Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

We regret that our colleague and friend, John Huchra, died unexpectedly October 8th, 2010. Prof. Huchra was the Robert O. & Holly Thomis Doyle Professor of Cosmology and the Senior Advisor to the Provost for Research Policy at Harvard University. He also worked in the OIR Division of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He recently completed his term as president of the American Astronomical Society, and was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also served on the Decadal Survey Committee, which released its report to help guide future investments by funding agencies in ground- and space-based astronomical facilities in 2010.

Among his many accomplishments, Huchra was perhaps best known for collaborating with Margaret Geller to lead the CfA Redshift Survey — a pioneering effort to map the large-scale structure of the universe. The survey uncovered a “Great Wall” of galaxies extending across 500 million light-years of space. This survey and others showed that we live in a “soap bubble” universe with galaxies clustering as though on the surfaces of giant bubbles separated by huge voids.

Huchra made a number of other very important contributions to astronomy, including measurements of the Hubble constant and the discovery of Huchra’s Lens, one of the most dramatic early examples of gravitational lensing.

John’s career was marked with distinction for his fundamental contributions to cosmology, his tireless and effective service and advocacy for astronomy, his dedication and brilliance as a teacher and mentor, his devotion to and care for students, and his warmth and humor.

Welcome to John Huchra's Website

The Home of the CfA Redshift Catalog and Survey

My name is John Huchra, and I'm the Robert O. & Holly Thomis Doyle Professor of Cosmology and the Senior Advisor to the Provost for Research Policy at Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the OIR Division . I am in the Department of Astronomy , and the Harvard College Observatory. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is part of the Smithsonian Institution , and the Center for Astrophysics is the amalgam of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory.

I've developed this website in order to tell you a bit about myself and also to provide some useful information on my past and current research projects, courses I offer, and other useful information. I've been involved in a number of large projects in astronomy, and this is one useful gateway to some of the databases my colleagues, students and I would like to make publicly available. There are links below to download most of the large galaxy databases we've produced or in the sub-pages on ZCAT, 2MASS, etc. At the end of this page are some useful astronomical and other links.

Table of Contents

1. CfA Redshift Catalog & Survey

2. The Extragalactic Distance Scale (Hubble Constant)

3. 2MASS and the 2MASS Redshift Survey

4. Globular Clusters

5. Galaxy Evolution

6. Galaxy Clusters

7. Other Research Projects

8. Harvard Courses

9. Research Conduct & Ethics

10. Climate Change

11. Travel Sites

Research

My research interests include the study the Large-Scale Structure in the Universe, the general study of Observational Cosmology including the determination of the expansion rate, age and fate of the Universe, observations of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and galactic evolution, particularly star formation in galaxies and globular star cluster systems surrounding other galaxies. I've worked in many areas of astronomy, and especially love teaching and observing (and just about anything that gets me onto a mountain top). Perhaps my most well known work is on mapping the Universe, that is making maps of the distribution of galaxies around us. For the last decade, Margaret Geller and I and our students and co-workers have been measuring relative distances via redshifts for about 18,000 bright galaxies in the northern sky. Next on the list is my work on the extragalactic distance scale that started with a collaboration with Marc Aaronson and Jeremy Mould and currently is bound into the HST H0 Key Project. Most recently, I began a major new redshift survey based on the 2 Micron All Sky Survey and aimed at producing a complete and accurate, all-sky map of the local galaxy density field out to a redshift of ~0.1. This work is being done in collaboration with the other folks on the 2MASS science team with extragalactic interests, Steve Schneider at UMASS and Mike Skrutskie at Virginia, and Tom Jarrett, Tom Chester and Roc Cutri at IPAC, to name just a few of the principals. The 2MASS survey itself was finished in the winter of 2000/2001, and produced a catalog of over a million galaxies brighter than K_S = 14.0. The final versions of the Extended and Point Source catalogs were released in 2003.

CfA Redshift Catalog and CfA Redshift Survey

Click here to go directly to the CfA Redshift Survey .

Click here if you want to go directly to the CfA Redshift Catalog, ZCAT2000, with its associated catalog links and descriptions.

Click here if you want to go directly to the CfA Spectral Archive at the CfA Telescope Data Center.

ZCAT2000 is now linked with J2000 coordinates as well as the old B1950, and all the high redshift objects merged in. This will allow easier searches, etc. We have merged in the released data from the 2dF Survey and are merging in the SDSS redshift data. Here for fun is a cylindrical plot (looking down from the north celestial pole) of the CfA2 Redshift Survey. The outer radius is 15,000 km/s, the Z thickness above the equatorial plane is 12,000 km/s.

