Astronomers discover how giant planet survived its star’s death
When astronomers discovered a giant planet orbiting a dead star in 2020, they wondered how it survived its star’s violent demise. Now, observations...
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Found: Milky Way black hole’s missing wind
The half-century-long search is finally over, opening a new window into the physics at play in the center of the galaxy The hunt...
Spin separates giant planets from ‘failed stars’
Clearest evidence yet that giant planets spin faster than their cosmic lookalikes For decades, astronomers have struggled to differentiate giant planets from brown dwarfs,...
Gravitational-wave detections double with new catalog
EVANSTON, Ill. — An international team of scientists, including Northwestern University astrophysicists, has detected 128 new gravitational-wave candidates — more than doubling the size...
CIERA’s Alexander Edison Awarded Scientific Software Research Faculty Fellowship
The Simons Foundation has named Northwestern University’s Alexander Edison, research assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, as a recipient of the...
One-Minute of Science and a Slice of Good Luck: CIERA Welcomes 2026
On January 29, 2026, The Center for Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) rang in the new year in time-honored fashion with its annual...
CIERA Director Vicky Kalogera Featured in GMT Gala Video
CIERA Director Vicky Kalogera was featured recently in a Giant Magellan Telescope Gala Video celebrating Dr. Walter E. Massey, whose decade guiding the Giant...
Claude-André Faucher-Giguère Named Fellow of the American Astronomical Society
On January 8, 2026, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) announced 23 new Fellows for 2026, including Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics...
CIERA’s Vicky Kalogera Featured on The Chicago Network’s HerStories Podcast
CIERA’s Vicky Kalogera was the subject of a newly released conversation on the HerStories Podcast, hosted by Maria Doughty, President and CEO of The...
Pair of black hole mergers sheds new light on their formation, evolution
A pair of distant cosmic black hole mergers is improving how scientists understand the nature and evolution of the most violent deep-space collisions in...
Northwestern’s Nico Bers receives Honorable Mention for the 2025 USRA Distinguished Undergraduate Awards
Nico Bers, a junior physics major with a concentration in astronomy has received an Honorable Mention for the 2025 Universities Space Research Association (USRA)...
Students tackle real-world problems at CIERA-hosted Space Apps Challenge
More than 250 students—ranging from grade schoolers to graduate students—gathered both in-person and online at Chicago’s 1871 on Oct. 4–5, 2025, for the city’s...