2021
“The solar wind, explained”, by Louise Lerner, UChicago News
March 11, 2021
The solar wind is a flow of particles that comes off the sun at about one million miles per hour and travels throughout the entire solar system. First proposed in the 1950s by University of Chicago physicist Eugene Parker, the solar wind is visible in the halo around the sun during an eclipse and sometimes when the particles hit the Earth’s atmosphere—as the aurora borealis, or northern lights.
Major step for UChicago partnership: “Engineering Marvel: Sixth Mirror Cast for Giant Magellan Telescope”, GMTO News
March 5, 2021
The Giant Magellan Telescope announces fabrication of the sixth of seven of the world’s largest monolithic mirrors. These mirrors will allow astronomers to see farther into the universe with more detail than any other optical telescope before.
“Scientists confirm third-nearest star with a planet—and it’s rocky like Earth”, by Louise Lerner, UChicago News
March 4, 2021
MAROON-X instrument built by UChicago team measures its first planet.
In the past two decades, scientists have discovered more and more planets orbiting distant stars—but in some sense, they’re still just dots on a map.
“It’s kind of like looking at a map of Europe and seeing the dot that’s labeled ‘Paris,’” said University of Chicago astrophysicist Jacob Bean. “You know where it is, but there’s a whole lot that you’re missing about the city.”
“Aging stars provide a new cosmological yardstick”, by Nora Bailey, PSD News
March 1, 2021
Astrophysicist and University of Chicago graduate student Abigail Lee is the lead author on a new paper that analyzed observations of light from a nearby galaxy to validate the JAGB method for measuring cosmological distances. This novel technique will allow future independent distance measurements that can help answer one of the biggest outstanding questions in cosmology: how fast is the universe expanding?
“Synergies and a supernova”, by Sherry Byrne, UChicago Library News
February 24, 2021
Library staff, faculty, and students join forces to drive new astronomical discoveries
The University of Chicago Library continues to look to the sky in our ongoing collaborative work with Professor Rich Kron, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, exploring the use of data obtained from historical astronomical glass plates to drive new astronomical discovery. Since we last reported on the project in 2019 (“Mining historical glass slides for astronomical data”), a National Science Foundation grant, new collaborations, and detection of a likely supernova have furthered our work, strengthened our partnerships, and expanded our experiences and expertise.
New metamaterials for studying the oldest light in the universe
February 19, 2021
Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Awards
February 18, 2021
Richard Kron, Sloan Digital Sky Survey co-founder, retires
February 9, 2021
Dan Hooper: What happened at the Big Bang?
February 4, 2021
Joshua Frieman & Eugene Parker named Fellows of the American Astronomical Society
February 4, 2021
Roger Hildebrand, Manhattan Project veteran and ‘giant’ of physics and astrophysics, 1922-2021
January 27, 2021
Cosmologist Brian Nord discusses building coalition of physicists & computer scientists to promote algorithmic accountability
January 27, 2021
Dark Energy Survey releases catalog of nearly 700 million astronomical objects to the public
January 14, 2021
UChicago undergrads discover bright lensed galaxy in the early universe
January 13, 2021
2020
Peter O. Vandervoort, astrophysicist and beloved UChicago mentor, 1935-2020
December 18, 2020