Monday, February 20, 2012
Detectable for only a few seconds but possessing enormous energy, gamma-ray bursts are difficult to capture because their energy does not penetrate the Earth's atmosphere. Now, thanks to an orbiting telescope, astrophysicists are filling in the unknowns surrounding these bursts and uncovering new questions. The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, formerly called the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, launched on June 11, 2008. As part of its mission, the telescope records any gamma-ray bursts within its viewing area. (more)
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Peter Meszaros, Holder of the Eberly Family Chair of Astronomy and Astrophysics and professor of physics, is among those elected as Fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences for 2010. He is one of the 229 new Fellows and 19 Foreign Honorary Members in the sciences, the humanities and the arts, business, public affairs, and the nonprofit sector to be honored. More information is online at http://www.science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2010-news/Meszaros6-2010-1
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Monday, April 19, 2010
Two Penn State faculty members are among the 229 leaders in the sciences, the humanities and the arts, business, public affairs and the nonprofit sector who have been elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Richard B. Alley, Evan Pugh professor of geosciences, and Peter Meszaros, director of the Center for Particle Astrophysics and Eberly chair of astronomy and astrophysics, and professor of physics, are included in the 2010 class. (more)
Sunday, November 01, 2009
A physics experiment using a super-fast explosion in a galaxy 7.3 billion light-years away has given scientists rare experimental evidence about the fundamental structure of space and time. The experiment was performed by a team that includes astrophysicists at Penn State University, who used NASA's Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope to study particles from the explosion moving at nearly the speed of light. The experiment confirmed aspects of Einstein's theories of gravity, which unite space and time in the concept of space-time. The team's research is published in the current online edition of the journal Nature and will be published at a later date in the print edition. (more)
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Penn State astronomers Peter Meszaros and Donald Schneider are among the scientists whose research has the most scientific impact worldwide, according to ScienceWatch, an organization that monitors performance in basic research. Meszaros, holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Astronomy and Astrophysics and a professor of physics, was ranked recently as the most highly-cited scientist in the field of gamma-ray-burst astronomy throughout the past decade. Schneider, distinguished professor of astronomy and astrophysics, was cited as among the 13 scientists in all scientific disciplines who have the largest number of high-impact papers from 2007 to 2008. (more)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Astronomers, for the first time, have caught a normal supernova at the moment of its birth -- the first instant when an exploding star begins shining brighter than billions of stars combined. Until this discovery, the only supernovae glimpsed during their first moments were the rare ones whose birth cries are drowned out by a blindingly bright gamma-ray burst. The discovery will help reveal why some supernovae make gamma rays and others do not. (more)