A postscript version of this plot can be downloaded at CfA2Puck. I call it a "puck" plot because the basic geometry of the volume plotted is like that of a hockey puck of diameter 30,000 km/s and thickness 12,000 km/s. This image is copyright SAO 2001.

I've endeavored to make large fractions of the data from the redshift survey and other programs, including studies of stellar populations spectroscopically, available to the public. Much can be gotten from my public ftp site at fang-ftp.cfa.harvard.edu. Additional descriptions are given below. Click here if you would like more information on the CfA Redshift Survey itself, and here if you would like information on the CfA Redshift Catalogue itself, including instructions for downloading the catalog via anonymous ftp or smaller files directly from the web. A subset of the CfA Redshift Catalog, the Updated Zwicky Catalogue, which contains updated positions and redshifts for Zwicky catalogue galaxies brighter than 15.5 is maintained by Emilio Falco and can be accessed here: Updated Zwicky Catalogue.

The Extragalactic Distance Scale and the Hubble Constant

The H0 project has reached its goal of the determination of the expansion rate of the Universe and the Cosmic Distance scale to 10%. Links to the work on individual galaxies can be found at the HST H0 Key Project website. An example of one of our Cepheid fields, that for the Fornax Cluster galaxy NGC1365 is shown here.

This image shows the field of the Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 superimposed on a ground-based image of the galaxy taken with the Dupont telescope at Las Campanas (see Silberman et al 1999, ApJ 515, 1).

For fun, the plots below show the time evolution of our knoweldge of the Hubble Constant, the scaling between radial velocity and distance in kilometers per second per Megaparsec, since it was first determined by Lemaitre, Robertson and Hubble in the late 1920's.

Note here that the first point is actually from a paper by G. Lemaitre in 1927 based on distances to galaxies derived and published by Hubble. The second is from H. Robertson, also based primarily on Hubble's data. Hubble himself finally weighed in in 1929 at 500 km/s/Mpc. Also, very early on, the Dutch astronomer, Jan Oort, thought something was wrong with Hubble's scale and published a value of 290 km/s/Mpc, but this was largely forgotten.

The first major revision to Hubble's value was made in the 1950's due to the discovery of Population II stars by W. Baade. That was followed by other corrections for confusion, etc. that pretty much dropped the accepted value down to around 100 km/s/Mpc by the early 1960's. This figure is also available in postscript format at hplot.ps

This plot shows modern (post HST) determinations, including results from gravitational lensing and applications of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. Note the very recent convergence to values near 65 +/- 10 km/sec/Mpc (about 13 miles per second per million light-years). The data for this plot is at hubble.plot.dat and will be updated periodically as part of the HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. Currently, the old factor of two discrepancy in the determination f the cosmic distance scale has been reduced to a dispersion of the order of 10 km/s out of 65-70, or 15-20%. Quite an improvement! The summary results from the HST H0 Key project are plotted below. With some slight modifications to the Cepheid scale zeropoint, we believe our best value for the local H0 determination is around 71 (+/- 7) km/s/Mpc.

The flip side of this is the still sad state of affairs governing the absolute calibration of the Cepheid scale. A both serious and humorous review written from a historical perspective by Nick Allen can be found at Cepheid Review. Its definitely worth a gander. The uncertainties in the local determination of the Hubble Constant are still dominated by the uncertainty in the Cepheid P-L calibration, followed by uncertainties in the local flow field (non-Hubble expansion galaxy velocities).

Information on these and other projects also may be gotten via links below. I have also placed a more complete history at:

  • THE HUBBLE CONSTANT
  • Its also worth looking at Ned Wright's Cosmology Calculator if you want to calculate parameters based on the best available current numbers:

  • Ned Wright's Cosmology Calculator
  • The 2 Micron All-Sky Survey

    Extended Sources / Galaxies

    Click here if you would like more information on the
    2MASS Redshift Survey and on the 2MASS extended source verification work at CfA. Click here if you would like more information on the second incremental data release: 2MASS Explanatory Supplement which includes the description of the extraction of http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/2mass/releases/allsky/doc/sec2_3.html> extended sources. You can also query the public 2MASS databases using a new tool at IRSA called GATOR . Its spiffy! Go for it.

