News
New observations regarding the composition of distant galaxies reveal insights into the earliest phases of the universe that confirm decades of scientific understanding of the elements and…
In a new study, a team of astronomers has identified wavelengths of light that could be useful for tracing the chemical evolution of the universe.
Using computational modeling to simulate…
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches this week with a field of view large enough to unravel some of the universe’s most mysterious puzzles.
An international team of scientists has used machine learning to identify seven rare quasar candidates, according to a new study.
Quasars, distant cores of galaxies powered by supermassive…
The Heising-Simons Foundation is accepting applications for their 2027 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship program in Planetary Astronomy. The fellowship provides an opportunity for…
Graduate student Miqaela Weller has been awarded an Obey Scholarship by the OSU College of Arts and Sciences. Established November 4, 2016, with an estate gift from Fred E. Obey (BS 1951); the…
Prof. Barbara Ryden has been recognized at the inaugural Written in Scarlet and Gray:Faculty Author Showcase on April 16 for her 2025 book Celestial and Stellar Dynamics.
Congratulations to Prof. Chris Kochanek, faculty member in the Department of Astronomy and Ohio Eminent Scholar at The Ohio State University, who has been elected to the National Academy of…
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees. 2,600 Fellowships were awarded this…
The Department of Astronomy is thrilled to announce a clean sweep of the Earth and Beyond category at the 31st Annual Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Forum. This is the…
The Graduate Associate Teaching Award is Ohio State’s highest recognition of the exceptional teaching provided by graduate students serving as Graduate Teaching Associates. GATA winners receive a…
In pursuit of understanding the role dark energy plays in complex physics, researchers have marked completion of a major milestone: successfully surveying the entire target area in the Dark Energy…
Department of Astronomy faculty members Marc Pinsonneault and Barbara Ryden have been awarded the 2026 Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award by the American Astronomical Society. The award is for…
Department of Astronomy faculty member Christopher Kochanek (Professor) has been named as a 2026 Fellow of the American Astronomical Society.
Prof. Kochanek has been…
Anusha Pai Asnodkar, a former OSU astronomy graduate student, has been awarded the 2026 Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin Doctoral Dissertation Award in Astrophysics from the American Physical Society. The…
The Department of Astronomy is proud to present the graduating undergraduate class for Autumn 2025!
This is our largest Autumn class ever, with 9 Astro majors, 2 Astro minors graduating on…
Professor Emeritus Gerald (Jerry) Newsom has been honored with a 2025 Ohio State University Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award was established by the OSU Board of…
The Department of Astronomy congratulates Elvira Cruz-Cruz and Liam Dubay on being recipients of the 2025-26 distinguished Presidential Fellowship from The Ohio State University Graduate School…
The 2026 Edward A. Bouchet Award from the American Physical Society (APS) has been awareded to Prof. Laura Lopez. This award promotes the participation of underrepresented minorities in physics by…
The Ann S. Tuttle Citizenship, Engagement, and Outreach Prize recognizes the tremendous efforts of grad students to engage the public and community. This prize is given to a current graduate student…
Every year, OSU astronomy graduate students publish about 20 first author papers. The department awards the Ann S. Tuttle Paper Prize to one outstanding graduate student-led paper published during…
The David Will Prize recognizes a student or postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics who is conducting an exceptional research program in computational astronomy, survey astronomy, data science,…
The Markowitz Award is given to a graduate student who is conducting or developing a research program in areas of observational astronomy. The award is made possible by a generous gift from Ohio…
The 2025 Nancy Grace Roman Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) has been awareded to Dr. Laura Lopez. Named for an icon in the history of astronomy research and space…
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration has been awarded the 2026 Lancelot M. Berkeley – New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy. This…
Stars die and vanish from sight all the time, but astronomers were puzzled when one that had been stable for more than a decade almost disappeared for eight months.
If you happen to find yourself in the Southern Hemisphere with binoculars and a good view of the night sky on a dark and clear summer night, you might just be able to spot the Sculptor galaxy. And…
Dr. Sultana Nahar, a research professor in the Department of Astronomy, has received the prestigious William Fowler Award for Distinguished Research in Physics from the American…
First-year MFA students Yeoleum Choi and Valeska Tan’s immersive full-dome film Ocean Cemetery was selected for screening at the 2025 Fulldome Festival Brno, held June 10–12, 2025 in the…
The Heising-Simons Foundation is accepting applications for their 2026 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship program in Planetary Astronomy. The fellowship provides an opportunity for…
It might be hard to see the stars from Columbus, but they'll be bright at the Arne Slettebak Planetarium at Ohio State University this summer. The university’s astronomy department has a new…
On May 21, 2025, many Ohio State faculty members had a reason to celebrate as the Board of Trustees approved promotion and tenure recommendations for the Buckeyes listed below. Each has excelled…
Professor John Beacom has helped co-author National Academies report on “Elementary Particle Physics: The Higgs and Beyond” which presents a bold 40-year vision for particle physics.
