Astrophysics Speaker Series

3D CMZ: Distinguishing Near vs. Far Distances in the Center of the Milky Way Using Spitzer and Herschel

The central area of the Milky Way galaxy, the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), provides a nearby analog to extragalactic environments. The CMZ has extreme physical properties not found elsewhere in our galaxy, and is the only galactic center we can currently study in detail, making it an incredible laboratory for understanding galaxy and star formation. However, astronomers still lack a three-dimensional model for how gas in the Milky Way’s CMZ orbits around the black hole in the center of the galaxy.Dani will present the current theories and methods we use to piece together the 3D geometry of the CMZ, and the questions these models can help us solve about how our galaxy fits into the local universe.

Dani Lipman is a graduate student at the University of Connecticut studying star formation in the Milky Way as part of Dr. Cara Battersby’s Milky Way Laboratory. Dani received her Bachelors degrees in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa. In 2019, she was awarded a China Fulbright Study/Research Award to study science outreach by university faculty in China. Her current work focuses on understanding the 3D geometry of our galaxy’s center, as well as developing simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies. Dani is also a co-leader of the Astronomy on Tap talk series in Storrs, Connecticut, she is always looking for new ways to connect scientists with their local communities.