This community meeting aims to provide you with an overview and explanation of the processes and plans for mission concepts submitted to the Ad ASTRA workshop. The meeting will include a description of how the NASA Astrophysics Division will use the information gathered at the workshop. Additionally, this meeting aims to collect feedback and questions that the COPAG community may have regarding the process and plans that further mission concept selections.
Our Spotlight Series highlights recent advances in AGN science, with a strong emphasis on participation from early-career researchers, and includes plenty of time for community discussion following the presentations.
Unveiling the Role of Multi-Phase AGN Outflows with MIRACLE
Speaker
Dr. Matteo Ceci (Università di Firenze)
Abstract
Galaxy evolution is tightly connected to Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) through feedback processes in which gas accretion onto the supermassive black hole drives powerful multiphase outflows. Detailed studies in the local Universe are crucial to resolve the physical scales and gas phases involved, enabling a comprehensive view of AGN-host interactions. I will present first results from the MIRACLE (Mid-IR Activity of Circumnuclear Line Emission) program, combining JWST/MIRI, MUSE, and ALMA observations of seven nearby Seyfert galaxies. Thanks to JWST’s spatial resolution (50-150 pc), we probe atomic and molecular gas in the circumnuclear regions and assess the impact of AGN activity on their host galaxies. Focusing on NGC 1365, we trace the ionized outflow up to kiloparsec scales and constrain its energetics and effects on star formation (SF). By combining mid-IR diagnostics with advanced photoionization and kinematic models, we reproduce ~60 optical and mid-IR emission lines, disentangling AGN- and SF-driven components and providing robust estimates of gas density, ionization, extinction, and outflow mass. We show that classical methods commonly adopted in the literature can underestimate outflow masses by up to an order of magnitude.
Disk Reflection as the Origin of the X-ray Polarization of NGC 4151 with IXPE
Speaker
Dr. Elias Kammoun (California Institute of Technology)
Abstract
The geometry of the X-ray emitting region around accreting supermassive black holes remains poorly constrained, but X-ray polarimetry now offers a new and direct perspective on it. I will present a spectro-polarimetric study of the nearby type-1 AGN NGC 4151, combining two long IXPE observations from 2022 and 2024 with simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectroscopy. IXPE reveals a polarization degree of 6–7% above 4 keV aligned with the radio jet, plus a distinct low-energy component at a different angle, providing evidence for at least two polarized components in the 2–8 keV band. While earlier work read the hard X-ray signal as a radially extended, slab-like corona, I will test an alternative: that the polarization is instead dominated by relativistic reflection from an accretion disk illuminated by a compact, lamp-post corona. Fitting the IXPE Stokes spectra with recently developed models, we find the data favor a low coronal height and a wide torus opening angle, with disk reflection supplying ~20% of the 2–8 keV flux. The same configuration reproduces the full 0.4–79 keV spectrum, showing that disk reprocessing by a compact corona can account for both the polarization and the broadband spectral properties of NGC 4151.
Seminar Connection
Zoom Registration, you will receive connection details by email after registration:
How the Faint Radio Sky is Changing Our Understanding of Star Formation and Galactic Outflows
Speaker
Allison Matthews (Carnegie Observatories)
Abstract
In the last decade, with the commissioning of high sensitivity radio telescopes, we have opened a new window into the faint radio sky. These novel facilities probe fundamental physical processes that regulate star formation and characterize star formation in normal galaxies like our Milky Way over nearly all cosmic time. Deep observations from MeerKAT and LOFAR have revealed that prior observations may have missed half the star formation at all cosmic times. This discrepancy has critical implications across astrophysics: estimates of gravitational wave events, the frequency of astrophysical transients, and the chemical evolution of galaxies. These same high-sensitivity radio facilities are simultaneously placing critical constraints on the physical drivers of galactic winds that we believe regulate star formation across all of cosmic time. In this talk, I will present these findings and outline programs with next generation radio facilities that will improve our observational constraints on the rate and regulation of star formation across cosmic time.
Announcement of Opportunity Astrophysics Explorers Program 2026 Small Explorer (SMEX) Amended Text Released
10 August 2026
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) announces the release of Amendment #1 to the Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to solicit Principal Investigator (PI)-led space science investigations for the Small Explorer (SMEX) opportunity under the Astrophysics Explorers Program on the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). To find the full amended AO text and a copy of Amendment #1 visit https://nspires.nasaprs.com/, and select “Solicitations” at the top of the page, and on the next page in the search box, input the number “NNH26ZDA011O” or use the direct short URL https://go.nasa.gov/APSMEX26. In the event of any lapse in NASA operations, please visit NSPIRES for further information.