Magnetar flares, colossal cosmic explosions, may be directly responsible for the creation and distribution of heavy elements across the universe, suggests a new study.
For decades,…
The Department of Astronomy within the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University seeks two Research Aides to work on the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN). ASAS-SN…
Hosted by the Dept. of Astronomy and the Dept. of Physics Undergraduate Studies Teams:
Dr. Annika Peter
Vice-Chair for Physics Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Wayne…
Caprice Phillips has always aimed for the stars through her research and outreach. Now, she will have the opportunity to continue those efforts on space science’s biggest stage.…
Caprice Phillips is a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in Astronomy at The Ohio State University. As a founding member and vice-president of Black In Astro, Caprice has been instrumental in advancing…
Six student-led ventures were each awarded $50,000 in startup funding at the President’s Buckeye Accelerator Finale on April 3. The showcase marked the culmination of a yearlong program led by The…
Prof. John Beacom is one of nine OSU scientists who were elected to the 2024 class of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows.
The AAAS Fellowship, recognizing…
A fresh look at past data reveals that exoplanets with masses similar to Jupiter formed much sooner than previously thought, according to new research.
Prof. Ji Wang has been awarded a 2025 Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award from the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry. This award honors research mentors who…
Prof. Laura Lopez has been awarded a 2025 College of Arts & Sciences Mid-Career Faculty Excellence Award. These awards recognize outstanding performance in all three areas of research, teaching,…
Adam Leroy has been named the recipient of the 2025 Henry Draper Medal. The Henry Draper Medal celebrates those who have made “a recent, original investigation in astronomical physics, of…
Department of Astronomy faculty members Laura Lopez (Associate Professor) and David Weinberg (Distinguished University Professor) have been named as 2025 Fellows of the American Astronomical…
The Department of Astronomy congratulates Sebastian Lopez on being a recipient of the 2024-25 distinguished Presidential Fellowship from The Ohio State University Graduate School. Sebastian is a…
New study details stellar evolution during the early universe
The David Will Prize recognizes a student or postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics who is conducting an exceptional research program in computational astronomy, survey astronomy, data science,…
On April 8, 2024, millions of people across the United States shared an experience that only comes to this part of the world every few decades: a total solar eclipse. From large watch parties at…
The computational research of Sultana Nahar, a research professor in the Department of Astronomy, has been highlighted by the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC).
The AAS has published an obituary for Mark Wagner this month. Mark did his PhD at Ohio State and then joined our department as a staff member and Research Scientist. In 1998, Mark joined the group…
The Markowitz Award is given to a graduate student who is conducting or developing a research program in areas of observational astronomy. The award is made possible by a generous gift from Ohio…
Our field and Department benefit tremendously from the efforts of our graduate students to engage the public and contribute to our diverse community. The Ann S. Tuttle Citizenship, Engagement, and…
Jointly led by Ohio State and The University of Notre Dame, the iLocater team was recently awarded a pair of grants that will significantly bolster iLocater’s planned scientific capabilities: a $2…
Every year, OSU astronomy graduate students publish about 20 first author papers. The department awards the Ann S. Tuttle Paper Prize to one outstanding graduate student-led paper published during…
A team of two brothers secured the $10,000 prize at the Ohio State University’s first-ever Best of Student Startups (BOSS) Space Venture Finale, hosted by the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship…
Kiersten Boley's new study may help the search for life beyond Earth
The Heising-Simons Foundation is accepting applications for their 2025 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship program in Planetary Astronomy. The fellowship provides an opportunity for…
Dear Friends of Ohio State Astronomy and Astrophysics,
At the end of June, I finished my second term and 8th year as chair of the Ohio State Astronomy Department. I am excited about becoming…
Dear Members of the Department of Astronomy,
I am writing to thank Professor David Weinberg for his outstanding leadership across the last eight years. The Department of Astronomy continues…
Ashley Tarrant, a rising senior double majoring in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Physics with a minor in Spanish, has been selected as a 2024 Astronaut Scholar!
