The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

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Steve Leiker

Center for Astrophysics

SMA Receiver Lab-Electronics Engineer

Steve Leiker

sleiker@cfa.harvard.edu

About

Steve is an engineer in Central Engineering’s Electrical group. He joined Central Engineering in 1998, and since then, he has been working in the Submillimeter Array’s Receiver Laboratory. His work includes engineering support for developing receivers and related electronics, upgrades, and maintenance of the SMA antennas. Previously, he worked on the MicroObservatory project at the CfA and taught undergraduate astronomy and geology at the University of Northern Iowa.

B.A. and M.A. degrees in Earth Science - University of Northern Iowa.

Telescopes and Instruments

The Submillimeter Array - Maunakea, HI

Located near the summit of Maunakea on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Submillimeter Array (SMA) is one of the flagship observatories of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. The observatory consists of eight radio dishes working together as one telescope, giving astronomers a window on a wide range of astronomical objects and phenomena: planets and comets in our own Solar System; the birth of stars and planets; and the supermassive black holes hidden at the centers of the Milky Way and other galaxies. The SMA is operated jointly by the CfA and the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

Visit the Submillimeter Array Website

MicroObservatory Telescope Network

The MicroObservatory Robotic Telescope Network is a collection of five computer-controlled telescopes, built specifically for use by public audiences of all ages. These telescopes were designed by the scientists and educators at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, to allow non-professionals interested in astronomy to use small but high-quality instruments for observing the sky. The MicroObservatory telescopes are located at various CfA observatories, including the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in southern Arizona.

Visit the MicroObservatory Telescope Network Website