Searching the stars
1/2/19
With forward-looking, concurrent development of a new global research hub and a unique graduate curriculum, Penn State is growing the worldwide SETI community, looking for intelligent life across the cosmos.
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Palma awarded C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching
10/10/18
Chris Palma, teaching professor of astronomy and astrophysics, has been honored with the 2018 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society.
AstroFest to offer four evenings of astronomy, stargazing during Arts Festival
7/5/18
Now in its 20th year, Penn State’s popular AstroFest program will offer four nights of astronomy activities and stargazing during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. The program will take place from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. nightly from July 11 to 14.
NASA scientist to present Friedman Lecture in Astronomy on April 10
4/2/18
Joseph Masiero, a staff scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will give a free presentation titled "You Can't Make a Solar System without Breaking a Few Asteroids" at 7:30 p.m. April 10 in 100 Thomas Building at University Park. The event is part of the 2017-18 Friedman Lecture Series in Astronomy.
Seeing the light of neutron star collisions
10/16/17
When two neutron stars collided on Aug. 17, a widespread search for electromagnetic radiation from the event led to observations of light from the afterglow of the explosion, finally connecting a gravitational-wave-producing event with conventional astronomy using light, according to an international team of astronomers.
NASA selects Arcus for Phase A studies
8/31/17
Four Penn State scientists are part of the Arcus X-ray mission that has been selected by NASA to advance to “Phase A” concept studies. The project will receive $2 million for a nine-month, detailed study of mission requirements.
Penn State gearing up for 2017 solar eclipse event
8/15/17
On Aug. 21, faculty and students from the Penn State Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics will be handing out hundreds of safe “eclipse glasses” for students and community members who want to see the partial solar eclipse that will be visible in central Pennsylvania.
A tale of two pulsars' tails: Plumes offer geometry lessons to astronomers
1/17/17
Like cosmic lighthouses sweeping the universe with bursts of energy, pulsars have fascinated and baffled astronomers since they were first discovered 50 years ago. In two studies, international teams of astronomers suggest that recent images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory of two pulsars — Geminga and B0355+54 — may help shine a light on the distinctive emission signatures of pulsars, as well as their often perplexing geometry.
Deepest x-ray image ever reveals black hole treasure trove
1/5/17
An unparalleled image from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is giving an international team of astronomers the best look yet at the growth of black holes over billions of years beginning soon after the Big Bang. This is the deepest X-ray image ever obtained, collected with about 7 million seconds, or 11 and a half weeks, of Chandra observing time.
Climate cycles may explain how running water carved Mars' surface features
12/1/16
Dramatic climate cycles on early Mars, triggered by buildup of greenhouse gases, may be the key to understanding how liquid water left its mark on the planet's surface, according to a team of planetary scientists.
Record-breaking map of 1.2-million galaxies ready to reveal dark matter secrets
7/14/16
Astronomers are announcing this week the sharpest view yet of the properties of dark energy -- the force that currently is driving the accelerated expansion of the universe. "These results are a milestone in the study of the large-scale structure of the universe," said Penn State professor Donald Schneider, who was the survey coordinator and scientific publications coordinator for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) -- a collaboration of hundreds of scientists whose work produced the largest-ever, three-dimensional map of distant galaxies as well as one of the most precise measurements yet of dark energy.
Lecture to address hype vs. reality of alien megastructures
11/23/15
A free presentation titled "Searching for Alien Megastructures: Hype vs. Reality" will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in 100 Thomas Building on Penn State's University Park Campus. The lecture will be presented by Jason Wright, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State. The event is part of the 2015 Friedman Lecture Series in astronomy, which is free and open to the public.
Climate models used to explain formation of Mars valley networks
10/12/15
The extensive valley networks on the surface of Mars were probably created by running water billions of years ago, but the source of that water is unknown. Now, a team of Penn State and NASA researchers is using climate models to predict how greenhouse warming could be the source of the water.
55-year-old dark side of the moon mystery solved
6/9/14
The "man in the moon" appeared when meteoroids struck the Earth-facing side of the moon creating large flat seas of basalt that we see as dark areas called maria. But no "face" exists on farside of the moon and now, Penn State astrophysicists think they know why.
AMON: An Eye on the Universe
5/6/13
AMON stands for Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network. Its mission is to form a network of high-energy observatories across the globe that will search for previously unseen astrophysical signals and send alerts to more traditional telescopes in order to corroborate the possible celestial events.