This year the Astronaut…
The astronomy department is proud to present the graduating class for the academic year 2023-2024. We have 27 Astro majors graduating this Spring, along with 3 who graduated in Autumn, and 1 who…
On April 17th, NASA recognized recent Ohio State graduate, Caitlin O’Brien, as one of the inaugural winners of the prestigious NASA Space Tech Catalyst prize at an award ceremony at the…
With 5,000 tiny robots in a mountaintop telescope, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collects and measures light from faraway space objects, granting scientists the ability to peer…
David Zach, academic advisor in the Department of Astronomy and Department of Physics is one of two 2024 recipients of the Mary Bailey Advising Award. This award from the Academic Advising…
WestFest, has been selected by the Office of Outreach & Engagement as one of Ohio State’s 2024 Programs of Excellence in Engaged Scholarship. Wayne Schlingman along with Cynthia Canan, Courtney…
The SciAccess program, started at Ohio State in 2018, has been named a 2024 Program of Excellence in Engaged Scholarship. Prof. John Beacom, a core SciAccess team member has also been named a 2024…
Department of Astronomy Graduate Student Kiersten Boley and 2022 Ph.D. graduate Sanskriti Das have been selected as fellows for the 2024 NASA Hubble Fellowship…
Smita Mathur, Professor within the Department of Astronomy, is the recipient of the 2024 Ohio State Distinguished Scholar Award. Announced by senior College and University leadership at Astronomy…
On April 8, 2024, the sun, moon and Earth will align to create a solar eclipse viewable from Ohio and other parts of North America. Learn more about the science behind the solar eclipse and how to…
Scott Gaudi , Thomas Jefferson Professor for Discovery and Space Exploration and a University Distinguished Scholar, has been named as a 2024 American Astronomical Society fellow. Prof. Gaudi has…
Thirteen undergraduate Astronomy & Astrophysics majors, ranging from first-years to seniors, attended the 2024 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) at West Virginia University in…
Seven undergraduate Astronomy & Astrophysics majors have been awarded College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Scholarships as part of the Autumn 2023 competition:
Sanskruti Admane,…
Scientists at OSU have used the James Webb Space Telescope to create stunning visuals of 19 spiral galaxies. The lead author of the study is OSU graduate student Debosmita Pathak.
The Department of Astronomy congratulates Dominick Rowan on being a recipient of the 2023-24 distinguished Presidential Fellowship from The Ohio State University Graduate School. Dominick is a 4th…
Anna Voelker (they/them) is working to advance disability inclusion in STEM, on earth and beyond it. Voelker ’18, envisions a future where astronauts with disabilities are common on space missions…
I have had the incredible opportunity to oversee a hub of science outreach since 2014 when I became a Buckeye. At the Arne Slettebak Planetarium we create awe inspiring moments and…
The seventh annual WestFest event was held Saturday with the goal of igniting a passion for science in kids through interactive hands-on exhibits.
The initiative started as a way to bring…
Lava worlds, massive exoplanets home to sparkling skies and roiling volcanic seas called magma oceans, are distinctly unlike the planets in our solar system.
To date, nearly 50% of all…
Ohio State Energy Partners (OSEP), the university’s comprehensive energy management partnership, has announced 2023-24 grants for projects that advance access to STEM education for people with…
Faculty, staff and students in the Departments of Astronomy and Physics will play a large part in NASA’s next large astrophysics mission, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman), expected to…
Study uses new code to test next-gen telescope abilities
As the next generation of giant, high-powered observatories begin to come online, a new study suggests that their instruments may…
Magnetic activity plays key role in exoplanet habitability
Astronomy graduate student Elvira Cruz-Cruz wins a FINESST research grant for her proposal and work with Professor Chris Kochanek. Congratulations to Elvira for her outstanding scientific work.
Only the second such system found with 2 planets
An international team of astronomers is the first to apply an old technique to discover a new type of planet that orbits two stars – what…
Congratulations to Harrison Blake for being awarded an Astronaut Scholarship. Harrison is a double major in Physics and Astronomy and Astrophysics. He has been working with Professor Chris Hirata…
Dear Black In Astro Community and Allies,
We are excited to announce the 2023 Black In Astro Undergraduate Research Showcase through a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.
Black…
We are happy to share that Distinguished University Professor and Astronomy Department Chair David Weinberg has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Election to the National Academy…
Check out our job posting on Workday or the AAS Job Register. We are looking to hire a person to be a part of our undergraduate instructional team.
Job Announcement:The Department of…
On April 21, the Department of Physics recognized the 2023 undergraduate physics and engineering physics award recipients during an awards ceremony. The following are the undergraduate students in…
We are excited to announce that Dr. Yuan-Sen Ting will join OSU Astronomy as an Associate Professor in August 2024. Dr. Ting is one of the world's leading young researchers at the interface of…
Caprice Phillips wins a national competition to be a P.E.O Scholar. The P.E.O. Scholar Awards are one-time, competitive, merit-based awards intended to recognize and encourage academic excellence…
HUGE congratulations to graduate student Caprice Phillips for winning this year's Graduate Student Award for Diversity Enhancement!
Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences…
For the second year in a row, an Ohio State Astronomy student has won a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Anya Phillips works on ASAS-SN variable stars with Professor Christopher Kochanek to…
If the impossible became possible, what would you attempt to do?
