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When massive stars collapse into black holes, they may create powerful outflows (or jets) of particles traveling close to the speed of light. New simulations model this process — from the time the star collapses into a black hole until the jet escapes. For the first time, the simulations show that the cocoon of stellar

On May 27, 2023, CIERA Research Assistant Professor Aaron Geller and former NSF Graduate Fellow Alex Gurvich were featured on the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Journal Author Series to showcase Firefly, their new browser-based interactive tool for visualizing 3D particle data sets. Geller and Gurvich were interviewed by the AAS’s Frank Timmes. Read the full news story

On Friday, May 19, 2023, Northwestern Professor Allison Strom presented CIERA’s 2nd annual Astronomy Night Out to a crowd of 165 community members. Prof Strom’s lecture “Sequencing the DNA of Galaxies with JWST“, detailed how she and her team are using NASA’s Webb Space Telescope and its powerful infrared instruments to uncover the mysteries behind some of our

New 3D computer simulations created by graduate student Fulya Kıroğlu show the eating habits of intermediate-mass black holes, which have yet to be discovered in observations. When a star approaches an intermediate-mass black hole, it initially gets caught in the black hole’s orbit. Every time the star makes a lap, the black hole takes a

Dr. Tyson Littenburg presents an Interdisciplinary Colloquium on April 13, 2023, organized by Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics. Read the full CIERA News story here.

“Dance of the Black Holes” is an original composition by CIERA Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellow Darsan Swaroop Bellie (on drums) and the debut performance of the Star Eyes Initiative. The performance took place during the CIERA-hosted LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration meeting networking event on March 15, 2023. Composer’s Notes below: Focusing on a binary black hole system, the

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The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University engages in exciting, world-leading research in physics and astronomy and attracts a diverse, motivated community of scientists and teachers. The department offers graduate and undergraduate students an engaging learning environment and post-doctoral researchers fascinating research in areas like condensed matter physics, astrophysics and superconducting technologies. The

Professor David Bercovici presents an Interdisciplinary Colloquium on March 30, 2023, organized by Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics. Read the full CIERA News story here.

Professor Edwin Kite presents an Interdisciplinary Colloquium on February 21, 2023, organized by Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics. Read the full CIERA News story here.

New research suggests that a lack of a stable asteroid belt around these common, small, and cool stars may make their exoplanets less habitable for life. This edition of SETI Live features a conversation with lead researcher Anna C. Childs to explore the implications of this research and the future of the search for alien