Department of Astronomy

Public Nights at McCormick Observatory

Near-Field Cosmology at Virginia

Star Formation At Virginia

Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) at Virginia

Instrumentation Laboratory at Virginia

Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics at Virginia

Astrochemistry at Virginia

World Class Facilities at Virginia

Planetary Science at Virginia

A New View of the Moon

A group of astronomers, including Craig Sarazin from U.Va., have made the first high-resolution, high-frequency radio map of the Moon. The image, at a radio frequency of 90 GHz, was made with the MUSTANG2 camera on the Green Bank Telescope, the world’s largest steerable telescope. At this radio frequency, the image shows heat radiation form the lunar surface, and brighter regions are hotter. The image shows many of the same features as seen in more familiar optical images. However, because temperature variations across the lunar surface are smaller than the variations

Volcanically active exo-moons

While our solar system contains dozens of moons orbiting the planets, there is as yet no clear detection of a moon orbiting an extrasolar planet. A group of astronomers and planetary scientists, led by former UVa graduate student Apurva Oza, have a new paper accepted to the Astrophysical Journal (http://arxiv.org/abs/1908.10732) which shows that these exo-moons may have been hiding in plain sight.

Nitya Kallivayalil Wins PECASE Award

Nitya Kallivayalil, an associate professor in Astronomy, has been award a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers and show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology. Nitya was nominated by the National Science Foundation. The award was announced in a press release from the White House. The press release can be found here:

Telescope for Schools, Scouts, bring Astronomy to live for children in Virginia

Steve Layman, an amateur astronomer who’s made a career in music, works with the astronomy department to bring telescopes to schools and Scouts. (Photo by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)

"Chasing the Moon" Screening & Panel Discussion

Friday | July 12 | 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. | FREE
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11's moon landing at Light House Studio/Vinegar Hill Theatre. Enjoy a special screening from the new PBS American Experience series,Chasing the Moon, followed by a panel discussion with distinguished experts that represent the past, present and future of space research and exploration. This event is free, but registration is required.

Timothy P. McCullough, Jr. Scholarship in Astronomy

The Astronomy Department is pleased to announce the creation of the Timothy P. McCullough, Jr. Scholarship in Astronomy, named for Dr. McCullough (1910-2004), who was a research physicist and radio astronomer at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. Dr. McCullough made some of the first radio measurements of many objects in the Solar System. His radio measurements of Venus were among the first to indicate that Venus had a very high surface temperature. He also studied Mars and Jupiter. Later, his interest turned to supernovas, galaxies, and solar flares. Dr.

Spinning black hole has rapidly pivoting jets

Astronomers, including Craig Sarazin from U.Va., have discovered jets shooting out at nearly the speed of light from the regions around a black hole, and which are changing their direction rapidly (minutes to hours). This reorientation of the jets is due to the Lense-Thirring Precession, an effect predicted by Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. This effect is expected to occur near a rotating black hole, and is caused by the rotating black hole dragging space and time around with it as it rotates. This is believed to be the first direct observation of the Lense-Thirring Precession

Reaching for the Stars in the UVA Community

A University of Virginia-led program, “Dark Skies, Bright Kids,” has been bringing astronomy to local schools in Albemarle County for more than 10 years, opening up a universe of possibilities and knowledge for children in the Charlottesville community.

You can watch the video at UVA Today: Reaching for the Stars in the UVA Community

Mengyao Liu Wins Two Prestigious Awards

Graduate student Mengyao Liu has been selected as a 2019-2020 Jefferson Scholars Foundation Dissertation Year Fellow. The merit based fellowships are designed to "identify Ph.D. and M.B.A. candidates who demonstrate outstanding achievement and the highest promise as scholars, teachers, public servants, and business leaders in the United States and beyond. Once selected, Jefferson Fellows are charged with furthering the quality of education, intellectual life, and mission of the University."

Spiraling Giants: Witnessing the Birth of a Massive Binary Star

An international group of astronomers, including Jonathan Tan from the University of Virginia, have made observations of a molecular cloud that is collapsing to form two massive protostars that will eventually become a binary star system. The observations showed that, even at this early stage, the cloud contains two objects: a massive “primary” central star and another “secondary” forming star, with a combined mass of at least 18 times that of our Sun. For the first time, the researchers were able to use these observations to deduce the dynamics of the system.

News & Announcements

UVA Astronomer Discusses Successful NASA DART Test

September 28, 2022

Astronomer Matthew Pryal of the University of Virginia was among the many excited onlookers who checked out NASA’s livestream Monday to witness the space program perform the seemingly impossible... Read»

Matt Pryal speaks on Artemis Moon Mission

September 1, 2022

After a 50-year absence, NASA is aiming to go back to the moon.

The space agency has dubbed its newest lunar program “Artemis,” after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, with... Read»

UVA Astronomers on James Webb Telescope First Light

July 15, 2022

Professor Kelsey Johnson and Assistant Professor Matt Pryal give their inital reactions to the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope.

