Department of Astronomy at UMass Amherst
M87’s Black Hole
UMass Amherst researchers are part of team that captured the first-ever image of a black hole
Department News
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Congratulations to Prof. Alex Pope for the UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentor Award
Congratulations to Prof. Alexandra Pope, who has been awarded the 2024 UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentor Award. This award recognizes the invaluable contributions of faculty members in mentoring and supporting their colleagues' professional development. More information, including the citation for the award to Prof. Pope, can be found here -
Solar Eclipse with UMass Astronomy
Please join UMass Amherst Astronomy on April 8, 2024, to observe the solar eclipse which will reach 94.6% totality at our campus location on the earth. On this day, the peak of the eclipse in Amherst will be at 3:28pm. -
FCAD Scholars Spotlight
FCAD Scholars Spotlight is a novel initiative founded by Moiz Khalil (UMass 24’), under the mentorship of Profs. Kim Ward-Duong and Kate Whitaker. This spotlight provides a unique platform for early-career researchers at all levels – from undergraduates to postdocs – to share their research and contributions to the field of astronomy. Check it out here! -
Public Lecture on Solar Eclipse by Prof. James Lowenthal
James Lowenthal, the Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor and Chair of Astronomy at Smith College, will be giving a public lecture with title: `Chasing the Moon's Shadow: The Total Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024', on Wednesday March 27th, 2024. The lecture will take place in the Auditorium (Room 135) of the Integrated Sciences Building, starting at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:30 pm). The lecture is free and open to the public. -
Congratulations to Andrew Mizener, AAS Chambliss Award Honorable Mention
Congratulations to Astronomy graduate student Andrew Mizener, who received a Honorable Mention for the Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Award of the American Astronomical Society (AAS).The Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Awards are given to recognize exemplary research by undergraduate and graduate students who present at one of the poster sessions at the meetings of the AAS. Recipients of the Honorable Mention receive a certificate from the AAS. -
Graduate Student Amanda Lee Helps Uncover Mystery of Star Formation at the Edge of Galaxies
Astronomy graduate student Amanda Lee is part of a team led by Prof. Jin Koda (Stony Brook University) who has used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array to investigate how star formation occurs in the far edges of galaxies.
Kate Whitaker and Team Investigate Oldest Galaxies
Whitaker’s team devised an innovative pairing of telescopes to better understand why some of the oldest, most massive galaxies go quiescent early in their formation. The team used the Hubble Space Telescope, which sees ultraviolet to near-infrared light, including the light we can see with our own eyes, to detect these distant galaxies, which are so far away that we’re only just now seeing the light they emitted 10 billion to 12 billion years ago, when the universe was in its infancy. In effect, Whitaker’s team is looking into the deep past.
Upcoming Events
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Apr18
Physics and chemistry of exoplanet atmospheres
Dr. Peter Gao (Staff Scientist at Carnegie's Earth & Planets Laboratory)3:45 p.m.Colloquia -
Apr25
Characterization of massive quiescent galaxies
Dr. Jacqueline Antwi-Danso (Banting Fellow at the University of Toronto)3:45 p.m.Colloquia -
May2
Radio observations of AGN and dying stars
Dr. Dongjin Kim (Postdoc at MIT Haystack Observatory)3:45 p.m.Colloquia -
May9
Evolution of AGN from multi-wavelength data
Dr. Erini Lambrides (NPP Fellow at NASA Goddard)3:45 p.m.Colloquia
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