The President’s Buckeye Accelerator supports student founders prepare a startup for launch. The accelerator combines…
Congratulations to Mackenzie Scott, 2022 Goldwater Scholarship Recipient, for winning an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Mackenzie is a graduating senior who will be attending graduate school…
Much like how wind plays a key role in life on Earth by sweeping seeds, pollen and more from one place to another, galactic winds – high-powered streams of charged particles and gases – can change…
Dr. Mae Jemison is a trailblazing astronaut, physician, and advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM. She made history in 1992 as the first Black woman to travel to space and has continued to…
Announcement
Black In Astro Community and Allies:
We are excited to announce the 2023 Black In Astro Travel Grants supported through a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation and…
“Theories of cosmic structure formation make predictions for how the seed fluctuations in the early universe grow into the distribution of matter that can be seen through gravitational lensing,”…
Research Professor Sultana Nahar was recognized by the OSU Office of Equity, Diversity, and Global Engagement in their celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2023…
The Department of Astronomy mourns the loss of Clark Swanson, who was an enthusiastic friend and generous supporter of the department. He was a remarkable polymath, an influential businessman, and…
Sydney Petz wins third place in Earth & Beyond at the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum. Caitlin O'Brien wins an Honorable Mention in the same category. This is an incredible achievement and…
The Community Engaged Practitioner Award recognizes staff members who have demonstrated superior commitment to developing, coordinating, and/or sustaining projects, activities, or initiatives…
The Black In Astro community organization, co-led by Ohio State graduate student Caprice Phillips, has been awarded the 2023 Annie Maunder Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for its service…
![Artistic Impression of a Supernova [Credit: NASA/Swift/Skyworks Digital/Dana Berry]](/sites/default/files/styles/16x9/public/events-images/Supernovae-UT-700x432.jpg.webp?itok=zVFsgLnP)
Galactic explosion offers astrophysicists new insight into the cosmos
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope’s first year of interstellar observation, an…
Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to peer inside the heart of spiral galaxies, where young stars carve out glowing paths.
The space observatory can see the universe in…
Laura Lopez and a number of Ohio State Astronomy graduate and undergraduate students attend the "Unsolved Problems in Astronomy" Network Event.
Heising Simons Foundation grant helps launch…
Congratulations to Caitlin O'Brien, a fourth-year undergraduate at The Ohio State University (OSU) majoring in Astronomy and Astrophysics with a double major in Physics. She is pursuing a minor in…
Astronomers at The Ohio State University have developed a powerful technique for identifying starspots, according to research presented this month at the 241st meeting of the American…
Ohio State makes a big splash at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Seattle Washington in January of 2023. Over 33 faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate, and…
TWAS members have elected Professor Sultana Nahar as a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries, effective 1 January 2023…
Congratulations to Caprice Phillips and Kiersten Boley for winning the AAS Beth Brown Memorial Prize for the best astronomy oral presentation and best astronomy poster presentation at the annual…
The Presidential Fellowship is the most prestigious award given by the Graduate School to recognize the outstanding scholarly accomplishments and potential of graduate students entering the final…
Congratulations to the recipients of our Department of Astronomy Graduate Student Awards.
Ann S. Tuttle Citizenship, Engagement, and Outreach Prize - Caprice Phillips
Ann S. Tuttle…
Paul Martini, Professor of Astronomy, has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. The APS Fellowship Program recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to the…
The department is beyond happy to award the Ann S. Tuttle Citizenship Award to Caprice Phillips.
As a reminder, the Tuttle Citizenship Award description:
Our field and Department…
Galactic superwinds – large outflows of gas created by a combination of supernova explosions and stellar winds – are closely connected to a galaxy’s earliest stages of development and…
Recent graduate Kevin Hoy makes "Newsworthy Talks" for his talk on Modeling Phosphorus Spectra for Extraterrestrial Biosignatures at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American…
On July 12, NASA shared the debut images from the fully operational James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — the most powerful space observatory ever built.
Among the close-ups of cosmic cliffs…
Richard Pogge of The Ohio State University describes the SDSS-V as “one of the most scientifically productive ground-based surveys ever.”
“I've derived a great deal of satisfaction out of…
After two decades of debate, scientists are getting closer to figuring out exactly what the sun — and thus the whole universe — is made of.
The sun is mostly composed of hydrogen and helium…
There is no doubt that modern astronomical surveys have completely revolutionized cosmology. For example, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) was the first to detect baryon acoustic oscillations…
Congratulations to Professor Scott Gaudi, who has won the Alumni Medalist Award!
