Research
"We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people"
--Carl Sagan
While many scientists persevere to glimpse the limits of the observable Universe, there is so much more to understand about the Universe nearby. We have little comprehension of what over eighty percent of the matter in the Universe is made of, or even where it is. We know that the Milky Way and its close neighbours are hurtling through space hundreds of times faster than a speeding bullet, but we can't quite explain what's pulling them. Whether it's a lack of understanding the physics, or something missing in our map of the skies, there is definitely enough uncertainty to start asking questions.
With the success of the Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), and ongoing follow-up projects: the 2MASS Redshift Survey and 2MASS Tully-Fisher Survey, the tools to answer these questions are beginning to fall within our grasp.
Working with John Huchra and Karen Masters at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, we are developing models based on the survey data that will help us better understand the dynamics nearby.
To learn more, follow the links on the right of the page...