About Division of Optical and Infrared Astronomy

It is possible to see entirely different universes when we look at our Universe in different wavelengths. The Universe observed in optical and infrared wavelength looks just as it does when you see it with your own eyes. Instead of eyes, we use large ground-based telescopes such as the Okayama 188-cm Telescope and the 8-m Subaru Telescope, which have thousands to millions of times greater visual power than eyes, in order to investigate the Universe to answer many unsolved questions. What structure does our Universe have ? When was it born? How were planets and stars born? When and how did life appear in the Universe? We would like to answer these fundamental questions thorough our various scientific research. We are also working as liaison for different projects, the promotion of exploratory projects, public outreach, and education for graduate students.