Thursday, April 26, 2012
Penn State University astronomers using the world's largest radio telescope, at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, have discovered flaring radio emissions from an ultra-cool star, not much warmer than the planet Jupiter, shattering the previous record for the lowest stellar temperature at which radio waves were detected. More information is online at http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2012-news/Wolszczan4-2012.
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
Three planets -- each orbiting its own giant, dying star -- have been discovered by an international research team led by Alexander Wolszczan, Evan Pugh Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State and the discoverer of the first planets ever found outside our solar system. Using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, astronomers observed the planets' parent stars, which are tens of light years away from our solar system. One of the massive, dying stars has an additional mystery object orbiting it. The new research is expected to shed light on the evolution of planetary systems around dying stars. It also will help astronomers to understand how metal content influences the behavior of dying stars.
The research will be published in December in the Astrophysical Journal. The first author of the paper is Sara Gettel, a graduate student from Penn State's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the paper is co-authored by three graduate students from Poland. (more)
Monday, June 20, 2011
On May 13, 2011, Roger Geiger, distinguished professor of higher education at Penn State, spoke about the University's history as a land-grant institution at the initiation and awards ceremony of Penn State's Phi Beta Kappa chapter, Lambda of Pennsylvania. Following is a transcript of his talk. (more)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Alexander Wolszczan, Evan Pugh Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State, will present the Eberly Family Distinguished Lecture in Science at 4 p.m. on April 29, in the Auditorium at the HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus. This free public lecture, titled "In Search of Living Worlds," is sponsored by the Penn State Eberly College of Science. (more)
Monday, December 21, 2009
Two brown dwarf-sized objects orbiting a giant old star show that planets may assemble around stars more quickly and efficiently than anyone thought possible, according to an international team of astronomers. "We have found two brown dwarf-sized masses around an ordinary star, which is very rare," said Alex Wolszczan, Evan Pugh professor of astronomy and astrophysics, Penn State and lead scientist on the project. (more)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A free public lecture titled "Other Worlds in the Universe" will be given by Michel Mayor, a discoverer of the first planet orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system, as the the first in a series of events that will celebrate the inauguration of Penn State's new Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds. The lecture, which is intended for the general public as well as for scientists, will take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 24, in 112 Kern Building on the Penn State University Park campus. (more)
