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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.
There are numerous ways to support our department. Click here to learn more about Friends of Astronomy, a group of Cornell Astronomy alumni and friends who work to encourage significant interaction between the department and our friends in the wider world.
If you're interesting in giving a gift to support our students, research or outreach efforts, please explore the donation links below:
Cornell’s Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility recovered and is restoring lost MoonKAM lunar images requested by thousands of middle school students during NASA’s GRAIL mission. The Cornell University image library also trains researchers in planetary data analysis and preserves access to decades of spacecraft imagery.
Twenty new faculty have joined the College of Arts & Sciences this year, strengthening departments and programs with their wide-ranging expertise and filling numerous leadership roles for the College and university.
Cornell College of Arts & Sciences physicist and astronomer David Kornreich, Ph.D. ’01, died Aug. 30 in a plane crash near Ithaca while piloting his aircraft. He was researcher and science communicator known for galaxy studies and astronomy outreach.
NASA’s Psyche mission principal investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton will deliver the 2026 Terzian Lecture, hosted by the astronomy department in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences. She will discuss the spacecraft’s journey to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche and upcoming discoveries.
Targeting launch Aug. 30, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will attempt to directly image a set of exoplanets selected with help from Cornell faculty member Dmitry Savransky. Cornell College of Arts and Sciences astronomy doctoral students supported the work.
