Department of Astronomy

October offers stargazers a packed calendar plus, a conversation about colliding planets and disappearing stars with Andy Tzanidakis, a doctoral student in astronomy at the UW and student director of the planetarium.

Only 70 of 15,000 simulated stellar streams stayed smooth, and the galaxy alone bent the rest with no dark matter in the model. The UW's Nora Shipp, assistant professor; James Davenport, research assistant professor; and Arpit Arora, postdoctoral scholar all in astronomy are quoted.

The American Astronomical Society named Emily Levesque, professor of astronomy at the UW, the next editor in chief of its journals, including The Astrophysical Journal. She takes charge in August 2027.

Astronomy professor Arianna Long studies some of the most massive and extreme early galaxies and mentors future generations of scientists. 

Astronomers at the University of Washington simulated four Milky Way-sized galaxies for five billion (virtual) years to test a leading theory about how dark matter might influence streams of orbiting stars. The results could help researchers separate true evidence of dark matter from false positives.

A decade-long mission to capture the universe in cinematic motion has begun with UW astronomers helping lead the way. Eric Bellm, research associate professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted. eljko Ivezi, professor of astronomy at the UW, is mentioned.

A new study using data from NASAs Hubble Space Telescope found that star formation in the nearby Andromeda galaxy has undergone a 500-million-year decline, with an even steeper drop in the last 40 million years.

Researchers at the University of Washington and partners at Carnegie Mellon University are collaborating on a new project to help scientists use artificial intelligence to better understand the universe.

Come curious. Leave inspired. Wherever you are, the University of Washington offers opportunities to learn and connect with the ideas, people, and research shaping our world. This summer, visit campus for the latest exhibitions at the Henry Art Gallery and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, or join us from anywhere through recorded lectures, podcasts, virtual experiences, and more. As a public university, we’re proud to share the knowledge, creativity, and discoveries of the UW with communities near and...

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Explore recent research from the University of Washington: low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately impacted by air pollution, an unfathomably fast chemical reaction, ups and downs in the methane record, and the cigar galaxy pictured at high resolution.

The Simonyi Survey Telescope at the NSFDOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially begun its ten-year survey of the southern sky, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

Meet the four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2026. 

The College of Arts & Sciences celebrates undergraduate and graduate students from across all four divisions, who are recognized for making the most of their time at the UW. 

A brand new astronomical observatory has discovered over 11,000 previously-unknown asteroids. Mario Juri, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

It turns out interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was almost called 3I/Rubin, after researchers found that the giant survey telescope coincidentally spotted this visitor from the stars over a week before it was officially discovered. Colin Orion Chandler, project scientist at UW's DIRAC Institute, is referenced.