Researchers upend theory about the formation of the Milky Way Galaxy This image visualizes the Milky Way and its surrounding “halo” of stars. Most stars in the Milky Way lie in the disc (like the Sun, for example), but stars from past collisions end up in the halo, a large “cloud” of stars that extends outwards in all directions. These halo stars have been enhanced in this image, but in reality would be very dim compared to the disc. The halo appears messy and “wrinkly” here, a sign that a merger has occurred relatively recently.(Image: Halo stars: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, T Donlon et al. 2024; Background Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds: Stefan Payne-Wardenaar) Researchers upend theory about the formation of the Milky Way Galaxy New findings by Robyn Sanderson and collaborators suggest galaxy’s last major collision was billions of years later than previously thought.
Fungi on the front lines against environmental injustice Image: iStock/Kichigin Fungi on the front lines against environmental injustice The collective efforts of the Symbiotic Architecture for Environmental Justice research community are making former industrial sites reborn as vibrant community gardens, and safe, green spaces for children to play a reality.
Teaching climate change communication, from the classroom to a conference of journalists The class included writing a letter to the editor, op-ed, and fact-check. “We threw a lot at them, we’re asking a lot of them, but I feel like they’re rising to the occasion,” Mann said.nocred Teaching climate change communication, from the classroom to a conference of journalists Michael Mann and Kathleen Hall Jamieson are co-teaching the Climate Change and Communication course this spring, tied to the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference, held this year at Penn.
2024 tropical cyclone prediction An image of Hurricane Ida taken aboard the International Space Station shortly before the Category 4 storm made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2021. It marked the ninth named hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season. As such storms increase in both frequency and intensity, Penn researchers argue that the resilience methods used in the past won’t work in the future. (Image: European Space Agency) 2024 tropical cyclone prediction Michael Mann and colleagues predict a record-breaking 33 named storms for the 2024 North Atlantic hurricane season. It is the highest count ever projected.
What the EPA limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in water mean Image: iStock/Byjeng What the EPA limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in water mean Brianne Callahan of the Water Center explains the new regulations on PFAS, plus how they might affect consumer water bills, health, and more.
Understanding the Northeast earthquake Last week people in the Northeast experienced a rare earthquake that registered a magnitude of 4.8. To learn more about the mechanics of earthquakes and this occurrence, Penn Today spoke with David Goldsby of the School of Arts & Sciences and Robert Carpick of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.(Image: iStock/allanswart) Q&A Understanding the Northeast earthquake Last week, people in the Northeast experienced a rare earthquake that registered a magnitude of 4.8. Penn Today spoke with David Goldsby of the School of Arts & Sciences and Robert Carpick of the School of Engineering and Applied Science about the event.
Total solar eclipse Sliski's composite image of the solar eclipse, with plumes located above and below the poles of the stars, red prominences located near the edge of the sun (at 11 and 8 o'clock), and with one extensions each to the east and west of the solar disc. This data will be compared to predictive models to better refine the current understanding of the sun (Image credit: David Sliski). Total solar eclipse Gary Bernstein and Bhuvnesh Jain speak with Penn Today about the significance of the coming total eclipse.
Once a spy satellite, now a telescope with an eye on the cosmos (On homepage) Engineers at Ball Aerospace, one of Roman’s industrial partners, installed and aligned the element wheel assembly into the observatory’s Wide Field Instrument. The assembly will help Roman solve some of the most profound mysteries in astrophysics. When light bounces off and is concentrated by the main and secondary mirrors of Roman, it will move through a component called the element wheel. After being focused and filtered, this light will hit a big array of sensors that captures the light to form an image. Depending on their research needs, astronomers can use special science filters to pick out certain types of light for their studies. (Image: Courtesy of Ball Aerospace) Once a spy satellite, now a telescope with an eye on the cosmos Researchers from Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences are part of a collaboration to develop Hubble’s wide-eyed cousin, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Dark Energy Survey uncovers clues to universe’s complexity An image of NGC 1365 collected by the Dark Energy Survey. Also known as the Great Barred Spiral Galaxy, NGC 1365 is an example of a spiral galaxy and is located about 56 million light-years away. (Image: DECam, DES Collaboration) nocred Dark Energy Survey uncovers clues to universe’s complexity The decade-long effort reveals findings consistent with standard cosmological models, but open to more complex interpretations.
The Endangered Species Act at 50 (On homepage) River herring, also known as alewives, swim in a stream in Franklin, Maine. The fish were once headed for the endangered species list but have been making a comeback in some U.S. states. (Image: AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) The Endangered Species Act at 50 Ahead of the anniversary, experts from four schools across the University share their thoughts on the landmark legislation.