The Alumni Medalist Award is the highest honor afforded by The Ohio State University Alumni Association. It…
A physicist who has made significant contributions to cosmology and popularized science in multiple formats is the 2022 James Corones Award in Leadership, Community Building and Communication from…
AstroAccess, an organization dedicated to promoting disability inclusion in space exploration, announced today that they will be flying a second cohort of Disabled Ambassadors on a Zero Gravity…
This award, also sponsored by the Student Employee Experience, recognizes those students, faculty, and staff who have made extraordinary contributions to a student organization through their…
Congratulations to Krzysztof Stanek on the award of a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship! Stanek is a Professor of Astronomy and University Distinguished Scholar whose research focuses on massive stars,…
Congratulations to Anusha Pai Asnodkar on her selection as a NASA Space Technology Graduate Researcher! Anusha's proposal titled "Dual-Aperture Fiber Nulling For High Spatial and Spectral…
Four Ohio State honors students have been recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. Juniors Lia Gomez-Perez, Anthony Moussa, Rakesh Murugesan, and …
Under the guidance of The Ohio State University at Newark Associate Professor Mike Stamatikos, PhD, Newark’s SciDome — located at The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology — has…
Ohio State’s sustainability faculty and staff have consistently pushed the boundaries of research, brought unique teaching perspectives, and excelled within and beyond the Columbus community. This…
OSU Physics and CCAPP graduate student Dustin Nguyen won 1st-place in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences category for his oral presentation at the 36th Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum…
Emily Griffith, a PhD student in the astronomy department, has received a 2021-2022 Graduate Associate Teaching Award. The GATA is Ohio State's highest recognition of the exceptional teaching…
John Beacom, Henry L. Cox Professor of physics and astronomy, Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP), received the…
Study proves ground-based telescopes can search for planets with two suns
The planet, Kepler-16b, is about 245 light-years from Earth, is a gas giant, and is roughly the size…
Astronomy Assistant Professor Ji Wang has received a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Wang’s research project,…
The High-Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) has awarded its Early Career Prize to Associate Professor Laura Lopez. The HEAD Early Career Prize is given…
Professor Scott Gaudi, the Thomas Jefferson Professor for Discovery and Space Exploration, recently discussed the James Webb Space Telescope and its capabilities on WOSU’s “All Sides with Ann…
Ohio State University scientists are collaborating on an international effort to produce a 3D map of the universe in unprecedented detail, allowing physicists and astronomers a clearer…
Congratulations to Kiersten Boley and Romy Rodriguez Martinez for their selection as NASA ExoExplorers!
The Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series aims to enable the…
The Department of Astronomy is excited to announce the winners of the following Awards and Scholarships:
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has awarded the Humboldt Research Award to Adam Leroy, an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy. The honor is granted to…
The Department of Astronomy is proud to announce two new presidential fellows:
Romy Rodriguez Martinez - who works on the detection and characterization of transiting exoplanets.
James…
We congratulate the winners of the first #BlackInAstro undergraduate research competition:
Distinguished University Professor David Weinberg is one of two faculty members of the Ohio State College of Arts and Sciences who have been named to the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2021 list…
The Astronomy Department's Imaging Sciences Laboratory (ISL) reached a major milestone this week with the shipment of the first robotic focal plane system (FPS) to Apache Point…
More than 3,100 volunteers search the Milky Way in new project
Volunteer citizen scientists parsing data from a network of telescopes around the world this year identified 10,000 new variable…
Caroline’s accessibility startup blossomed as she leveraged the resources and connections Ohio State offers.
As a freshman at Ohio State, Caroline Karbowski, right, found the…
Congratulations to Michael Stamatikos for being selected as the Engaged Scholar by OSU Outreach and Engagement for October 2021.
Click here to see the original posting.
About Professor…
Congratulations to the following members of our Astronomy Ph.D. program at Ohio State. Each student is nominated and selected for each award.
In no particular order but congratulations to…
EducationUSA partnered with Ohio State to host a virtual information session on August 25, for prospective Bangladeshi students with the hopes of attracting them to attracting them to attend…
The All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN), an Ohio State-led automated telescope network that observes the entire sky every night, has received a five-year, $1.5…
We would like to congratulate Kristy Krehnovi on winning The Ohio State University's Distinguished Staff Award! The Distinguished Staff Award is the highest honor bestowed upon staff at the…
New research provides the best evidence to date into the timing of how our early Milky Way came together, including the merger with a key satellite galaxy.
Using relatively new methods in…
With large contributions from Ohio State faculty and researchers, a five-year quest to map the universe and unravel the mysteries of “dark energy” officially began Monday at Kitt Peak National…
Richard Pogge (Rick) has been named a College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, recognizing his excellence in research, teaching, and service. Rick has been a member of the…
The Department of Astronomy congratulates Emily Griffith on winning the distinguished Presidential Fellowship from The Ohio State University Graduate School. Emily has been a leader in research,…
The Graduate Associate Leadership Award (GALA) is Ohio State’s recognition of the exceptional leadership provided by graduate students as leaders (on and off-campus) while being an OSU graduate…
For the third time in his career, The Ohio State University at Newark Assistant Professor Michael Stamatikos, PhD, has received the prestigious Bruno Rossi Prize from the American Astronomical…
Christopher Hirata, professor in the Department of Physics and the Department of Astronomy, has received the Distinguished Scholar Award, awarded each year to six Ohio State…
The Department of Astronomy is pleased to announce that 2 of the 10 scholars as the 2021 cohort of President’s Postdoctoral Scholars are in our community of scholars, Samantha Benincasa and…
Ohio State Astronomy's Todd Thompson weighs in on the discovery of a celestial “unicorn” that’s just a slim 2.9 solar masses may help unravel a mystery that has long puzzled astronomers. The…
A longstanding project designed to study dark energy throughout the cosmos has released a second data set showing 300 million objects throughout space, one of the largest data releases of its kind…
You’ve heard of Old Faithful, the Yellowstone National Park geyser that erupts every hour or two, a geological phenomenon on a nearly predictable schedule.
