Additional challenges in bringing research online The Devlin lab are working on creating an extremely cold environment (nearly -460 degrees Fahrenheit) so that the new Simons Observatory can detect cosmic microwave background (CMB), the residual radiation left behind by the Big Bang. Work done at the High Bay is essential for keeping the project from falling further behind after shutdown delays. nocred Additional challenges in bringing research online As research on campus slowly restarts, those whose work requires field surveys, large-scale collaborations, or travel face additional challenges in bringing their research back online.
New minor planets beyond Neptune New minor planets beyond Neptune This updated catalog of trans-Neptunian objects and the methods used to find them could aid in future searches for undiscovered planets in the far reaches of the solar system.
New astronomical instrument on the hunt for exoplanets New astronomical instrument on the hunt for exoplanets A state-of-the-art instrument called NEID, from the Tohono O’odham word meaning “to see,” collected its “first light” and is poised to look for new planets outside the solar system.
A new way to measure cosmic black holes A new way to measure cosmic black holes Researchers find a link between the masses of supermassive black holes and the distances between the galaxies which surround them, allowing astronomers to more easily study many astronomical phenomena.
By the Numbers: Dark matter By the Numbers By the Numbers: Dark matter Key facts and figures about the unseen matter that remains one of cosmology’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
Our solar system’s mysterious ‘Planet 9’ may actually be a tiny, ancient black hole Penn In the News NBC News Our solar system’s mysterious ‘Planet 9’ may actually be a tiny, ancient black hole Bhuvnesh Jain of the School of Arts and Sciences commented on a new theory that Planet 9 may actually be a tiny, primordial black hole: “From a theoretical standpoint, it’s exciting even if its plausibility right now is early to judge.” In search of signals from the early universe In search of signals from the early universe Penn astronomers are part of an international collaboration to construct the Simons Observatory, a new telescope that will search the skies in a quest to learn more about the formation of the universe. Remembering the past while looking forward Buzz Aldrin’s boot print from the Apollo 11 mission, one of the first steps taken on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon on July 20, 1969. (Photo: NASA) Remembering the past while looking forward As the nation celebrates the Apollo 11 mission, a look at Penn’s connection to the historic event and how the Moon impacts science, politics, and culture. A two-minute totality, an opportunity of a lifetime A two-minute totality, an opportunity of a lifetime Graduate student David Sliski observed the July 2 eclipse at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile as a member of a scientific team tasked with imaging the sun’s corona. Stories of Penn scientists: David Rittenhouse Stories of Penn scientists: David Rittenhouse In celebration of the 250th anniversary of his observations of the 1769 transit of Venus, a glimpse into the story of the man whose name became synonymous with astronomy and mathematics.
In search of signals from the early universe In search of signals from the early universe Penn astronomers are part of an international collaboration to construct the Simons Observatory, a new telescope that will search the skies in a quest to learn more about the formation of the universe.
Remembering the past while looking forward Buzz Aldrin’s boot print from the Apollo 11 mission, one of the first steps taken on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon on July 20, 1969. (Photo: NASA) Remembering the past while looking forward As the nation celebrates the Apollo 11 mission, a look at Penn’s connection to the historic event and how the Moon impacts science, politics, and culture.
A two-minute totality, an opportunity of a lifetime A two-minute totality, an opportunity of a lifetime Graduate student David Sliski observed the July 2 eclipse at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile as a member of a scientific team tasked with imaging the sun’s corona.
Stories of Penn scientists: David Rittenhouse Stories of Penn scientists: David Rittenhouse In celebration of the 250th anniversary of his observations of the 1769 transit of Venus, a glimpse into the story of the man whose name became synonymous with astronomy and mathematics.