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IR STIG Seminar Monday, February 2nd, 2026, 3:00pm ET

2 February 2026

IR STIG Seminar about IR STIG Seminar Monday, February 2nd, 2026, 3:00pm ET

Space Interferometry for Astrophysics in the 2030s?

William C. Danchi, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Space interferometry is the next evolutionary step for high angular resolution astronomy, given the maturity and many accomplishments of ground-based interferometry in the past 40+ years.  These include imaging the accretion disks around black holes (e.g. NGC 1068), characterizing exoplanet atmospheres, images of motion of material in protoplanetary disks at the au scale, images of the surfaces of stars, material transfer between binary stars, ejection of material from the surface of AGB stars, precision narrow field astronomy, all with resolutions of ~1 mas and below. In this talk I will review the state of the art of ground-based interferometry, commonly done every day of the year, with US and European facilities.  Space based interferometers have many advantages across the electromagnetic spectrum.  Several mission concepts that have been developed in the past 20 years will be discussed, emphasizing their importance in the near-, mid-, and far- infrared.  It is possible to fly a path breaking interferometer by the mid-2030s if funding is available.

You can find more information about IR STIG activities and past seminars here: https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/programs/cosmic-origins/community/ir-stig/. As a reminder, if you or someone who works with you is not on the IRSTIG mailing list, please sign up here!

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Angled from the upper left corner to the lower right corner is a cone-shaped orange-red cloud known as Herbig-Haro 49/50. This feature takes up about three-fourths of the length of this angle. The upper left end of this feature has a translucent, rounded end. The conical feature widens slightly from the rounded end at the upper right down to the lower right. Along the cone there are additional rounded edges, like edges of a wave, and intricate foamy-like details, as well as a clearer view of the black background of space. In the upper left, overlapping with the rounded end of Herbig-Haro 49/50, is a background spiral galaxy with a concentrated blue center that fades outward to blend with red spiral arms. The background of space is speckled with some white stars and smaller, more numerous, fainter white galaxies throughout.