In an article for earth.com, Yingtian Chen, a graduate student at the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy, discusses his study on stellar streams and how they help astronomers reconstruct the Milky Way’s past and understand the galaxy’s gravitational structure. He was interviewed in the article “Astronomers discover dozens of stellar streams in the Continue Reading »
Tag: UM Astronomy
U-M Joins International Consortium to Design, Build MOSAIC Instrument for Extremely Large Telescope
The European Southern Observatory, or ESO, has signed an agreement with a large international consortium that includes the University of Michigan for the design and construction of the Multi-Object Spectrograph, or MOSAIC.
“Scientists Discover Smallest Galaxy Ever Seen”
In an article for space.com, Dr. Eric Bell, a professor at the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy, talks about how galaxies Andromeda XXXV and Andromeda could change how we think about cosmic evolution. He was interviewed in the article “Scientists discover smallest galaxy ever seen: ‘It’s like having a perfectly functional human being Continue Reading »
Small, Faint and ‘Unexpected in a Lot of Different Ways’: U-M Astronomers Make Galactic Discovery
A discovery made by a team led by researchers at the University of Michigan tugs at the seams of some key cosmic lessons we thought we had learned from our own galaxy. This dwarf galaxy, named Andromeda XXXV and located roughly 3 million light-years away, is forcing astronomers to rethink how galaxies evolve in different cosmic environments and survive different epochs of the universe.
U-M Astronomers Peer Deeper into Mysterious Flame Nebula
Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, a team of researchers, including astronomers from the University of Michigan, are closing in on the answer to a looming cosmic question.
In probing the Flame Nebula, they’re finding out what’s the smallest celestial body that can form on its own from clouds of gas and dust in space.
“U-M Department of Astronomy’s First Satellite Launch Could Pave the Way for Exoplanet Discoveries”
In an article for The Michigan Daily, Dr. John Monnier, a professor at the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy, talks about the STARI Mission and how interferometers in space could allow scientists to study exoplanets in greater detail than they are currently able with existing technology. He was interviewed in the article “U-M Continue Reading »
“U-M Department of Astronomy Prepares its First NASA Mission”
In an article for WEMU.org, Dr. John Monnier, a professor at the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy, talks about the STARI Mission and how it should make the study of planets out of our solar system less expensive. He was interviewed in the article “U-M Department of Astronomy Prepares its First NASA Mission Continue Reading »
U-M Astronomy Will Lead Its First Satellite Mission With NASA Grant
The first space mission led by the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy is scheduled to launch in 2029 with the support of a NASA grant worth $10 million. The mission is called STARI—STarlight Acquisition and Reflection toward Interferometry—and will showcase the viability of a new technique for studying exoplanets, or planets outside of our solar system.
Witnessing the Birth of Planets
University of Michigan researchers contributed to an international collaboration that’s providing an unparalleled view into how planets are born using the JWST—the most powerful space telescope ever launched.
In particular, the team studied PDS 70, a young star with two growing planets in its orbit. Located 370 lightyears away, this system gives scientists a rare chance to see how planets form and evolve during their earliest stages of development.
Getting the Most Out of Cosmic Maps
Research led by the University of Michigan could help put cosmology on the inside track to reaching the full potential of telescopes and other instruments studying some of the universe’s largest looming questions.
The project showcased how a new computational method gleans more information than its predecessors from maps showing how galaxies are clustered and threaded throughout the universe.
Scientists are currently using tools like DESI, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, to generate these maps and dig deeper into the nature of dark energy, dark matter and other cosmic mysteries.