Astronyms

Because astronomers come up with the best acronyms.

[astronyms]

ZOMG

Zooming On a Mob of Galaxies

ZOMG is a project consisting of N-body simulations that study the growth of dark matter haloes and their galaxies with respect to their cosmic environment. More details about the project are provided by Borzyszkowski+ 2016.

[astronyms]

SEEDS

The Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru

SEEDS is a survey at the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The survey performs direct imaging of exoplanets and protoplanetary and debris disks. The size scales that the survey intends to study are on the order of from a few to tens of AU, and searching around about 500 nearby stars.

[astronyms]

LEECH

LBTI (Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer) Exozodi Exoplanet Common Hunt

LEECH is a 100 night survey conducted at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The survey searches for and characterises exoplanets in the mid-infrared. More details about the survey and their results are provided in this arXiv submission.

[astronyms]

BATMAN

Bad-Ass Transit Model cAlculatioN / BAsic Transit Model cAlculatioN

BATMAN is a Python package written by Laura Kreidberg to model exoplanet transit light curves. The project's webpage has a detailed description of the package, and an arXiv submission (with a cleaner, more family friendly, version of the acronym) describes the algorithms. Adding to the awesomeness of this acronym, the project has a fitting logo: a Batman symbol transiting a star.

Thanks Jesus Salas for telling me about BATMAN!

[astronyms]

PhEDEx

Physics Experiment Data Export

PhEDEx is a system to allow transferring the large amounts of data generated in high energy physics experiments. PhEDEx is designed specifically for the CMS high energy physics experiment at CERN. A detailed description of PhEDEx is available here.

Thanks Katherina Feng for telling me about PhEDEx!

[astronyms]

HAZMAT

HAbitable Zones and M dwarf Activity across Time

HAZMAT is a program to studying and modeling the atmospheres and stellar activities of Type M dwarf stars. Several terrestrial planets ("super-earths") have been discovered to be orbiting in the habitable zones of M dwarfs. However, there is still much to learn about the activity and evolution of M dwarf stars. Currently, this program is studying UV emission from M dwarfs in order to study the evolution of these stars and provide constraints on models describing the upper atmosphere of these stars. This understanding can lend a huge help in understanding the habitable zones of the stars and the possibilities for the development of life. Much of the initial work involved in HAZMAT is described in this paper.

[astronyms]

CLAMATO

COSMOS Lyman-Alpha Mapping And Tomography Observations

CLAMATO (described here) is a survey to observe Ly⍺ forest spectra for ~ 1000 star-forming galaxies in the COSMOS field. These data are useful in order to study the intergalactic medium at \(z \sim 2.3\) and detect large-scale structures.

Thanks Fred Davies for telling me about CLAMATO!

[astronyms]

FLASHLIGHT

Fluorescent Lyman-Alpha Survey of cosmic Hydrogen iLlumInated by hIGH-redshifT quasars

FLASHLIGHT is a survey at \(z \sim 2\) attempting to detect Ly⍺ emission around radio-quiet quasars. This emission has been predicted to be detectable, but no detections have occurred so far.

While the acronym is contrived, the authors do argue that it is appropriate for this project since a QSO acts "like a flashlight" since it illuminates hydrogen: radiation from the QSO ionizes the hydrogen so that the hydrogen fluoresces in Ly⍺ emission during recombination. (Personally, I think the "like a flashlight" is quite a bit of a stretch… As far as I know, all the flashlights I have ever encountered do not illuminate objects by ionizing the constituent atoms.)

Thanks Eric Gentry for telling me about FLASHLIGHT!

[astronyms]

SLIM

The Survey of Lines in M31

SLIM is a series of emission line observations conducted at far-infrared and optical wavelengths for the Andromeda galaxy (M31). The proximity of Andromeda allows very high resolution imagery of its constituent stars and dust. In particular, these spectral observations allow a better understanding of the ISM and stellar formation characteristics in M31.

The SLIM observational targets are designed to be contained within the pointings of the PHAT project, so that SLIM spectra can be compared with PHAT images for the same regions in M31.

[astronyms]

PHAT

Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury

PHAT is a survey program using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to image and map a third of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) disk. The survey uses 6 filters on the HST, which allows capturing images from ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths. The total angular area of the survey spans half a square degree, and resolves over 100 million stars. The over 400 pointings required to capture the full data are illustrated here.

The PHAT project can be complemented by the SLIM project.

[astronyms]

KINGFISH

Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel

KINGFISH is a survey of nearby galaxies with the Herschel Space Observatory. Similar to SINGS, KINGFISH observations obtain images and spectra of nearby galaxies at several far-infrared wavelengths. These cover several atomic cooling lines originating from the ISM, allowing a better understanding the dust and ISM component of these nearby galaxies.

Besides an elaborate acronym (with a colon!), KINGFISH also sports a pretty baller logo: a fish containing a galaxy and wearing a crown.

[astronyms]

The BEAST

The Bayesian Extinction And Stellar Tool

The BEAST is software designed to fit spectral energy distribution graphs for stars with emission extinguished by interstellar dust. The code is designed to be especially useful for large surveys. Used with observations of nearby galaxies, like Andromeda (M31), it can allow studying the constituents of the ISM. More information about the BEAST can be found through these slides.

[astronyms]

PAWS

The PdBI Arcsecond Whirlpool Survey

PAWS uses the IRAM Plateau de Bure six-antenna interferometer (PdBI) and the 30 m Pico Veleta telescope to take high angular resolution images of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51a). The millimeter wavelength observations allow mapping carbon monoxide emission from dust in the galaxy, giving a more complete understanding of the dust and interstellar medium in the galaxy.

[astronyms]

HERACLES

HERA CO-Line Extragalactic Survey

HERACLES is a survey to map carbon monoxide emission from nearby galaxies using the 30 m IRAM radio telescope. HERACLES complements other surveys of nearby galaxies, like THINGS and SINGS, to provide a more complete picture of dust in nearby galaxies.

[astronyms]

HERA

Heterodyne Receiver Array

HERA is pretty precisely defined by its acronym: it’s a radio receiver array using heterodyning techniques. HERA is used on the 30 m IRAM millimeter wavelength telescope located on Pico Veleta in the Spanish Sierra Nevada mountains.

[astronyms]

LITTLE THINGS

Local Irregulars That Trace Luminosity Extremes THINGS

LITTLE THINGS is a survey extending the THINGS survey. LITTLE THINGS is designed to observe HI emission for nearby irregular and dwarf galaxies. This allows studying star formation in small galaxies.

[astronyms]

SINGS

Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey

SINGS was an observational survey conducted using the Spitzer Space Telescope at infrared wavelengths. The infrared observations provide spectra of small regions within nearby galaxies. These spectra allow determining the composition of the dust in these galaxies, providing insight into the ISM and star formation for nearby galaxies.

SINGS complements THINGS, a similar survey conducted at 21 cm wavelengths.