Department of Astronomy

 

The College of Arts & Sciences welcomes students and their families to connect with faculty and staff, learn about a variety of topics, and explore our spaces throughout UW Family Weekend! Join your Husky for two fun-filled days on campus on Friday, November 6–Saturday, November 7, 2026.

 

Using preliminary data from the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, scientists have discovered a new dwarf planet candidate in our solar system. If confirmed, the distant world would join Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake as our system’s sixth official dwarf planet.

UW astronomer Emily Levesque will soon add a new role as editor-in-chief of the prestigious American Astronomical Society Journals to her ongoing work studying red supergiants and other stellar oddities.

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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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.

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.

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