New evidence that will help to answer long-standing questions about the history of stars in the disk of our galaxy is being released this week at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society by a team that includes a Penn State astronomer. The research reveals some stars with orbits that take them to interesting places and that reveal interesting stories about how these stars were formed.
Donald Schneider, Head of Penn State's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, is one of the coauthors of the study. The study uses data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), which has been mapping the stars in our galaxy for more than a decade. "The SDSS results are providing another window into the structure and history of our galaxy," said Schneider, who is the SDSS Survey Coordinator. More information is online at www.science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2012-news/Schneider1-2012. (more)
The nature of a peculiar cosmic explosion detected on Dec. 25, 2010, remains an intriguing question without a clear answer. The cause of the explosion, a gamma-ray burst that first was detected by NASA's Swift observatory, either was a novel type of supernova located billions of light-years from Earth or an unusual collision much closer to home inside our own galaxy, report astronomers in papers published in the Dec. 1 issue of Nature. "It is nice to find that the universe can still surprise us, after seven years and 600 bursts since Swift was launched," said Michael Siegel, a research associate in astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and the lead scientist for Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). Siegel analyzed the UVOT data as it came down to Penn State's Mission Operations Center from the spacecraft, and he also coordinated Swift's follow-up observations. (more)
It has been one of Homo sapiens' most ancient activities: sitting around a fire and gazing with wonder at the stars spread across the dark night sky. These days, if you've had this awe-inspiring experience, you're one of the lucky ones, says Christopher Palma, senior lecturer in Penn State's astronomy & astrophysics department. "Did you know that from many locations in the United States you can't see the whole Little Dipper anymore?" he asks. (more)
X-rays produced by a distant black hole as it slowly devours a Sun-like star have been streaming toward Earth since late March. "Incredibly, this source is still producing X-rays and may remain bright enough for the Swift satellite to observe into next year. It behaves unlike anything we've seen before," said David Burrows, professor of astronomy at Penn State and the lead scientist for the Swift space observatory's X-Ray Telescope. (more)
Penn State officially submitted its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) report to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently, receiving a rating of silver for its performance at University Park. This is the first comprehensive survey of sustainability initiatives and outcomes in the history of the University. Plans are to include all campuses and locations in the next submission in two to three years. "The Pennsylvania State University is very pleased to be among the Charter Participants in AASHE STARS. Sustainability is an integral part of Penn State's mission as a global leader in teaching, research and service," said Penn State President Graham Spanier. (more)
Scientists from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) collaboration, including an astronomer at Penn State, have created the largest-ever three-dimensional map of the distant universe by using the light of the brightest objects in the cosmos to illuminate ghostly clouds of intergalactic hydrogen. The map provides an unprecedented view of how the universe looked 10 billion years ago. (more)
Recently, Penn State President Graham Spanier convened the leadership of the University to engage in a strategic planning exercise for sustainability at Penn State. An important part of future planning is an assessment of sustainability across all Penn State courses. A survey of academic offerings in sustainability across Penn State's colleges and campuses is under way, and the participation of faculty members, instructors and assistant instructors is sought. (more)
A wave of massive star formation appears poised to begin within a mysterious, dark cloud in the Milky Way. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed a secluded birthplace for stars within a wispy, dark cloud named M17 SWex. The dark cloud is part of the larger, parent nebula known as M17, a vast region of our galaxy with a bright, central star cluster. "We believe we've managed to observe this dark cloud in a very early phase of star formation before its most massive stars have ignited," said Penn State astronomer Matthew Povich, a postdoctoral fellow and the lead author of a study published recently in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The new research could shed light on the question of how and when massive stars form. (more)
A mysterious planet-like object orbiting a not-quite-starlike "brown dwarf" is the most recent enigma discovered by astronomers with their ever-more powerful telescopes. Kamen Todorov, a graduate student at Penn State, and a team of co-investigators including Kevin Luhman, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, used the keen eyesight of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini observatory to directly image the planet-like object. The astronomers estimate that the smaller orbiting object is five to 10 times the mass of Jupiter and that it orbits at roughly the distance from the Sun to Saturn or Uranus, which makes it planet-like, but it formed only 1 million years ago -- much faster than the time some theories predict is needed to build a planet. The team's discovery, which resulted from a survey of 32 brown dwarfs in the Taurus star-forming region, will be published in the Astrophysical Journal. (more)
As national and global attention to environmental sustainability increases, many in higher education, industry and government are unsure of how to actually quantify and measure progress in this new area. Penn State is taking a leadership role as a charter participant in the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) program, a new sustainability tracking system developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). This year, data will be collected in key sustainability "credit areas," spanning student life, curriculum, research, operations, planning, administration and outreach. (more)