    Other important 2MASS links include the 2MASS Large Galaxy Atlas produced by Tom Jarrett and the 2MASS Extended Source Catalog . The first of the explanatory AJ papers for the extended source catalog can be downloaded here (2000, AJ 119, 2498).

    Some images of the final all-sky products from 2MASS and the 2MASS redshift survey are given below:

  • 2MASS Extended Source Integrated Flux Sky Image
  • 2MASS redshifts Local Supercluster (V<3000 km/s) km/s Aitoff plot
  • 2MASS redshifts 3000-6000 km/s Aitoff plot
  • Globular Clusters

    As part of the SAGES project, Pauline Barmby and I have been assembling improved data on globular clusters in spiral galaxies. She has completed a major analysis of M31 including much new optical and IR multicolor photometry and new low resolution spectroscopy. The paper has been accepted for publication in the AJ and the data tables and additional information on cross identifications can be accessed at M31 data . The master database of galaxy and globular cluster spectral indices is also available here: Indices.dat published originally as Huchra, Brodie, Caldwell, Schommer & Christian, 1995, ApJS 102, 29. The first line under each object presents the measured line magnitude and the second line is the internal statistical error in that measurement. A complete description of that table can be found in the associated article, the list of measured indices and their bandpasses are given in index.table The list of measured indices will be updated over the next few years with additional data on nearby globular cluster systems by the SAGES group.

    We are also working on an HST survey of cluster systems in relatively nearby elliptical galaxies in different environments as well as spectroscopy of clusters using Keck and soon the MMT and Magellan 6.5-m telescopes. THe primary goals of this work are to understand the formation of the cluster systems and the galaxy halo, use the cluster systems as independent distance indicators, and when possible, study the mass distribution of the galaxy halo through the study of the cluster system kinematics.

    Here's a link to the Bologna group's work:

  • Bologna M31 Catalog
  • Other Research Interests

    Active Galactic Nuclei

    For many years now we have been assembling, in the words of George Lucas, a rag-tag catalog of Active Galactic Nuclei from the many redshift surveys at CfA and elsewhere and also identifcations of X-ray and IR sources. The most notable list, and one of the only optically complete magnitude limited samples is the CfA Seyfert catalog (Huchra & Burg 1992, ApJ 393, 90), based on the first CfA Redshift Survey where almost complete spectroscopic information is available for all galaxies brighter than m_zw = 14.5 and above certain galactic latitude limits in the northern hemisphere. This catalog and our current full list (but horrendously incomplete!) catalog can be gotten here:

    CfA1 AGN Catalog (Huchra & Burg 1992)

    CfA Seyfert Catalog Large (Incomplete) AGN List

    The first is by definition referenced to the 1992 ApJ paper and does represent an attempt at a statistically complete AGN catalog. The second can be referenced here. Note that the second list is just a guide, i.e. it is not meant to be complete either spatially or in content, but rather just a useful list for AGN hunters and other surveyors. Contact JPH if you need more information on its content and makeup. Through my interest in AGN, I'm also a (very minor) participant in VERITAS. For those who are interested, here is a site with preprints on Blazars .

    Galaxy Evolution & Star Formation in Galaxies

    This is a long term program based on my original study of star formation in Markarian galaxies. My two main interests in this field are the determination of the local integrated star formation rate from the study of the luminosity function of galaxies as a function of color and type, and understanding star formation mechanisms in individual galaxies by studying their detailed color (stellar population), gas, kinematics and chemical properties. The first serves as a baseline for studying the evolution of galaxies, while the second is aimed at the more complication problem of understanding why galaxies look the way they do.

    Here are some links to web sites on galaxy evolution:

  • GALEXEV Bruzual & Charlot (2003)
  • Bruzual & Charlot Atlas at StScI
  • GISSEL-XXI Library (B&C 2001)
  • Worthey 1994 Models at Padova
  • Worthey Models
  • Padova Evolutionary Tracks
  • Vazdekis Evolutionary Tracks
  • Geneva Evolutionary Tracks
  • PEGASE
  • MPI Simulations
  • Yale Tracks
  • Yale Galaxy Calculator VanDokkum & Franx
  • Delgado Tracks

    Photometry:

  • Asiago Database of Photometric Systems
  • Another System List
  • Starlink Photometry
  • Astronomical Photometry

    And here is a wonderful stellar spectral atlas compiled by Perry Berlind at FLWO:

  • FLWO Spectral Atlas

    #Recently I have also begun working with Giovanni Fazio and the SIRTF IRAC team #on several programs using the IRAC camera to do surveys of galaxies #in the mid-IR. SIRTF Links

    GALAXY CLUSTERS

    I am also involved in several surveys to map the large scale distribution of galaxy clusters. One example is the REFLEX SURVEY , based on the ROSAT All-Sky Survey of clusters. This work has been in collaboration with a large number of other astronomers.
  • The ROSAT Whole Sky Survey identifications (above Dec = 0)

  • Clusters The Dynamics of Abell Clusters

    Papers

    I've put a limited number of my papers that are not available via the ADS at this link. Preprints These are postscript versions that can be downloaded.

    Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)

  • GMT Website
  • John's Harvard Courses

    Freshman Seminar on Galaxies and Cosmology 1984 -->

    Seminar participants will discuss the interplay between observation and theory and the evolution of astronomers' views of the universe with our improved ability to view it. Topics covered will include the internal structure and dynamics of galaxies, cosmological models, the determination of the cosmic distance scale, observations of large-scale structure in the universe, galaxy formation, and the age, size and fate of the universe. We will explore the basic observations that lend support to the inflationary hot Big Bang cosmology.

    AY 16 [2008]

    The Stars & Gas & the Milky Way is an introductory astrophysics course that covers the basics of the planetary system, stars, gas, our galaxy and a litle of the universe beyond. Requirements are Physics 15a and an interest in astrophysics. Alex Dalgarno and I team taught the course in the spring of 2008.

    AY 97 Sophomore Tutorial

    Also, for students taking Astronomy 97, my section covers work on the Hubble Constant and the Extragalactic Distance Scale. Students can get some information on the subject below and also at the H0 Key Project website, also linked below. A good source of information on the general problem (albeit a little old) is Michael Rowan-Robinson's book, The Cosmological Distance Ladder. The problem for the class is the determination of distances to nearby galaxies using the Cepheid Period Luminosity relation: Ay97 Homework . There are both postscript and pdf versions you can download (they are the same). Data for the problem can be found in the file pl.dat linked here. Periods for the Cepheid variables in each galaxy are in days and Absolute (for the Milky Way only) or apparent V magnitudes are given as appropriate.

    AY 98 Junior Tutorial 1984-->

    The Junior Tutorial is a course intended to provide more of an introduction to research for concentrators in the astronomy department. In the fall term, students hear talks by members of the department and have an opportunity to interact with them more directly. In the spring term, students then prepare a reading or research paper on a topic of their choice. The current schedule for the fall 2000 lectures can be found here: AY98 Lectures

    AY 99 Senior Thesis Research

    Juniors/Seniors wishing to work with me on research projects in extragalactic astronomy or observational cosmology should contact me via e-mail or make an appointment with me through my assistant, Lisa Catella (495-7390, lcatella@cfa.harvard.edu). At any given time I have a variety of short projects suitable for junior or senior thesis work.

    AY 145 Topics in Astrophysics

    The AY145 is the junior/senior level astrophysics course for astronomy and physics concentrators. The goal of this course is to provide astronomy and physics concentrators with a more advanced view of astrophysics which includes astrophysical processes and principles. We first cover relatively basic material but with an eye towards observational limitations and uncertainties. We then cover a broad but selected set of topics that will range across stellar evolution, star formation, the interstellar medium, cosmology and extragalactic astronomy.

    AY 192 Principles of Astronomical Measurement 1979-99

    Principles of Astronomical Measurement was given by J. Huchra and I. Shapiro for approximately 20 years. The goal of this course was to convey to students both the techniques for taking and analysing observational astronomical data, and the warts that exist in any real data due to the properties of astronomical detectors, telescopes, the atmosphere, radiation fields and just plain old statistics. For future observers, it is of lessons in how not to make really egregious mistakes. For future theorists, its a set of lessons in how much to believe any set of data. The schedule for fall 1999 was AY 192, and you can click here for a list of the references used in the course. This course is now taught by Prof. Chris Stubbs.

  • Lecture Notes will be posted in this directory as we go along (hopefully!!!!!!)
  • PROBLEMS --- problem sets, solution sets and other useful information such as a short IRAF description, filter curves and spectrophotometric data for Vega are posted in this directory.

    AY202a Galaxies and Dynamics

    An observational and theoretical overview of extragalactic astronomy with emphasis on dynamics. The simple cosmological framework, galaxy morphology and structure, stars gas and dust in galaxies, stellar and gas dynamics, galaxy formation and evolution, galaxy populations and properties, galaxy clusters, cosmic distance scale, active galactic nuclei, and the intergalactic medium. This course is aimed at first and second year graduate students and advanced undergrads. Students should have solid backgrounds in undergraduate physics, astronomy and mathematics.

