51 Pegasi b Fellowship awarded to Dr. Rixin Li
The Heising-Simons Foundation has announced the 2023 recipients of the 51 Pegasi b Fellowship. Dr. Rixin Li is one of eight recipients.
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Exploration that spans the universe
Department of Astronomy
Astronomy News
One in Ten Stars Ate a Jupiter (Or Bigger)
"A lot of research has delved into the planetary engulfment process, and a new study calculated one in ten evolved stars in the Milky Way will swallow Jupiter-mass planets."
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NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded to Dr. Darryl Seligman
Dr. Darryl Seligman is one of 59 recipients of the 2023 Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Research Fellows.
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$2.5M in A&S New Frontier Grants supports bold projects
A&S faculty members will delve into questions ranging from quantum computing to foreign policy development and from heritage forensics to effects of climate change.
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Nexus Scholars Program expands research opportunities to 101 students
This summer, 101 students in the College of Arts and Sciences will take part in groundbreaking research on campus with 61 faculty as part of the Nexus Scholars Program.
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Reversible magnetic field found around a fast radio burst for the first time
“These new observations are another step forward in understanding the remarkable engines and the diversity of fast radio bursts.”
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Neutron star’s X-rays reveal ‘photon metamorphosis’
Scientists were surprised when a NASA satellite detected that lower- and higher-energy X-rays were polarized differently, with electromagnetic fields oriented at right angles to each other.
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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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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
“Time Magazine has named Britney Schmidt, associate professor of astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences and Earth and atmospheric sciences in Cornell Engineering, to the 2023 list of the world’s 100 most influential people"!
By Linda Glaser, Cornell Chronicle
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.