Congratulations to Dr. Miguel Holgado for successfully defending his thesis on May 18, 2020. The title of his defense was "Gravitational Waves as Direct Probes of Binary Evolution and Astrophysical Environments."
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 StarSPICA (α Virginis)
New faculty to arrive in the FallWe are happy to announce that Decker French will be joining our faculty in the Fall. Decker’s research examines galaxy evolution, tidal disruption events (when stars get ripped apart by black holes creating flares), and gravitational lensing of distant galaxies to probe early galaxy properties.
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 UIUC graduate student Alex Gagliano for winning the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program! We look forward to the great science Alex will be doing as he works towards his Ph.D.!
More Department News
- As you probably have heard, the U of I is beginning the process of returning to work in early June. The main priority in this will be the safety of our faculty, staff, researchers, and students, as well as their family, and our community overall.
- Hubble Space Telescope/European Space Agency made a photo release of a Hubble Space Telescope observations from Illinois astronomers led by Prof. Leslie Looney. This star-forming region is in a nearby galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud.
- Andrew Nadolski earned his PhD on March 9, 2020. The title of his defense was "Broadband, millimeter-wave antireflection coatings for cryogenic sintered aluminum oxide optics". Congratulations, Andrew!
- Illinois Prof. Looney was among the science team that released high resolution images of hundred of young stars (and the disks that surround them) in Orion; the largest survey of young stars and their disks to date.
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.
