Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA)

Prof Adam Miller receives DOE Early Career Award

Funding will be used to explore the explosions of white dwarf stars

51 Pegasi b Fellowship at Northwestern

Applications due October 4

Jillian Rastinejad awarded Northwestern Presidential Fellowship

Dense, swirling winds help supermassive black holes grow

Newly uncovered process is similar to how stars and planets are born

Sun’s magnetic field originates surprisingly close to the surface

New finding addresses a 400-year-old mystery, once explored by Galileo

Brightest gamma-ray burst of all time came from the collapse of a massive star

JWST observations show no sign of heavy elements

Research at CIERA

Researchers at CIERA study a wide variety of topics, all with the aim of advancing the field of astrophysics and expanding our understanding of the Universe.

Black Holes & Dead Stars

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Black Holes & Dead Stars

Supermassive, Intermediate & Stellar Mass Black Holes, White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars . . .

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Exoplanets & The Solar System

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Exoplanets & The Solar System

Planet Formation, Planet Dynamics, Protoplanetary Disks . . .

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Galaxies & Cosmology

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Galaxies & Cosmology

Galaxy Formation, Intergalactic Medium, Galaxy Clusters, Early Universe . . .

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Gravitational Waves & Multi-Messenger Astronomy

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Gravitational Waves & Multi-Messenger Astronomy

Black Hole & Neutron Star Mergers, Gravitational Wave Sources & Their Electromagnetic Counterparts . . .

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Life & Death of Stars

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Life & Death of Stars

Interstellar Medium, Star Formation & Evolution, Supernovae & Their Remnants . . .

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Stellar Dynamics & Stellar Populations

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Stellar Dynamics & Stellar Populations

Star Clusters, Galactic Nuclei, Stellar Collisions & Mergers, Interacting Binaries . . .

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Our Faculty

There are many different methods used to study the cosmos. CIERA researchers use observations and data science to make new discoveries, use theory and computation to explain and predict what we see, and build innovative new instruments to see farther and in more detail than ever before.