Changes within the AO text are noted by using bold for new text and strikethrough for deleted text. The proposal due date, September 9, 2026, remains unchanged. For a summary of the changes made to the AO, locate the Amendment #1 document on the right side of the AO landing page on NSPIRES. Additionally, the official Question and Answers (Q&A) document has been updated on the Science Office for Mission Assessments (SOMA) web site at https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/APSMEX26/SMEX.
All new questions or comments about the Astrophysics SMEX 2026 AO shall be addressed via email to Dan Moses, APSMEX26 Lead Program Scientist, dan.moses@nasa.gov; Hannah Jang-Condell, APSMEX26 Deputy Program Scientist, hannah.jang-condell@nasa.gov; and Omar Torres, Lead Acquisition Manager for the 2026 Astrophysics SMEX AO, SOMA omar.torres@nasa.gov using subject line “APSMEX26” to be properly routed. The Q&A period for the SMEX 2026 AO ends 14 days before the proposal due date.
Any costs incurred in preparing a submission in response to this notice or the full APSMEX26 AO are solely the responsibility of the submitter.
NASA Science
NSPIRES
NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System
Spin Signatures in Horizon-Resolved Images of LLAGN
Speaker
Dr. Daniel Palumbo, Harvard University
Abstract
With the advent of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), near-horizon black hole imaging with sub-mm very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) is now routine for the two sources for which terrestrial VLBI is sufficient to resolve the black hole shadow: Messier 87* and Sagittarius A*. Since the first images of M87*, the theoretical analysis of these images has advanced a broad class of black hole spin tracers in horizon-resolving observations, all of which have complex interplay with the astrophysical conditions near the horizon. Meanwhile, space VLBI mission concepts such as the Black Hole Explorer aim to drastically improve the angular resolution available via sub-mm VLBI, resolving out the primary accretion disk image to isolate the strongly lensed “photon ring,” which more robustly exposes black hole mass, spin, and viewing inclination to distant observers. In this talk, I will detail the spin signatures in both of these angular resolution regimes, and how they work together to build a “robustness ladder” for spin measurement with which the spins of many more low-luminosity AGN will soon become accessible as sub-mm VLBI sensitivity, frequency coverage, angular resolution improves. The resulting local “spin census” will help fill in missing pieces of the history of accretion and merging in the broader AGN population.
Coupling Driven H2 Excitation in Seyferts: GATOS JWST/MRS
Speaker
Daniel Delaney, University of Alaska
Abstract
We utilize James Webb Space Telescope/Mid Infrared Instrument (JWST/MIRI) Integral Field Unit observations from the Galaxy Activity, Torus and Outflow Survey to investigate the diverse range of ionized outflow rates of obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) with similar bolometric luminosity and explore potential associations with AGN feedback. We explore spatial correlations between ionized emission potentially associated with fast shocks ([Fe II]5.34μm) and the excitation of H2. We further constrain our investigation to the inner 400 pc (the nuclear and circumnuclear regions r < 200 pc), and estimate the excitation temperature and column density of H2 assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium and using the S(1)–S(8) rotational H2 emission lines visible to JWST/MIRI spectroscopy. We report the molecular gas temperature of the deprojected 400 pc nuclear region to correlate with the ionized mass outflow rate. We also observe a stronger degree of spatial correlation between [Fe II]5.34μm emission and H2 gas temperature. We observe regions of enhanced [Fe II]5.34μm/[Ar II]6.99μm spatially coincident with the ionization cones of objects with higher ionized outflow rates and [Fe II]5.34μm/[Ar II]6.99μm in the deprojected 400 pc nuclear region to scale positively with both the ionized outflow rate and the estimated molecular gas temperature. We do not observe the estimated jet cavity power within the central 400 pc as strongly correlated with the ionized mass outflow rate or molecular gas temperature of the nuclear region. We take the preceding observations to suggest a higher degree of interaction between AGN outflows and the circumnuclear disk.
