In2018, during his fellowship at Radcliffe, University of Vienna professor João Alves collaborated with Catherine Zucker, then a Ph.D. student at Harvard’s Center for Astrophysics, and Alyssa Goodman, Robert Wheeler Willson Professor of Applied Astronomy, to chart the 3D coordinates of stellar nurseries in the vicinity of the sun.
Utilizing fresh data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission and employing the data-intensive technique known as “3D Dust Mapping,” pioneered by Harvard Professor Doug Finkbeiner and his team, the researchers discerned an emerging pattern. This discovery ultimately led to the identification of the ‘Radcliffe Wave’ in 2020.