Tag Space & astronomy

‘Galileo Under Wisconsin Skies’ to celebrate astronomy at UW–Madison

June 8, 2009

"Galileo Under Wisconsin Skies," a series of special events presented by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Astronomy July 19-22, will commemorate the 400th anniversary of Galileo's telescope, the International Year of Astronomy and the renovation of Washburn Observatory at UW–Madison.

Planet Trek offers chance to bike or walk through scaled-down solar system

May 1, 2009

Dane County residents have a new way to appreciate the solar system, thanks to Planet Trek Dane County, which offers pedestrians and bikers a chance to discover the 11 biggest objects in the solar system at the correct scale of size and distance.

Space Place, MMSD plan celebration of 100 Hours of Astronomy

March 31, 2009

Few areas of science enchant us as much as astronomy. We view the stars each night; we make connections between astronomy and many other scientific fields. Rarely, though, do we get a chance to explore the heavens through organized events.

Arthur D. Code, pioneering space astronomer, dies

March 16, 2009

Arthur D. Code, whose lifelong love of the stars and the night sky led to a meteoric career in astrophysics, died in Madison, Wis., on March 11 after a long illness. He was 85.

IceCube building goals exceeded at South Pole

February 25, 2009

As the 2008-09 Antarctic drilling season concludes, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory is on track to be finished as planned in 2011.

Associate dean advises NASA on human challenges in space programs

July 15, 2008

A UW–Madison associate dean is part of a committee advising NASA on issues related to a new space program that will send human astronauts to Mars.

Newly born twin stars show surprising differences

June 18, 2008

The analysis of the youngest pair of identical twin stars yet discovered has revealed surprising differences in brightness, surface temperature and possibly even the size of the two.

Milky Way’s infrared portrait gives new view of galaxy

June 3, 2008

Astronomers have obtained an entirely new perspective of our home galaxy: a complete mosaic portrait of the Milky Way in infrared light, a picture that when printed measures 180 feet long by 4 feet wide.

Astronomers witness the birth of a supernova

May 21, 2008

An international team of astronomers, acting on a tip from a NASA satellite that serves as an early warning system for the most violent astronomical events, has caught a supernova in the act.

Curiosities: Why do we need leap days?

February 11, 2008

Leap days appear every four years or so, including this year, and they are needed because one orbit around the sun does not occur in an exact number of days, says Jim Lattis, director of UW Space Place, in the UW–Madison astronomy department.

UW space science technology powers Google Earth images

December 12, 2007

Satellite images provide a dramatic view of the Earth and its atmosphere. For timely views of winter weather in Wisconsin or wild fires in California, Google Earth users can now access the most recent high-quality satellite images generated at the Space Science and Engineering Center.

Washburn Observatory to close for renovations

October 4, 2007

Washburn Observatory, which sits along Observatory Drive on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, will close at the end of October for remodeling and renovations.

Curiosities: What is the surface of the Sun like?

July 5, 2007

“Technically, there is no surface of the Sun,” says UW–Madison’s Sanjay Limaye. The senior scientist and educator with the Space…

Jets from neutron star rival those made by black holes

June 27, 2007

A team of astronomers led by a UW–Madison scientist has found that neutron stars produce jets of energy and matter that rival those produced by black holes.

With a big assist from NASA, UW-Madison launches astrobiology push

May 31, 2007

With the help of a $6.5 million grant from NASA, Wisconsin researchers will join the hunt for extraterrestrial life and early life on Earth by developing techniques and instruments to read the chemical signatures living organisms leave in rocks and minerals.

Preparing for better weather forecasts

March 27, 2007

UW–Madison scientist Allen Huang is at the forefront of preparations for new satellite instruments and the predicted data deluge.

Space Place unveils nifty new exhibits

November 8, 2006

On Friday, Nov. 10, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Space Place will unveil three new exhibits about Wisconsin astronomers' explorations of the heavens.

ResearchChannel programs available to Charter Digital Cable subscribers

August 2, 2006

Subscribers to Charter Digital Cable now have access to University of Wisconsin–Madison programming on ResearchChannel as video on demand.

Physicists say multi-million dollar experiment advancing smoothly

March 30, 2006

An international team of scientists led by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, or Fermilab, today described early results from a $170 million project that seeks to better understand neutrinos, the elusive subatomic particles that have intrigued physicists for decades.

Giant optical telescope in South Africa comes online

September 1, 2005

Five years after breaking ground on a South African mountaintop near the edge of the Kalahari desert, astronomers today released the first images captured by the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), now the equal of the world's largest optical telescope and a prized window to the night skies of the southern hemisphere.