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 (...

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 thought before.  Our solar system may have looked very similar to this system within its...

Congratulations to Di Wen who successfully defended his thesis on Wednesday, October 7, 2020.

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 here

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.

The Fall 2020 Astronomy Newsletter has been published. Click here for details

We are proud to announce that the James B. Kaler classroom is ready for learning. Friday, August 21st, we had the dedication via Zoom, which we recorded for those who could not attend. https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_0h2ijpod?st=75  

Congratulations to Ko-Yun (Monica) Huang who successfully defended her thesis on Friday, August 21, 2020. The title of her paper was "Mapping The Interstellar Magnetic Field: Observations of the Goldreich-Kylafis Effect Towards Late-Type Evolved Stars and Star-Forming Regions".

Congratulations to Wei-Ting Liao, who successfully defended her thesis on August 18, 2020. The title of her paper is "The evolution of the first stellar systems".

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.

As we begin to transition into Fall 2020, we have new Astronomy Office Guidelines.  As before, 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. For Astronomy, we generally request that everyone continue to work at home as much as possible.  If your duties or circumstances (e...

Prof. Charles Gammie answers questions on the formation of the Moon and imaging the first black hole in LAS Experts. Read more here

  We are pleased to announce the 2020 Stanley Wyatt Memorial Award co-recipients, Barry Chiang and Kyle Nelli! The Stanley Wyatt Memorial Award is awarded annually to the graduating Astronomy major or minor with the most outstanding GPA and track record of undergraduate research. The award honors Professor Stanley Wyatt, a faculty member who helped shape the Illinois Astronomy...

  We are pleased to announce the 2020 Layla Suzanne Ryan Scholarship winner, Lina Florez! Through the generosity of the Ryan family, the Layla Suzanne Ryan Scholarship was founded in 2007 to honor her memory by recognizing the efforts of a young astronomer who shares their passion, experience, and knowledge of Astronomy with peers, faculty and the public through community outreach....

  We are pleased to announce the 2020 recipient of the Mr. & Mrs. Hsiang Pai & Wen-Hua Chu Department Of Astronomy Excellence In Research Grad Student Award Jennifer Li! The Chu Excellence in Research Graduate Student Award was founded in 2015 by our own Prof. You-Hua Chu and is named in honor of her parents, who instilled in her a love of learning and research. It recognizes...