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Tag Space & astronomy

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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… Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

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. Read More

Countdown to new Space Place launch this weekend

August 23, 2005

Astronomy buffs of all ages are invited to celebrate the launch of Space Place, UW–Madison's astronomy outreach center, at its new Villager Mall location on Sunday, Aug. 28. Opening week activities continue through Thursday, Sept. 1 and are free and open to the public. Read More

Galactic survey reveals a new look for the Milky Way

August 16, 2005

With the help of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, University of Wisconsin astronomers have conducted the most comprehensive structural analysis of our galaxy and have found tantalizing new evidence that the Milky Way is much different from your ordinary spiral galaxy. Read More

UW-Madison instilling science literacy in South Africa

July 12, 2005

In November, representatives from UW–Madison will attend the inauguration of the southern hemisphere's largest telescope, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). UW–Madison is one of nearly a dozen international institutions that partnered with the South African government to build SALT, including universities in Russia, Poland, New Zealand, Germany and the United States. Read More

Moving a multi-ton space machine

May 31, 2005

As the UW Space Place prepares for a late-June move to Villager Mall, it faces the daunting task this week of relocating its star attraction: an enormous space observatory weighing several thousand pounds. Read More

UW Space Place: More space, new place

May 4, 2005

Fifteen years ago in a run-down former steak house, a small but determined cadre of astronomers at UW–Madison gave Madison access to the stars. Read More