "Great Refractor" on Observatory Hill onGarden Street.

The telescope, which was the largest in Americafor 20 years, is still fully operational and opento the public on the third Thursday of everymonth.

Later that century, the Smithsonian Institutewas founded in Washington, D.C. in 1890 by agovernment handled grant from James Smithson aimedat the "increase and diffusion of knowledge."

Today the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory(SAO) works closely with the famed SmithsonianMuseums in Washington, D.C., says CfA publicaffairs representative James Cornell.

In 1955, the SAO moved its headquarters fromWashington, D.C. to Cambridge. A naturalrelationship soon formed between the SAO and theHarvard Observatory that culminated in theirmerger in 1973 to become today'sHarvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Success Rooted in Confusion

Most of the people at CfA advise against tryingto discern which branch, Harvard or Smithsonian,is responsible for which projects.

"It's really convoluted," says Cobuzzi. Oteizadismisses any division between Smithsonian andHarvard employees as "only for paperwork. It's notas if we have stamps on our heads saying `Harvard'or `Smithsonian.'"

Physicist Ronald L. Walsworth compares thedistinction to students with different houseaffiliations: "If somebody from Dunster Houseanswers a question in class, do you get upsetbecause you're from Lowell House?"

Osten is equally bemused about where herpaycheck comes from, noting that once it came fromthe U.S. Department of Agriculture.

However puzzling the financial interconnectionsbetween the two institutions may be, politics canforce many scientists to pay more attention to theorigin of their grants.

Walsworth notes that "three fourths of ourmoney ends up coming from the government." He says"big political stinks" over such controversies asthe up coming exhibit of the plane that bombedHiroshima in the Smithsonian Air and Space museumcould result in a reduction of cash flow to theCfA.

Orteiga notes that there is certainlyinsecurity but that "much of it is in the peoplehigher up."

Moran admits that it takes visiblebreakthroughs, such as his confirmation of theexistence of black holes, to keep projects likethe VLBA alive. Moran says the discovery is a"feather in the cap" of the CfA, citing the 20year delay in building the VLBA.

"Funding for astrophysics is nothing like itwas in the Kennedy '60s," Moran says