News

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MIfA Faculty Position

Posted

The Minnesota Institute of Astrophysics (MIfA) within the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Astrophysics.

Research

ESA Euclid’s Great Cosmic Atlas

Posted

Here is a first look at the Euclid Space Telescope’s great cosmic atlas from the European Space Agency. This research includes contributions from Dr. Claudia Scarlata, director of MIfA, who is part of the Euclid collaboration. Join us in congratulating Dr. Scarlata and the entire Euclid team on the exciting initial results of the Euclid mission.

Image depicting astrophysical simulations.
Research

New imagery technique helps understand the Universe

Posted

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering have developed a new technique that reconstructs two dimensional (2D) radio images–visual representations created from radio waves–into three dimensional (3D) "Pseudo3D cubes" to help better understand objects in the Universe.

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (04/25/2024) — Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering co-led a new study by an international team that will improve the detection of gravitational waves—ripples in space and time.   The research aims to send alerts to astronomers and astrophysicists within 30 seconds after the detection, helping to improve the understanding of neutron stars and black holes and how heavy elements, including gold and uranium, are produced.  The findings w
Research

Researchers advance detection of gravitational waves to study collisions of neutron stars and black holes

Posted

Alerts can now be sent less than 30 seconds after detection.

Drs. Woodward, Skillman, and Citro

UM Investigators Selected as PIs for James Webb Telescope Cycle 3

Posted

UM Investigators Selected as PIs for James Webb Telescope Cycle 3

Coughlin, Criswell, and Citro
Research

Coughlin, Citro, and Criswell part of comprehensive UV light survey

Posted

Assistant Professor Michael Coughlin, postdoctoral researcher Annalisa Citro, and graduate student Alexander Criswell of the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics are part of a new mission that has just been selected to conduct a comprehensive survey of ultraviolet light spanning the entire sky

Anderson and Puschell, MIFA Alunni
Awards

Two astrophysics Alumni elected to National Academy of Engineering

Posted

Two astrophysics Alumni Martha C. Anderson (Ph.D., Astrophysics ‘93), Kei May Lau (B.A.,’76, M.S. ‘77), and Jeffrey Puschell (Ph.D., Astrophysics ‘79), have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for 2024.

Michael Coughlin
Research

Assistant Professor Michael Coughlin has been awarded a 2024 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship

Posted

Assistant Professor Michael Coughlin has been awarded a 2024 McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments and promise among the University's assistant professors.

Image of the galaxy Haro 11. The stars in the galaxy, shown in white, is surrounded by a halo of ionized gas in red. The newly imaged neutral Hydrogen gas, shown in blue, has been displaced during an interaction between two galaxies that resulted in the creation of Haro 11.

Observations of Dramatic Galactic Collision Unlock Clues to the Reionization of the Universe

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An international team, led by Dr. Alexandra Le Reste from Stockholm University and the Oskar Klein Centre, used the MeerKAT radio telescope to investigate processes at the origin of the Epoch of Reionization, a crucial period occurring a billion years after the Big Bang. The study, made possible by MeerKAT's increased sensitivity relative to older telescopes, reveals how galaxy mergers might have influenced the transformation of the Universe during this epoch.

Herschel Medal

Professor Emerita Roberta Humphreys receives Herschel Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for 2024

Posted

Herschel Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for 2024