Christopher J. Conselice

The Formation of Galaxies through Mergers
Contact information:
cc@astro.caltech.edu
Fellowship status:
Starting year: 2002
AAPF alumnus
Fellowship institution: Caltech
Current (or last known) position: Lecturer, University of Nottingham
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Research Interests:

I study how galaxies form and evolve through the merger and gas accretion process. I am also leading an infrared survey with Palomar to trace how much stellar mass formed by redshift z ~ 1 using 50+ of Palomar 5 meter time. I have developed new tools, including a morphological system called CAS, which measures the concentration (C), asymmetry (A) and clumpiness (S) of the light from galaxies imaged with HST. I am using these tools, combined with stellar and dynamical mass estimates of galaxies to determine the physics behind galaxy formation and when this formation occurred.

Education and Outreach Interests:

I write astronomy articles for popular magazines, such as Astronomy and Scientific American. I wrote a column for the Astronomical Society of Pacific's "Mercury Magazine" until 2004.