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  • Telescope to the sky
  • Crab
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  • Telescope to the sky
    Astronomy at Illinois

    Why study Astronomy?

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  • Crab
    Featured Star

    AL TARF (β Cancri)

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  • CAPS participants
    New Center for Astrophysical Surveys

    NCSA and the U of I have begun a new Center for Astrophysical Survey, directed by Prof. Joaquin Vieira

    Learn More
  • Supernova Extinction
    Supernova May Have Caused Mass Extinction

    Professor Brian Fields and graduate students Ada Ertel and Jesse Miller have published a paper linking a supernova to a mass extinction millions of years ago. Read the article here

    Learn More
  • Research Opportunities
    Get Involved

    Explore research opportunities for graduate students

    View Opportunities
  • Professor Emeritus Lew Snyder

    The Department of Astronomy is sad to announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Lew Snyder.  He was a big influence on the Department for 30 years, serving as the Director of the Laboratory for Astronomical Imaging for many years and as the Chair of the Department in 2002- 2005. The family has established the Lew Snyder Memorial Fund that will be used to support graduate students. You can donate...
    Read full story Professor Emeritus Lew Snyder
  • You-Hua Chu

    AAS Fellows Announced

    Congratulations to Prof. Emeritus You-Hua Chu for being named an AAS Fellow!  And congratulations to Illinois PhD alum (1984) John Hawley for also being named an AAS Fellow.
    Read full story AAS Fellows Announced
  • U of I Observatory

    Observatory Renovation

    We are happy to announce that the observatory roof will finally be renovated. The dome will be included, but we will keep it as original as possible. If you want to help with the Observatory renovations (plans include interior upgrades but we need help), consider donations to either the Department of Astronomy Annual Fund or Friends of the Observatory Fund (...
    Read full story Observatory Renovation

More Department News

  • Graduate Alum Discovers Possible Planet Formation in the Youngest Stars
    Alum Dr. Dom Segura-Cox led a team that included Prof. Looney that discovered multiple rings and gaps in the disk of a young star.  This is the youngest star that these structures have been seen in yet, suggesting that the conditions for planet formation are favorable at even younger times than...
    Read full story
  • Di Wen Defense
    Congratulations to Di Wen who successfully defended his thesis on Wednesday, October 7, 2020.
    Read full story
  • Light Echos in Faraway Galaxies
    A team led by Illinois astronomers Qian Yang (postdoctoral researcher), Prof. Yue Shen and Prof. Xin Liu discover the longest echos from the heart of faraway galaxies. Read more about it ...
    Read full story
  • Fields Elected 2020 APS Fellow
    Congratulations to Professor Brian Fields for being selected as a 2020 American Physical Society Fellow! He was recognized for his pioneering contributions to cosmology, nuclear and particle astrophysics, nucleosynthesis, cosmic-ray physics, gamma-ray astronomy, astrobiology, and supernovae.
    Read full story
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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Astronomy picture of the day

  • Observable Universe by Pablo Carlos Budassi
    ASTR 100

    Introduction to Astronomy

    Learn the basic concepts of modern astronomy, from the Solar System to the Big Bang.
    Course Description for ASTR 100
  • Cosmic Microwave Background
    ASTR 210

    Introduction to Astrophysics

    Survey of modern astronomy for students with background in physics.
    Course Description for ASTR 210
  • Hubble eXtreme Deep Field
    ASTR 350

    The Big Bang, Black Holes, and the End of the Universe

    Studies the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe, and the scientific tools used to study these issues.
    Course Description for ASTR 350

Department of Astronomy
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
1002 W. Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801
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Phone: (217) 333-3090
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Email: astronomy@illinois.edu
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