    This course is part of the core graduate core curriculum in astronomy. It will be given in the fall of 2009, M+W 10:00-11:30 A.M. at the Observatory. The course link can be found here AY202a We will provide problem sets approximately every second week and a take home final exam. This course is followed by AY202b, Cosmology.

    AY207 Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology

    This course will be taught in the spring of 2000 by Martin White and Lars Hernquist. You can click here for a list of the references I've used in this course. It was discontinued in 2002 in favor of the two course core sequence AY202a & AY202b.

    AY291 Topics in Modern Cosmology

    Information on the cosmology seminar given last spring can be found at: AY 291, Topics in Modern Cosmology. Students and postdocs at Harvard and other nearby universities are welcome to attend, but the class size is limited so consent of the instructor is required. Astronomers in general and other interested folks might find this an interesting list of both historical and current articles on selected topics in Cosmology. A more detailed list of selected key references is attached to the course reading list.

    Educational Links

  • Science Education Initiative (Carl Weiman)
  • Astronomy Wiki
  • NASA Center for Astronomy Education

    Harvard Administration

    The Astronomy Department Web page also contains information about course, source requirements etc. And here is the website for the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and sciences: GSAS. I currently serve as the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in the astronomy department.

    Other astronomical educational references can be found at the

  • AAS Education Website For 2001/2001, I am also a
  • Shapley Lecturer for the AAS.

    Research

    There are a number of other projects and programs that I'm working on in addition to the CfA Redshift Catalogue and Survey and the 2MASS Redshift Survey. These include

  • The Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale (Hubble Constant = H0)

  • Extragalactic Globular Clusters

  • The Two Micron All Sky Survey

  • The Optical Redshift Survey (ORS)

  • FAME Full Sky Astrometric Mapping Explorer

  • The HST Medium Deep Survey

  • The Wide Field X-ray Telescope (WFXT)

  • AGNWatch The International AGN Watch

  • VERITAS Veritas Gamma Ray Telescope

    Here are some links to catalog information and to related projects on galaxy and galaxy and cluster redshift surveys, etc.:

    International Astronomical Union

    John is currently the past chair of the US national Committee for the IAU (term 2009-20011).

    If you want to go directly to the IAU Web pages click here: IAU/UAI . Past Information Bulletins can be found at: IAU InformationBulletins

    Here are some links to Journals

    Astrophysical Journal

    If you want to go directly to the Astrophysical Journal Web Page at the University of Chicago Press click here: ApJ .

    Here are some links to Agencies and Advisory Groups

    Here are some useful Search Engines:

  • Yahoo
  • Alta Vista
  • FAST Search (AllThe Web)
  • Direct Hit
  • Ditto
  • Google
  • Contentville
  • Hello Brain
  • Bad Astronomy

    Here are links to Observatories:

  • Space Telescope Science Institute
  • Chandra X-ray Observatory
  • XMM
  • National Optical Astronomical Observatory (NOAO)
  • National Radio Astronomical Observatory
  • NRAO Greenbank
  • Arecibo Observatory
  • Carnegie
  • Magellan
  • Las Campanas
  • European Southern Observatory
  • Magellan 20 Site
  • Magellan 20 Site at OCIW
  • Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge
  • Institute for Astronomy, Hawaii

    And here are some useful astronomical and other links:

    >

  • AURA
  • Aspen Center for Physics
  • HST Views of the Universe
  • HST Science
  • NASA Mission List
  • NASA's MIDEX Program
  • NASA Search Engine
  • NASA HEASARC Database
  • NASA National Space Science Data Center
  • American Astronomical Society
  • American Physical Society
  • APS Physics Central
  • Royal Astronomical Society
  • International Astronomical Union (IAU)
  • Sigma Xi
  • Astronomical Society of the Pacific
  • SPIE
  • Magellanic Clouds Newsletter
  • SPIE Adaptive Optics Forum
  • SPIE Bookstore
  • Association for Women in Science
  • CRC Press
  • NASA Amateur Links
  • American Academy of Arts & Sciences
  • National Academy of Sciences
  • NRC Education Resource
  • Odyssey
  • Appalachian Mountain Club
  • National Wildlife Federation
  • Near Earth Asteroid Team
  • AIP's FYI Pages
  • Union of Concerned Scientists
  • Integral Science Center Newsletter
  • WGBH
  • Cambridge University Press
  • Aspen Center for Physics
  • Central Intelligence Agency
  • Third Age
  • Caltech Alumni Association
  • Textbook Land (Price comparison)
  • US Budget

