Carina Nebula as captured by the Jamess Webb Space Telescope
NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
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Department of Astronomy

Astronomy News

See all Astronomy news

Together the Department of Astronomy and Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science represent one of the world’s leading institutes for space science with over 110 active researchers.  Research emphases include cosmology, solar system exploration, exoplanet science, and fundamental astrophysics. Graduate students, early career researchers and undergraduates, are actively engaged in current NASA missions, NSF consortia, and CCAT-Prime/FYST. The department and center also run an extensive and robust outreach program to the broader community.

Enceladus

Department of Astronomy research

The Department of Astronomy is a leading center of astrophysics and planetary science research.

Visit CCAPS, the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science

Learn about the Carl Sagan Institute

NASA's Perseverance rover
NASA’s Perseverance rover has been collecting samples to be returned to Earth in a technologically daring mission called Mars Sample Return (MSR). NASA/JPL-Caltech

Research spotlight


Opinion: Precious samples from Mars have been collected. Now it's up to Congress to get them back

CNN Opinion by Jonathan I. Lunine

Learn more about astronomy research at Cornell.

2021 graduate student cohort

Undergraduate program

The Astronomy Major at Cornell University is designed to be flexible so that it can be customized to the needs of each student. 

Learn about the undergraduate program

Graduate program

Astronomy offers a wide variety of world-class research opportunities in astronomy, astrophysics and space science, with strong multidisciplinary connections, and a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

Explore the graduate program

Students at an eclipse viewing event

Reaching beyond campus

In the spirit of the renowned Cornell Professor Carl Sagan, the Department of Astronomy reaches beyond campus in numerous ways. The Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility (SPIF) is a repository of spacecraft data, a facilitator of research, and a hub for PreK-12 education and public outreach activities. Ask an Astronomer has been answering questions from the curious since 1997. The Cornell Astronomical Society conducts viewing nights at the Fuertes Observatory and offers educational programing to the public.

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