Now, an international group of…
The Department of Astronomy at The Ohio State University congratulates David Weinberg as one of the recipients of the 2021 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics recognizing…
All of the monthly movie night panels are now available on the OSU Astronomy Youtube channel under the Montly Movie Night playlist. You can also go to the MMN landing page and click on the event…
Four faculty members in the Ohio State College of Arts and Sciences have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list from Clarivate, including Astronomy's David Weinberg.
The Department of Astronomy would like to congratulate all of our seniors who have finished their degrees this semester. We wish you the absolute best in your future endeavors!
Graduating…
Arts and Sciences 2020 Autumn Semester Undergraduate Research Scholarship Competition
The Department of Astronomy would like to congratulate the following students who won awards in the Arts and…
When the sun warms your face, it’s shooting more than just sunbeams at your skin. Neutrinos—ghostly particles with just a trace of mass—come along for the ride. Many trillions of them enter your…
Some extremely happy news for our graduate students: Both Sanskriti Das and Tharindu Jayasinghe have won Presidential Fellowships. For those not familiar, the Presidential Fellowship is "the most…
Ten Arts and Sciences faculty named 2020 AAAS Fellows
Of the 11 Ohio State scientists elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this year, 10 are from the…
The temperature has increased about 10-fold over the last 10 billion years
We are delighted to announce that Josh Carroll will be the new ASCTech Senior Systems Manager for Astronomy! Josh comes to us from Math and Statistics where he led the ASCTech support team. He…
An upcoming NASA mission could find that there are more rogue planets – planets that float in space without orbiting a sun – than there are stars in the Milky Way, a new study theorizes.
…
This summer, the OSU Department of Astronomy hosted 18 students for the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). These students conducted astronomy research projects that were performed…
Supernovae are some of the brightest objects in the Universe, not only in light but also in neutrinos. In 1987, neutrino experiments got their first sampling of these supernova…
Two Ohio State Astronomers make the Office of Research's list of 150 years of innovation.
Congratulations to
Kris Stanek for his research on the explosive deaths of massive stars. He…
For two decades, astronomers have argued over how much carbon, nitrogen and especially oxygen lie within our closest star — a dispute with implications for the entire universe.
A…
Astronomers are preparing to further study the atmospheres of planets discovered through NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission to identify the most promising exoplanets —…
Data shows that about 6 billion years ago, the universe’s expansion accelerated
Looking for something to do to cure your COVID blues?
From July 12-28 you can see this incredible comet gracing our skies just after sunset in the Northwest horizon…
In June 2020, the Ohio State Department of Physics was selected as part of the first 2020 cohort for the APS Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance (APS-IDEA) Network. This international…
Paul Martini, professor in the Department of Astronomy and Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, has been named a 2020–2021 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at…
Galaxies are pretty big. The Milky Way's stellar disk, for example, spans some 100,000 light-years. But new observations show that galaxies' extent is actually much greater than that — more like…
Work by Ohio State graduate student Sanskriti Das and Professor Smita Mathur featured in Sky & Telescope!
It is the size of a stadium and even though the naked eye can't see it there are ways for us to do so! Listen to Anna Voelker talk about this incredible event on the radio.
Click to Listen…
President's Prize winner Anna Voelker wanted to make STEM more inclusive. She created the SciAccess Conference, which welcomed 250 attendees and 60 speakers from around the world. We can't wait to…
Congratulations 2020 Department of Astronomy Graduates!!!
On Sunday, May 3, 2020, the Department of Astronomy held its first graduation ceremony of the modern era. We celebrated the completion of…
Todd Thompson, professor and vice-chair in the Department of Astronomy, has received the Distinguished Scholar Award, which honors six Ohio State faculty members who demonstrate…
Department of Astronomy Visiting Scholar David Martin and 2017 Ph.D. graduate Tom Holoien have been selected as fellows for the 2020 NASA Hubble Fellowship…
For 25 years, astronomy researchers at The Ohio State University have gathered daily at 10:30 a.m., filling a conference room, cradling cups of coffee, and ready to engage in some friendly-but…
Steven Prohira from CCAPP talks about his neutrino experiments. Click here to read the full article.