Seminar Connection
Zoom Registration (note this is a new registration link), you will receive connection details by email after registration:
From Micro to Macro: Connecting the Physics of Galaxy Formation Across Scales
Speaker
Drummond Fielding, New York University
Abstract
Galaxy formation is controlled by the cycling of diffuse gas through the ISM, CGM, and larger-scale environment, but predictive models remain limited by unresolved microphysics. I will discuss how sub-pc processes—including cosmic-ray transport, magnetic reconnection, and turbulent mixing—regulate multiphase structure, energy and momentum transport, and the launching of galactic winds. I will then describe how simulations, analytic models, and new multi-scale numerical methods can connect these processes to kpc-scale feedback and Mpc-scale galaxy evolution. The aim is to build physically grounded models of gas cycling that can sharpen our interpretation of observations and move galaxy formation theory beyond phenomenological feedback prescriptions.
1 July 2026 2:00pm -3:00pm ET 11:00am – 12:00 pm PT
community
Cosmic Origins
Type
Seminar
Why and Where Do We Want to Put Telescopes on the Moon?
Speaker
Nivedita Mahesh, CU Boulder
Abstract
The Moon is emerging as a uniquely valuable platform for astrophysics, enabling observations that neither Earth nor free-flying spacecraft can support. This talk surveys the scientific motivation across four complementary regimes. At low radio frequencies, the radio-quiet lunar farside opens a window onto the cosmological Dark Ages and the magnetospheres of exoplanets. In the mid-band gravitational-wave regime, the Moon’s low seismic activity bridges the sensitivity gap between terrestrial and space-based detectors. At ultraviolet wavelengths, its natural vacuum and long coherence times allow high-resolution stellar imaging beyond what is possible on Earth. And in the far-infrared, the cold, stable conditions of permanently shadowed regions offer a naturally cryogenic, absorption-free site for probing star and planet formation and the obscured Universe.
For each regime, I will share updates from the mission concept leads on the efforts now developing within the Astrophysics from the Moon, Mars & Beyond (AMMB) Science Interest Group. Together, these cases point to a paradigm shift: astrophysics from the Moon is becoming not just desirable but necessary.
The Moon is emerging as a uniquely valuable platform for astrophysics, enabling observations that neither Earth nor free-flying spacecraft can support. This talk surveys the scientific motivation across four complementary regimes. At low radio frequencies, the radio-quiet lunar farside opens a window onto the cosmological Dark Ages and the magnetospheres of exoplanets. In the mid-band gravitational-wave regime, the Moon’s low seismic activity bridges the sensitivity gap between terrestrial and space-based detectors. At ultraviolet wavelengths, its natural vacuum and long coherence times allow high-resolution stellar imaging beyond what is possible on Earth. And in the far-infrared, the cold, stable conditions of permanently shadowed regions offer a naturally cryogenic, absorption-free site for probing star and planet formation and the obscured Universe.
For each regime, I will share updates from the mission concept leads on the efforts now developing within the Astrophysics from the Moon, Mars & Beyond (AMMB) Science Interest Group. Together, these cases point to a paradigm shift: astrophysics from the Moon is becoming not just desirable but necessary.
Swara Ravindranath | Deputy Chief Scientist of NASA’s Cosmic Origins Program (NASA GSFC)
Abstract
Cosmic Origins Science covers a broad range of topics that are fundamental to our understanding of the evolution of structure in the Universe and the physical processes that can explain the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets that we observe today. The various space telescopes that operate across the electromagnetic spectrum have been crucial to address some of the most fundamental questions related to our cosmic origins. The landscape of Space Astronomy is evolving fast with innovative technology, industry partnerships, and new commercial launch capabilities. In this talk, I will review the Cosmic Origins Program and discuss the new opportunities that offer strategic pathways for focused-science missions.
Ad ASTRA Workshop Abstract and Mission Concept Deadline Extended to 1 July 2026
23 June 2026
Dear Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) community members-
As we prepare for our Ad ASTRA Community Science workshop, we are writing to share important updates regarding workshop abstract submissions, as well as ASTRA Mission Concept submissions.
Ad ASTRA Workshop
The deadline for abstract submission for the Workshop has been extended to 1 July 2026.
Submit workshop abstracts via the workshop webpage. If you have already submitted an abstract and would like to modify it based on the guidelines above, please delete your previous contribution and send another submission. Note while talks will be focused on science and technological capability themes, we encourage participants to present their mission concepts as posters, and will offer the opportunity to present as posters any abstracts for which there is insufficient room in the parallel sessions.