... Read»

Events

Today

Tony Remijan (NRAO)
- Where: ER 230 + zoom
- Start time: 12:05pm
- End time: 1:00pm
- Title:
  Radio Astronomy and Spectroscopy: Bell labs to ALMA
  
  Abstract:
  The number of known molecular species in circumstellar envelopes and the interstellar medium is now ~250. The first spectroscopic discovery of CH in 1937 at optical wavelengths has now advanced to complex organic molecules, cations and anions, and even Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the Buckyball C60. This talk will focus on the history of telescopes, spectrometers, and spectroscopic techniques employed in astronomy as well as laboratory efforts to establish new techniques for measuring new species of interest to accompany observers and the detailed path of molecular observations on the ground from Bell labs to ALMA.

Thursday, October 6th

Desmond Jeff (U. Florida)
- Where: ER 230 + zoom
- Start time: 12:05pm
- End time: 1:00pm
- Title:
  Thermal Properties of the Hot Core Population in Sagittarius B2 Deep South
  
  Abstract:
  Hot molecular cores are thought to represent a key phase of protostellar evolution and the evolution of the ISM, as the antecedents to ultra-compact HII regions and formation sites of complex organic molecules. However, owing to the complex interplay between gas-phase and grain-surface chemistry in pre and protostellar cores, the temporal and physical evolution of hot cores is still not well understood. The evolution of hot cores is further unexplored in the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) where, owing to the CMZ’s peculiarly low star formation rate, there are few examples of ongoing star formation. I will report the discovery of 9 new hot cores in the Deep South (DS) region of the star-forming CMZ Cloud Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2). I will discuss our measurement of the cores' resolved temperature and column density structure using LTE modeling of methanol (CH3OH) lines. The hot cores reveal a warmer and more massive mode of star formation in the CMZ as compared to the Galactic disk and hint at the ongoing formation of what may become a new young massive cluster.
Maryam Modjaz, UVA: "Stellar Forensics with the Most Powerful and Mysterious Explosions in the Universe"
- Where: NRAO Auditorium
- Start time: 3:30pm
- End time: 4:30pm

Friday, October 7th

McCormick Observatory Public Night
- Start time: 9:00pm
- End time: 11:00pm
- Registration required.Visitors can view celestial objects through the historic 26-inch McCormick Refractor and other smaller telescopes (weather permitting), tour the Observatory, hear a presentation by an astronomer, and see the exhibits. All faculty, postdocs and graduate students participate through a rotating schedule.In order to limit overcrowding, registration is required on our Eventbrite website. Tickets remain FREE. You will be asked to provide your name, contact details, the number of visitors in your party, and the number of vehicles you will be parking. We are currently limiting the number of visitors to a total of 60 people and 30 cars per night, broken into two windows: 30 people and 15 cars from 9pm-10pm, and 30 people and 15 cars from 10pm-11pm. Registration is first come, first served. Once a public night is at capacity, you have the option to select other dates. If you have questions about the Eventbrite, please call our office during normal business hours. Access our Eventbrite here.

Tuesday, October 11th

Ilsang Yoon (NRAO)
- Where: ER 230 + zoom
- Start time: 12:05pm
- End time: 1:00pm
- Title: Spinning Nanoparticles Impacted by C-shock: Implications for Radio-millimeter Emission from Star-forming Regions

Tuesday, October 18th

Can Cui (Cambridge)
- Where: zoom
- Start time: 12:05pm
- End time: 1:00pm
- Title:
  Turbulence in outer protoplanetary disks
  
  Abstract:
  Turbulence is essential to many fundamental processes in protoplanetary disks, including angular momentum transport, dust evolution, and planet migration. I will focus on two instabilities that can drive turbulent motions in outer disks. In the first part of this talk, a series of global 3D non-ideal MHD simulations via Athena++ code will be presented. The outer disk is found to be weakly MRI turbulent, and annular substructures arise due to magnetic flux concentration. The weak MRI turbulence permits the growth of the vertical shear instability. In the second part of this talk, the saturation of the vertical shear instability mediated via a parametric instability will be covered. Once the parametric instability prevails, it is anticipated that the vertical shear instability is far more incoherent than extant published simulations suggest.

Friday, October 21st

Education and Public Outreach Meeting
- Start time: 12:00pm
- End time: 1:00pm
McCormick Observatory Public Night
- Start time: 9:00pm
- End time: 11:00pm
- Registration required.Visitors can view celestial objects through the historic 26-inch McCormick Refractor and other smaller telescopes (weather permitting), tour the Observatory, hear a presentation by an astronomer, and see the exhibits. All faculty, postdocs and graduate students participate through a rotating schedule.In order to limit overcrowding, registration is required on our Eventbrite website. Tickets remain FREE. You will be asked to provide your name, contact details, the number of visitors in your party, and the number of vehicles you will be parking. We are currently limiting the number of visitors to a total of 60 people and 30 cars per night, broken into two windows: 30 people and 15 cars from 9pm-10pm, and 30 people and 15 cars from 10pm-11pm. Registration is first come, first served. Once a public night is at capacity, you have the option to select other dates. If you have questions about the Eventbrite, please call our office during normal business hours. Access our Eventbrite here.

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