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

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Astronomy News

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Changemaker Award goes to SPIF and Zoe Learner Ponterio

The Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways say Ponterio’s support “has been invaluable."

'I embraced my love of learning'

Laine Havens is majoring in astronomy and science & technology studies

'I've worked on a code-based project characterizing exoplanets'

Neal Jerome is an astronomy major.

A huge truck pulling an enormous container along a dirt road through a desert, with a snow capped mountain in the distance.

New high-powered telescope reaches Chilean peak

The first major component of the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) has arrived at its final home: the Cerro Chajnantor mountaintop, more than 18,000 feet above sea level.

Patches of dark blue, turquoise and orange scattered on a grid of black broken lines, with an oxagonal and a star-shaped line drawing next to it.

Clearest images yet of 380,000-year-old baby universe released

The new results confirm a simple model of the universe and have ruled out a majority of competing alternatives, says the research team.

"Image of the James Webb Space Telescope" Bing Image Search, accessed March 11, 2025

Cornell Astronomers Secure Over 350 Hours of JWST Cycle 4 Time for Groundbreaking Cosmic Research

Cornell astronomers have secured over 350 hours of JWST Cycle 4 observing time, contributing to groundbreaking research on exoplanets, planetary systems, and distant galaxies. Graduate student Elijah Mullens and postdoctoral researchers Ryan Challener and Lili Alderson earned key investigator roles,...

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Barrier-breaking astronomer graces a U.S. quarter

Immortalized in a series honoring notable women, Vera Cooper Rubin, MS ’51, is the first Cornellian ever featured on a coin.

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Joseph Burns, emeritus professor, former dean of faculty, dies at 83

Joseph A. Burns, Ph.D. ’66, emeritus professor of engineering and astronomy, and a former vice provost and dean of the Cornell faculty, died Feb. 26 in Ithaca.

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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.

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

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Learn about the Carl Sagan Institute

A start stripping a planet's atmosphere. — This artist’s rendering shows a star stripping away a planet’s atmosphere. Image Credits: NASA/GSFC

Research spotlight

Universe Today reports "New research titled “Metal pollution in Sun-like stars from destruction of ultra-short-period planets” suggests that rocky planets are the source of these discrepancies. The authors are Christopher E. O’Connor and Dong Lai from Northwestern University and Cornell University, respectively." Read the full story here.

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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.

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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.

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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.