ASTRA Mission Concepts
The deadline for submitting ASTRA Mission Concept Documents has also been extended to 1 July 2026.
The most recent decadal survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics (released in late 2021) identified the most compelling science goals, presented a program of ground- and space-based activities for future investment, and recommended critical actions to support the foundations of the profession as well as the technologies and tools needed to carry out the science. At the request of NASA, NSF, and DOE, this midterm assessment reviews progress towards the priorities from the decadal survey.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) shall convene an ad hoc committee to review the responses of NASA’s Astrophysics program, NSF’s Astronomy program, and DOE’s Cosmic Frontiers program (hereafter the Agencies’ programs) to previous National Academies advice, primarily the 2020 National Academies decadal survey, “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s” (Astro2020).
The committee’s review will include the following tasks:
Scientific and Technical Landscape: Identify and evaluate the most significant scientific discoveries, technological advancements that could impact implementation, changes to the facilities landscape, and relevant programmatic changes in astronomy and astrophysics since the publication of Astro2020.
Alignment with Decadal Priorities: Assess the extent to which the programs of the relevant agencies align with the strategies, goals, and priorities outlined in Astro2020 and other pertinent National Academies reports in the context of the Agencies’ current strategic priorities and budgets thus far allotted to them.
Recommendations for Maximizing Scientific Return: Considering 1 – the advice provided since the publication of Astro2020 by any Federal Advisory Committees active at the time, 2 – the Agencies’ strategic plans, and 3 – the mid-decade contingencies described in the decadal survey, recommend actions that maximize the scientific return of the Agencies’ programs.
Foundational and Enabling Activities: Evaluate progress and alignment with recommendations on foundational activities, including workforce development, technology maturation, and data infrastructure.
Consideration of International Partnerships and Cross-Agency Opportunities: Assess opportunities to advance the implementation of priorities outlined in Astro2020 that are presented by changes in international partnerships and cross-agency cooperative capabilities.
The review should not revisit or alter the scientific priorities or mission recommendations provided in the decadal survey and related National Academies reports but may assess progress in implementation of the recommended science and activities portfolio and on other potential activities in preparation for the next decadal survey.
Nominate yourself or a colleague to join the leadership council of the NASA AI/ML Science and Technology Interest Group (STIG). We welcome early-career researchers (graduate students, postdocs, and early-career scientists) broadly interested in AI and astronomy. Duties are light: suggesting speakers and helping run remote seminars by sending reminders and introducing the speaker.
We are especially looking for early-career researchers, including graduate students, postdocs, and early-career scientists, who are broadly interested in the intersection of AI and astronomy. You do not need to be an expert across the whole field; curiosity and a willingness to help the community learn matter most.
The organizational duties are light. Council members help suggest speakers and run the remote seminars, which mainly means sending email reminders and introducing the speaker. It is a great way to meet people across the field and to help shape a series that reaches the NASA community and beyond.
Two themes will anchor next year’s series:
Agentic AI for Astrophysics. How LLM agents and multi-agent systems can accelerate astronomical research, from literature and data analysis to simulation and discovery workflows.
AI and Astronomy in the US: Initiatives, Funding, and Broader Impacts. The wider landscape of AI in astronomy, including national initiatives, funding opportunities, AI pedagogy, the ethics and philosophy of AI in science, and ways AI can support NASA priorities such as ASTRA.
Please use this Google form to nominate yourself or someone else by the end of next week (extended to 27 June 2026).
Dear Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) community members this serves as a reminder for those attending AAS248. This session is in-person only.
NASA’s astrophysics fleet of observatories push the limits of human vision and understanding, exploring the most profound questions of our existence while driving innovations that transform the extraordinary into the everyday and reinforce U.S. leadership in space. This special session, organized by the NASA Astrophysics Division, will provide insight into the ASTRA Initiative, share initial findings from the May 2026 Innovation for Astrophysics Missions Workshop, and will discuss plans for the September 2026 Astrophysics community science (Ad ASTRA) workshop. Talks will be followed by a panel to address questions from the community.
Splinter Session: NASA’s Big Science, Small Missions
Tuesday, June 16th, 1:00pm – 2:30pm ET, 10:00am -11:30am PT (Hybrid Session)
For remote participation, please look for the “Join the Session” link above the agenda on the Cosmic Origins at AAS website.
