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...
News
Elena González Prieto awarded Northwestern Presidential Fellowship
On June 22 The Graduate School (TGS) of Northwestern University announced CIERA Graduate Student Elena González Prieto as one of only six awarded the...
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,...
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 REU Student Aster Winkler Wins AAS Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Award
Aster Winkler, a participant in CIERA’s 2025 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, has received a prestigious Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award from the...
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...
Cosmic crash caught on camera
In an unprecedented celestial event, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST) captured the dramatic aftermath of colliding space rocks within a nearby planetary system. When...
Renowned astrophysicist Pieter van Dokkum to join Northwestern
Astrophysicist Pieter van Dokkum, a world-renowned expert in galaxy formation and evolution and a visionary in astronomical instrumentation and telescopes, will join Northwestern University as...
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...
CIERA’s Giles Novak Named 2025 APS Fellow for Pioneering Contributions to Astrophysics
October 10, 2025 — CIERA is proud to announce that faculty member Professor Giles Novak has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American...
A New Eye on the Universe: Harvard Physicist Christopher Stubbs Unveils the Promise of the Rubin Observatory at CIERA Annual Public Lecture
On Friday, October 3, 2025, a record-breaking audience of 350 filled Northwestern’s Ryan Auditorium for the Annual Public Lecture hosted by the Center for...