One of the greatest mysteries in astrophysics these days is a tiny subatomic particle…
Read about Ohio State Astronomer Ji Wang's contribution to studying planets that orbit 2 stars at the center of their solar system. An excerpt is below. To read more click here to go to Discover…
Krzysztof Stanek, professor of astronomy and Ohio State Distinguished Scholar, and Christopher Kochanek, professor of astronomy and Ohio Eminent Scholar, and have jointly received the American…
Christopher Kochanek, professor and Ohio Eminent Scholar in the Department of Astronomy, has won the 2020 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics, awarded jointly by the American…
Black holes are an important part of how astrophysicists make sense of the universe – so important that scientists have been trying to build a census of all the black holes in the Milky Way galaxy…
Astronomers test fiber-optic experiment that attempts to understand why the universe's expansion is accelerating
For the last 20 years, astrophysicists have tried to understand dark energy,…
A new cosmic art installation on campus represents our solar system and bridges the arts and sciences in an astronomical way, thanks to a generous gift from M. Andrew (Andy)'64 …
A NASA satellite searching space for new planets gave astronomers an unexpected glimpse at a black hole ripping a star to shreds.
Ohio State University postdoctoral researcher Dr. Radek Poleski recently received the Polish Astronomical Society Young Scientist Award, which recognizes his extensive scientific contributions to…
The Department of Astronomy would like to welcome our incoming graduate students for the 2019-2020 school year. From left to right: Ness Mayker, Caprice Phillips, Kiersten Boley, Alison Duck, and…
Leading experts, including Nobel Prize Winner Rai Weiss and OSU's very own John Beacom among others, discuss the future and far future of gravitational wave astronomy from upgrading LIGO to larger…
From COSI to NASA to the President's Prize, Anna Voelker's story is a journey that started with struggle.
Read more about Anna's journey and her success here!
Congratulations to all members of the Astronomy Department’s Student Undergraduate Research Program on completing their summer’s work! This past Friday, the SURP students presented their work to…
Dan Pappalardo, Senior Design Engineer in the Astronomy Department's Imaging Sciences Laboratory, has been named one of twelve recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Staff Award, Ohio State’s…
We would like to say CONGRATULATIONS to our newly minted graduates with their undergraduate degree in Astronomy.
Grace Calhoun Dominic Flournoy Suren Gourapura Zhiyuan Guo Matthew Kusz…
Listen to Sultana Nahar on the Female Voice podcast. Female Voice features stellar women of all nationalities and languages. The conversation 10-12 minutes long where the interview of the guest is…
A massive project on Kitt Peak is expected to be finished by Labor Day. Astronomers are installing new equipment that could help explain the mystery of dark energy and why the universe is…
Congrats to undergraduate student Jeniveve Pearson for winnin the prestigious Undergraduate Research Scholarship/ International Research Grant from the College of Arts and Sciences! More…
On April 1 the dome of the Mayall Telescope near Tucson, Arizona, opened to the night sky, and starlight poured through the assembly of six large lenses that were carefully packaged and aligned…
Check out Professor Michael Stamatikos as he explores the STEM Syndrome at The Ohio State University TEDx event!
Read more about the fantastic work done by Professor Michael Stamatikos at the SciDome here!
A special visit by President Michael Drake.
NASA Apollo visit.
Eleven thousand giant orange eyes confront the lucky few who have entered the Super-Kamiokande underground neutrino observatory in Japan — by far the largest neutrino detector of its kind in the…
Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), America's first foundation dedicated wholly to science, announces 24 recipients of its 2019 Cottrell Scholar Awards. These Awards provide $100…
In a recent review article in Science, Jennifer Johnson, professor of astronomy, outlines how chemical elements arise from stars and how the life cycles of stars drive the ever-changing…
Tharindu Jayasinghe, a graduate student of Astronomy, received the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award at the 233rd AAS meeting in Seattle for besat…
Whitney Powers and Gabriela Torrini were announced as the recipients of the Department of Astronomy’s undergraduate scholarship.
At their first studio showing on December 1st, SYREN Modern Dance and Paul Sutter traveled through narrative sequences and robust movement throughout "Ticktock", an exploration of time rooted in…
Romy Rodriguez, a graduate student of Astronomy, won the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Beth Brown Memorial Prize at the National Society of Black Physicist (NSBP) meeting…
John Beacom, Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP) has been named the second Henry L. Cox…
The Department of Astronomy at The Ohio State University had four PhD candidates successfully defend their PhDs in the summer of 2018. All four secured prestigious post-graduate (postdoctoral)…
Paul Sutter received a Women and Philanthropy grant award to connect OSU STEAM Factory faculty, including from the Department of Astronomy, with the COSI after-school outreach team to co-develop…
The All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) has been awarded a grant from Ohio State’s Women & Philanthropy!
The grant will fund the follow-up observations necessary to…
Christopher Hirata received the New Horizons in Physics Prize “for fundamental contributions to understanding the physics of early galaxy formation and to sharpening and applying the most powerful…
A group of astronomy and physics students recently got a firsthand look at the Green Bank Telescope, the world’s largest steerable radio telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia.