High-Impact Science Smarter, Faster, Together
Agenda
Organizers: Swara Ravindranath (NASA/GSFC), Emily Witt (JHU)
Time
Topic
Speaker
10:00am ‑ 10:05am
Welcome
Swara Ravindranath (NASA/GSFC)
10:05am ‑ 10:15am
FORTIS Sounding Rocket
Emily Witt (JHU)
10:15am ‑ 10:25am
BlackCAT CubeSat
Abe Falcone (Pennsylvania State University)
10:25am ‑ 10:35am
SunRISE CubeSat Constellation
Joseph Lazio (University of Michigan)
10:35am ‑ 10:45am
SPHEREx Medium Explorer Mission
Roberta Paladini (IPAC/Caltech)
10:45am ‑ 10:55am
Landolt Pioneer Mission
Peter Kurczynski (NASA/GSFC)
10:55am ‑ 11:05am
Non-Traditional Path to Missions
Sanchayeeta Borthakur (Arizona State University)
11:05am ‑ 11:10am
BREAK
11:10am ‑ 11:30am
Panel Discussion
Swara Ravindranath (NASA/GSFC, moderator) Panelists: Drew Miles (Caltech), Pablo Saz Parkinson (NASA HQ), Joseph Lazio (University of Michigan), Abe Falcone (Pennsylvania State University), David Ardila (JPL)
American Astronomical Society
The 248th Meeting of the AAS
The 248th AAS meeting (joint with the High Energy Astrophysics and the Laboratory Astrophysics Divisions) will be held 14-18 June 2026 in Pasadena, California.
Over the next few months, our talk series will be highlighting research from PRIMA’s Working Groups, with this talk focusing on dust properties in galaxies in the nearby universe. Stay tuned as well for overview talks this fall that highlight PRIMA’s PI science in the areas of Protoplanetary Disks and the Evolution of Dust and Metals.
Our Spotlight Series highlights recent advances in AGN science, with a strong emphasis on participation from early-career researchers, and includes plenty of time for community discussion following the presentations.
Central Shocks and Metal-Enriched Outflows: A New View of AGN Feedback
Speaker
Peixin Zhu (Harvard University)
Abstract
The growth of galaxies and their central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is tightly linked. However, the exact impact of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) feedback on the host galaxy is still uncertain, with different observations suggesting AGNs enhance, suppress, or do not affect the host galaxy star formation rate. Resolving these controversies requires proper treatment of shocks, which are known to exist with AGN-driven outflow and yet are difficult to distinguish from AGN emission. In my talk, I will present a new theoretical three-dimensional diagram built for integral-field spectroscopy that cleanly separates star formation, AGN, and shock-dominated spaxels. Furthermore, these separation results can be combined with theoretical diagnostics to map the spatial distribution of gas-phase metallicity, ionization parameter, and gas pressure within these galaxies. After applying this new technique to 8 nearby Seyfert galaxies, we reveal that AGN and star formation coexist in the galaxy center, and fast shocks are present at the base of AGN outflows in some galaxies. We also find that outflowing gas is systematically metal-enhanced relative to adjacent star-forming rings. I will discuss how these results refine the picture of AGN feedback and the implications for nuclear enrichment and gas transport.
Investigating AGN Feeding and Feedback Through Circumnuclear Gas Kinematics in NGC 3079 and NGC 1068
Speaker
Dr. Ming-Yi Lin (University of Toledo)
Abstract
Studying gas kinematics in the circumnuclear regions (< 100 pc) of nearby AGNs on spatial scales of <10 pc provides insights into gas transport toward the supermassive black hole (SMBH) and the impact of AGN feedback in both radiative and kinetic forms. The kinematics of cold molecular gas are observed with radio interferometers (ALMA and NOEMA), while the warm molecular gas in the near-IR are studied using adaptive optics (AO)-assisted integral field spectrographs (IFS; Keck/OSIRIS). In this talk, I will use NGC 1068 and NGC 3079, two nearby Compton-thick AGNs, as pilot targets to discuss two distinct types of molecular outflows located at distances of ~40 pc from the SMBH: a cooling-efficient, momentum-driven outflow and a cooling-inefficient, energy-driven outflow. I will also present the discrepancy between Bondi accretion prescriptions and observationally constrained mass accretion rates.
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