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Solar system exploration Q&A with Cullen Blake
a satellite flying above earth with the moon in the distant background
  • Q&A

    • Solar system exploration Q&A with Cullen Blake

    Blake, an observational astronomer at Penn who specializes in the search for exoplanets, discusses the busy start of 2019 in the research of solar system exploration.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    Dark Energy Survey completes six-year mission
    Dark energy telescope with star trails

    Dark Energy Survey completes six-year mission

    A global research effort to map a portion of the sky in unprecedented detail is coming to an end, but the task of learning more about the expansion of the universe has only just begun.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    Electric bond
    Presentation ceremony with background image of Kane and Mele

    During the gala ceremony held on Nov. 4 at NASA’s Hangar 1 in Mountain View, Calif., Charles Kane and Eugene Mele were presented the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics award by writer and science educator Lucy Hawking (the daughter of Stephen Hawking) and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

    Electric bond

    Behind the discovery of a new class of electronic materials is a 20-year collaboration between two Penn physicists, winners of the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

    Angelo Fichera

    Up, up, and away
    BLAST telescope with Mark Devlin and students

    As the project manager of the $100 million Simons Observatory project, Devlin (center) is working to keep the numerous and disparate components of the project from falling behind due to pandemic-related shutdowns while recognizing that some delays and disruptions will be inevitable. His advice is to not “sweat the small stuff.” (Pre-pandemic image)

    Up, up, and away

    Mark Devlin and his team behind BLAST are about to embark on another scientific adventure in Antarctica, this time measuring how stars form in our galaxy.

    Lauren Hertzler

    Where do comets originate?
    Data from Planck Satellite mapping Ort Clouds.

    A map of the sky at 545 GHz from the Planck satellite. Credit: Planck/ESA and NASA, IPAC Infrared Science Archive.

    Where do comets originate?

    A new technique developed by team of Penn astronomers may allow the scientists to measure radiation from celestial bodies that are only theorized to exist.

    Penn Today Staff, Erica K. Brockmeier

    Astronomers discover second-closest know exoplanet

    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.

    Physicist theorizes that dark matter is a superfluid
    Physicist theorizes that dark matter is a superfluid

    Physicist theorizes that dark matter is a superfluid

    A hypothesis by Justin Khoury of the Department of Physics and Astronomy stands to shake up how scientists consider dark matter.

    Jacob Williamson-Rea

    Looking to the stars
    stargazing 2

    As part of the annual Simons Observatory Collaboration conference, Penn held a Community Astronomy Night in David Rittenhouse laboratory that included a panel, a mixer with astronomers, and stargazing. Credit: Eric Sucar 

    Looking to the stars

    This year's Simons Observatory Collaboration conference included a community star party that consisted of a panel, a mixer with astronomers, and stargazing.

    Ali Sundermier

    Detecting distant stars: Q&A with Jose Maria Diego and Jesus Vega
    hubble_icarus_image

    Photo courtesty of NASA, ESA, and P. Kelly (University of Minnesota)

    Detecting distant stars: Q&A with Jose Maria Diego and Jesus Vega

    While observing an exploding star in a galaxy cluster billions of light-years away, two visiting scholars noticed a curious speck of light in their images. The light was from an ancient star more than 9 billion years ago, the most distant star ever detected.

    Ali Sundermier