Congratulations to the Astronomy Class of 2019! Best wishes on your future endeavors--you make us proud! Twelve Astronomy and CS+Astronomy seniors graduated on May 12, 2019 at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
Astronomers Capture First Image of a Black HoleU of I researchers contribute to paradigm-shifting observations of the gargantuan black hole at the heart of distant galaxy Messier 87
Astronomy at IllinoisWhy study Astronomy?
Featured StarSYRMA (ι Virginis)
Help us name the Astronomy classroomThe Astronomy Department would like to name our Classroom the James B. Kaler Classroom in honor of beloved Prof. Emeritus Jim Kaler. Here's how you can help.
Get InvolvedExplore research opportunities for graduate students
Congratulations to Prof. Xin Liu for being awarded the prestigious Arnold O. Beckman Research Award for her project "A Systematic Search of Binary Supermassive Black Holes in the Dark Energy Survey". This Campus Research Board award comes with a substantial budget for both undergraduates and graduate students to increase their engagement in this exciting project.- The 2019 Astronomy Awards have been announced: The Layla S. Ryan scholarship is awarded annually to a student who is a Junior or Senior major or minor in Astronomy with a minimum GPA of 2.75 and exhibits community service participation. This year's awardee is Lina Florez.
More Department News
- Prof. Tony Wong spent some time recently at the Next Generation School teaching the STEAM students about telescopes. Read all about it here.
- Four professors, one instructor, and one TA are on the Fall 2018 Excellent Teacher list. Professors Bryan Dunne and Brian Fields were listed as Outstanding. Others on the list include: Professors Charles Gammie, Joaquin Vieira, and Tony Wong, Instructor Amanda Winans, and TA Melanie Archipley.
- Globular star clusters are favorite targets for amateur sky watchers. To the naked eye they appear as fuzzy-looking stars. Through a small telescope they resolve into glittering snowball-shaped islands of innumerable stars crowded together.
- Yixian Cao earned her PhD on November 15, 2018. The title of her defense was "Spatially Resolved Study of Molecular Isotopologue 13CO In Nearby Galaxies". Congratulations, Yixian!
Calendar
Astronomy Picture of the Day
ASTR 100Learn the basic concepts of modern astronomy, from the Solar System to the Big Bang.
ASTR 210Survey of modern astronomy for students with background in physics.
ASTR 350Studies the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe, and the scientific tools used to study these issues.