Located away…
Bradley Peterson, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Astronomy, has been awarded a NASA Exceptional Service Medal, one of the space agency’s most prestigious…
The Simons Foundation has named Todd Thompson, professor of the Department of Astronomy, as a 2018 Simons Fellow in theoretical physics. Thompson is one of only 52 fellows, and one of only 12 in…
Krzysztof (Kris) Stanek, professor of astronomy, has received the university's Distinguished Scholar Award, which recognizes exceptional scholarly accomplishments by senior…
SciDome Planetarium, a partnership between OSU Newark and The Works, has won “Collaboration of the Year” for the 2017 Explore Licking County IMPACT Award! The $1.4 million SciDome planetarium is…
OSU Astronomy student Anna Voelker is one of two graduating seniors to be selected as recipients of the 2018 President’s Prize, the highest university recognition bestowed on exceptional students…
Ohio State University undergraduate Connor Basinger has won a prestigious Arts and Sciences Honors Committee Undergraduate Research Scholarship. Connor is investigating how spectroscopic measures…
Ohio State Astrophysicist and COSI Chief Scientist Dr. Paul Sutter accepted the award for "Best Director" at the Escape Velocity Film Festival for Song of the Stars! The award cited the innovative…
John Beacom, Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics (CCAPP), has been named one of seven new Arts and Science Distinguished…
Scott Gaudi has been awarded the NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal for his 'outstanding leadership as the ExoPlanet Program Analysis Group Chairperson having significant impact on NASA's…
On August 8, 2017, Subo Dong, a faculty member of the Kavli Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics of Peking University and 2009 OSU Astronomy PhD recipient was awarded the Su-Shu Huang Prize of…
The Department of Astronomy and CCAPP hosted our eleventh annual Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium on August 4, 2017. Students who participated in our Summer Undergraduate Research Program…
The Department of Astronomy hosted a Teacher Resource Day for local elementary and middle school teachers on Tuesday, August 1st. Teachers learned about the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's classroom…
Professors Scott Gaudi and Andy Gould, Postdoctoral Researchers Matthew Penny and Radek Poleski, and former PhD student Calen Henderson, are part of a 17-member international team who received…
Astronomer Scott Gaudi, Thomas Jefferson Professor for Discovery and Space Exploration, co-led an international team that has discovered the hottest planet known. The team has…
For the first time, astronomers have seen a dying star collapse directly into a black hole, rather than explode as a supernove. The star was about 25 times as massive as our Sun, and this fizzle…
Congratulations to Michael Stamatikos, who won both the 2017 Faculty Service Award (Tenure-Track) and the 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award (Tenure-Track) at OSU Newark! Dr…
There will soon be a brand-new, state of the art planetarium in downtown Newark! The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology and The Ohio State University at Newark will build a $1.4…
David Weinberg was surprised at our morning Astronomy Coffee today to learn he has been named a Distinguished University Professor. The Distinguished University Professor title is awarded to no…
Astrophysicist Paul Sutter and undergraduate astronomy & astrophysics major Anna Voelker have launched a new video series called We Don't Planet on space.com that explores and explains fascinating…
We are incredibly saddened to report the death of Gary Steigman, our friend and colleague. Gary passed away on April 9, 2017 from injuries he suffered in a bad fall the previous week.…
We are pleased to announce that David Will was awarded a 2017 Distinguished Staff Award! The Distinguished Staff Award is awarded annually to 12 staff members at The Ohio State University, and…
We are pleased to announce that Professor Marc Pinsonneault is one of the 2017 University Distinguished Scholars! Marc was surprised during our morning AstroCoffee on Wednesday, March 22 by a group…
Ohio State’s All-Sky Automated Search for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) project has received a new, five-year, $2.4 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to…
Astronomy Assistant Professor Laura Lopez presented a keynote talk entitled "The Tumultuous Lives and Deaths of Stars" at the 229th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on January 4, 2017…
Astronomy Assistant Professor Adam Leroy was awarded a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation, which supports junior faculty who are…
Four Ohio State University faculty, including Astronomy Profesosr Barbara Ryden, have been elected this year as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Undergraduate Astronomy & Astrophysics majors Fangze Liu, Joseph Schulze, and Andrew Taylor have been awarded Undergraduate Research Scholarships from the Arts & Sciences Honors Committee. All…
Astronomy graduate student Steven Villanueva Jr. won the graduate student award for best oral presentation in Physics and Astronomy at the 2016 Conference of the Society for the Advancment of…
In the mid-2020s, NASA will launch a new space telescope that can map the Milky Way galaxy and the distant universe 100 times faster than the famed Hubble Space Telescope. Ohio State researchers…
Laura Lopez, assistant professor, astronomy, will receive the 2016 Annie Jump Cannon Award for outstanding research by early-career female astronomers (an astronomer within five years of receiving…
In this week’s issue of the journal Science, OSU astronomers report the discovery of the most powerful supernova ever seen. The object at the center could be a very rare type of star…
Eta Carinae, the most luminous and massive stellar system within 10,000 light-years, is best known for an enormous eruption seen in the mid-19th century that hurled at least 10 times the sun's…
At their April 10 meeting, the Ohio State University Board of Trustees in recognition of contributions to the College of Arts and Sciences by Gerald and Ann Newsom and David and Sheryl Price,…