WHS Goes Cosmic at Haystack Observatory

Astronomy students and members of the Astrophysics Club visited MIT’s Haystack Observatory for an unforgettable, behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s premier radio astronomy centers. Haystack is home to enormous radio telescopes that probe black holes, quasars, and other distant cosmic phenomena, and it also plays a major role in geodesy and space-weather research.

WHS students donned hard hats to stand beneath the towering 120-foot radio dish, watching the massive structure rotate to track objects across the sky. They also enjoyed a private tour and an engaging talk by astronomer Rigel Cappallo, who discussed his research and shared insights into careers in astronomy. Students learned about Haystack's role in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), the global array of radio telescopes that produced the first image of a black hole. They visited the supercomputer that served as a processing hub for the project and learned how interferometry stitches together vast amounts of data to create groundbreaking images.

The trip was a terrific opportunity for students to learn up close about the cutting-edge astronomy research that is being done right here in Massachusetts.