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black-and-white illustration of dynamic circular movements of two black holes as the are drawn close to each other in the moments just before their climactic merger

New gravity waves hit Earth after record-breaking trip through space

6/1/17

A record-breaking billions of light-years from Earth, gravitational waves produced by the birth of a massive black hole have been detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), an international project that includes Penn State scientists. This achievement indicates that LIGO's success in detecting gravitational waves has opened the door to an entirely new way to explore and understand the universe.

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Penn State scientists help construct largest 3-D map of the universe

8/8/12

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III), an international collaboration that includes Penn State astronomers, has produced the largest-ever three-dimensional map of massive galaxies and distant black holes. The new map will help to explain the mysterious "dark matter" and "dark energy" that scientists know makes up 96 percent of the universe. The map is the first in a series planned during a six-year project that will fully expand into three dimensions the largest-ever 2-D image of the sky, which the SDSS-III released early last year.

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Neil Gehrels to present Marker Lectures in Astronomy and Astrophysics

3/14/12

Neil Gehrels, an adjunct professor of astronomy and astrophysics at both the University of Maryland and at Penn State University, and chief of the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, will present the Russell Marker Lectures in Astronomy and Astrophysics on March 21 and 22, at the Penn State University Park campus.

The lecture series includes a presentation intended for a general audience, "Black Holes: From Einstein to Gamma Ray Bursts," which will be held at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21, in 102 Thomas Building. In the lecture, Gehrels will describe Einstein's theory of general relativity, published in 1916. Gehrels will explain how Einstein's equations predicted that space-time is warped by mass in the universe. Gehrels also will discuss how X-ray telescopes have found strong evidence that black holes exist and are important components of the cosmos. In addition to the public lecture, Gehrels will give two specialized lectures on March 21 and 22. The Marker Lectures are sponsored by the Penn State Eberly College of Science.

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Distant black hole discovered devouring a Sun-like star

8/24/11

X-rays produced by a distant black hole as it slowly devours a Sun-like star have been streaming toward Earth since late March. "Incredibly, this source is still producing X-rays and may remain bright enough for the Swift satellite to observe into next year. It behaves unlike anything we've seen before," said David Burrows, professor of astronomy at Penn State and the lead scientist for the Swift space observatory's X-Ray Telescope.

'Galaxies and Their Supermassive Black Holes' lecture set for Feb. 14

2/9/09

"Galaxies and Their Supermassive Black Holes" is a free public lecture that will be given on Feb. 14, 2009, by Michael Eracleous, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State. The event is a Penn State component of the International Year of Astronomy and is the fourth of six lectures in the 2009 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science, a free minicourse for the general public with the theme "Our Universe: From the Big Bang to Life."