    Astronomical Humor

    One of my favorites:
  • The Cartoon Bank. Including New Yorker Cartoons. They can also be reached at 1-800-897-8666 or 1-914-478-5527. And a number of links to other material (thanks to Glen Chaple of Astronomy mag):
  • Anthony Ayiomamitis' Astro Jokes
  • Andy Blackburn's AstroHumor Page
  • Sidney Harris Cartoons
  • Mark Parisi's page
  • Theresa McCracken's page

    Research Conduct and Ethics

    Especially for young investigators, here are some links to sites discussing the conduct of research and ethics in research. These include the AIP statistical studies of research and researchers in the US.

  • APS Guidelines for Professional Conduct
  • Other APS Statements
  • ACS Chemical Professional's Code of Conduct
  • ACS Ethical Guidelines for Publications
  • AIP Statistics Division
  • AAAS Statistics
  • AAAS Research Integrity Site
  • Federal Policy On Research Misconduct (OSTP)
  • Federal Policy On Research Misconduct (Preamble and Comments)
  • ORI Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Kirby & Houle Physics Today, Nov 2004
  • Online Ethics Organization

    Research conduct and ethics are important topics for students, postdocs and faculty to understand. Issues of broad interest include intellectual property rights (who's names should go on papers, how and when should supporting material be cited, who owns ideas, etc.), data ``management," including record keeping and presenting sufficient data for other researchers to be able to duplicate your work, the use of other people's data, and general behavior towards colleagues and competitors. Each field has slightly different protocols for certain issues (authorship, for example --- see the differences between the ACS and the APS suggestions on research paper authorship). Every student should spend at least some time thinking about these issues before presenting their first research results, and every faculty member (and department) has a responsibility to their students to teach the rules of the field. A somewhat eclectic reference list and discussion is here . I also urge you to consider the flip side of scientific ethics, namely the social contract between scientists and the community at large. An good description of this compact was given by Harold Varmus in his 2004 Carey Lecture .

    There are also a number of good and very basic references on what is research and how to conduct it, starting with some really old but classic works. These are worth a read by any student, professor and practicioner of the sciences. Here's a short list:

    Most of these books are readily available from the commercial booksellers listed below. Finally, linked above is the ORI (US Office of Research Integrity)

    by Nicholas Steneck. This is a new handbook aimed especially at young investigators which asks and leads discussions on a broad range of research ethics issues.

    A our fields grow, Research Ethics become more an more important, in part because of the tendency to forget what has happened or what has been discovered in the past and in part because of the increased competition for resources. Neither of those reasons is sufficient to forgo our ethical obligations, either to our colleagues, our students or ourselves. It is the duty of every researcher to *think* before acting.

    Harvard University maintains several manuals and handbooks for research policy and procedures at:

  • FAS Research Conduct and Administration
  • Here also is a link to the NAS summary of doctoral programs: NAS

    One final note. A PhD is not for everyone, it takes time and effort and real concentration to get one and you may be better served by a different career. If you do decide to pursue a research and teaching career, there are many helpful sources including those above. Another that I've found with useful advice is the Survey on Doctoral Education and Career Preparation .

    Climate Change

  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • < A href=http://climateprogress.org> Climate Progress from Joseph Romm

    Travel stuff:

    Booksellers:

    Photographs and Clip Art:

  • Foto Search Stock Photography

    Music:

    Astronomy Education K-12 and up:

    Trains

    My Educational Organizations

    Last but not least, if you want to find out more about me (the gory detail as well as my publication list) have a look at at my vita, , or pdf version , and my bibliography, and a short autobiography I've written as a chapter in "Our Universe" from Cambridge University Press Mapmaker, Mapmaker ... (or as a pdf file). You can link to my publications through the ADS and through the Astroph preprint server, although they do not list quite everything yet!

    Publications
    From ADS Abstract and Article database.
    From LANL astro-ph preprint archive.

    You can also see my little guy and me in Italy a few years ago here . Finally, here also is my collection of wacky/useful websites. I won't promise to update these very regularly, but if you find something interesting and want more information, let me know. Almost all of my articles in refereed journals are available from the NASA Astronomical Data System (ADS) website given above.

    Take Care!

    John




    John P. Huchra <huchra@cfa.harvard.edu> Last Updated Nov 2007