Astronomy Ph.D. Candidate Awarded FINESST Fellowship
Trevor Foote, a fourth-year astronomy and space sciences doctoral candidate, was recently awarded a 2022 FINESST Fellowship.
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Exploration that spans the universe
Department of Astronomy
The Department of Astronomy is one of the leading centers for astronomical research in the world. The department places strong emphasis on the participation of students in ongoing research projects and strives to foster an interdisciplinary approach to solving astronomical problems by maintaining strong ties with other departments. Many undergraduate and graduate alumni of Cornell astronomy have become leaders in the field. The department is also actively engaged in outreach to the broader community.
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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
Research spotlight
As of 2022, close to 5,000 exoplanets have been found. "We've gotten to the point where missions like TESS [Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite], for instance, are monitoring so many stars that when we process the data, planets just fall out of it," says Nikole K. Lewis, associate professor of astronomy in the College of Arts & Sciences. [The Cornell Chronicle]
Astronomy News
Satellite Imaging, Not Tourism, Is the Modern Space Race
While Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Elon Musk send people into orbit, real-time mapping of the Earth has much broader applications, writes Dean Ray Jayawardhana.
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Cornell astronomers cheer new space telescope’s first images
Faculty respond to the release of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope
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Sustainability and spirituality in the garden
A group of students, including some Nexus Scholars, is learning practical skills related to sustainability and connecting them to community behaviors.
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‘Follow your dreams,’ writes astronomer Martha Haynes
“The Sky Is for Everyone” is a collection of autobiographical essays by “women who broke down barriers and changed the face of modern astronomy.”
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Jayaram Chengalur appointed TIFR director
Professor Jayaram N Chengalur will take charge as the 10th director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Chengalur completed his doctoral and postdoctoral studies from Cornell University.
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Learn & travel with Cornell alumni, faculty this summer
A&S faculty will lead many courses on campus and join educational vacations as part of Cornell Adult University.
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Rapid-fire fast radio burst shows hot space between galaxies
Sending out an occasional and informative cosmic ping from more than 3.5 billion light years away, these quick-fire surges provide a pathway for scientists to comprehend the perplexing, mysterious and million-degree intergalactic medium.
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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.
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.
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.