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Erica K. Brockmeier
Science News Officer
ekbrock@upenn.edu
Astronomy
On the hunt for new exoplanets
A state-of-the-art instrument called NEID, from the Tohono O’odham word meaning “to see,” has officially started its scientific mission: discovering new planets outside of the solar system.
Giant comet found in outer solar system
The discovery of the comet estimated to 100-200 kilometers across was made by Penn researchers following a comprehensive search of data from the Dark Energy Survey. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is the most distant comet ever discovered and possibly the largest seen in modern times.
Connecting a star’s chemical composition and planet formation
Connecting a star’s chemical composition and planet formation
Along with developing a new statistical method for studying exoplanets, researchers from Penn found that the majority of stars in their dataset are similar to the sun, implying that many stars in the Milky Way could host their own Earthlike planets.
Dark Energy Survey interim analysis sheds light on the evolution of the universe
Dark Energy Survey interim analysis sheds light on the evolution of the universe
Analysis of the survey’s first three years of data, which were used to make the most precise 3D map of the universe to date, is a key step towards understanding dark matter and dark energy.
Beyond topological insulators
Beyond topological insulators
Charlie Kane and Eugene Mele’s groundbreaking theories on the existence of a new class of materials continues to inspire an upcoming generation of physics researchers.
27 million galaxy morphologies quantified and cataloged with the help of machine learning
27 million galaxy morphologies quantified and cataloged with the help of machine learning
Using data from the Dark Energy Survey, researchers from the Department of Physics & Astronomy produced the largest catalog of galaxy morphology classifications to date.
The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
Penn Today spoke with experts in various areas of science and environmental policy about what they anticipate will shift now that President Biden has assumed the nation’s leadership.
Metamaterial tiles boost sensitivity of large telescopes
Research on a low-cost, mass producible technology is poised to help the Simons Observatory uncover new insights into how the universe began.
Dark Energy Survey makes public catalog of nearly 700 million astronomical objects
With the goal of understanding dark energy and the accelerating expansion of the universe, DES released six years of data, representing one of the largest galaxy surveys published to date.
A rare celestial treat on the winter solstice
A rare celestial treat on the winter solstice
Four tips and takeaways from astronomer Cullen Blake on the upcoming alignment of Jupiter and Saturn and how to best catch a glimpse of the “great conjunction.”
Media Contact
In the News
USA Today
The largest comet ever discovered in modern times is zooming toward the sun
Gary Bernstein of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the giant comet he and Ph.D. candidate Pedro Bernardinelli discovered. "We have the privilege of having discovered perhaps the largest comet ever seen—or at least larger than any well-studied one—and caught it early enough for people to watch it evolve as it approaches and warms up," Bernstein said.
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The New York Times
The largest comet ever found is making its move into a sky near you
Ph.D. candidate Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein of the School of Arts & Sciences have discovered the largest comet ever observed, with a nucleus between 62 and 125 miles long.
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NBC News
Our solar system’s mysterious ‘Planet 9’ may actually be a tiny, ancient black hole
Bhuvnesh Jain of the School of Arts and Sciences commented on a new theory that Planet 9 may actually be a tiny, primordial black hole: “From a theoretical standpoint, it’s exciting even if its plausibility right now is early to judge.”
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Forbes
Astronomers want to look for Planet X in Big Bang’s cosmic glow
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Eric Baxter, Bhuvnesh Jain, Cullen Blake, Gary Bernstein, and Mark Devlin co-authored a paper outlining ways to find undetected planets on the outskirts of our solar system.
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Smithsonian Magazine
Astronomers discover second-closest know exoplanet
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Cullen Blake weighed in on the identification of an earth-like exoplanet called Barnard’s Star b. Blake said that while the data used to locate it may be muddied by nearby stellar activity, the exoplanet has been observed enough times to be a strong planetary candidate.
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