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The search for Planet 9, 10, and beyond
a large black circle in the center of the milky way galaxy with a very small Sun in the background

Artist’s impression of Planet Nine, depicted as a dark sphere with the Milky Way in the background. Neptune’s orbit is shown as a small ellipse around the Sun. The sky view and appearance are based on the conjectures of Planet Nine’s co-proposer, Mike Brown (Image: Tom Ruen).

The search for Planet 9, 10, and beyond

Planetary scientists and cosmologists at Penn work together to find planets that might be hiding in the far reaches of the solar system.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Women in Physics Group inspires the next generation of physicists and astronomers
a group of women talking while sitting around a table

Willman (center) and a group of undergraduates, including physics majors as well as students studying other STEM-related disciplines, chatted informally over breakfast about their personal experiences as STEM students and researchers.   

Women in Physics Group inspires the next generation of physicists and astronomers

Students had the opportunity to interact with a world-renowned astronomer during a day of informal get-togethers, networking events, and physics lectures at the annual conference.

Erica K. Brockmeier

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