Space

Northwestern mineralogist leads lunar soil analysis for NASA’s MMPACT project Most people are familiar with the iconic photograph of astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s boot print on the surface of the moon. But what, exactly, is in the soil that holds the imprint...

On April 8, the much-hyped total solar eclipse arrives, passing across North America. These dramatic celestial spectacles — in which the moon completely blocks out the sun — have long captured attention, shaping history and the way we understand space. “Historically, [a...

Northwestern astrophysicist is member of international team working on new detector Gravitational waves — ripples in the fabric of space-time first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 — have been directly detected here on Earth since September 2015. Now an international...

Although dark matter makes up 27% of the universe, astronomers have been unable to observe it directly. Now, in a new study, an international team of researchers including Northwestern University astrophysicists has found that upcoming images from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman...

JWST unexpectedly reveals nickel and oxygen, which are typically difficult to observe Similar to human teenagers, teenage galaxies are awkward, experience growth spurts and enjoy heavy metal — nickel, that is.  A Northwestern University-led team of astrophysicists has just analyzed the first...

As the first Argentinian to receive the honor, Northwestern senior will study mathematical physics at Oxford Northwestern University student Nia Robles Del Pino has been named a 2024 Global Rhodes Scholar — one of only two students selected worldwide among candidates...

Northwestern astrophysicist Wen-fai Fong will receive the 2024 Lancelot M. Berkeley–New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy. She is recognized for her leadership of foundational work that is greatly advancing our understanding of explosive astrophysical transients and...

New artificial intelligence tool removes humans from entire search, discovery process A fully automated process, including a brand-new artificial intelligence (AI) tool, has successfully detected, identified and classified its first supernova. Developed by an international collaboration led by Northwestern University, the new...

New finding might explain why quasars flare and fade so quickly A new Northwestern University-led study is changing the way astrophysicists understand the eating habits of supermassive black holes. While previous researchers have hypothesized that black holes eat slowly, new simulations indicate...

Longest time-lapse footage of an exoplanet to date was assembled from real data A Northwestern University astrophysicist has created the longest time-lapse video of an exoplanet to date. Constructed from real data, the footage shows Beta Pictoris b — a planet 12...