Department of Astronomy at UMass Amherst

M87’s Black Hole
UMass Amherst researchers are part of team that captured the first-ever image of a black hole
Department News
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Dr. Katherine Whitaker has received an award to study how early galaxies “stalled” when the universe was forming.
Astronomy’s Katherine Whitaker has received $799,007 to better understand how early galaxies “stalled” when the universe was forming. -
Summer Solstice June 21, 2023
Dr. Stephen Schneider shared this picture of the 2023 Summer Solstice with the Astronomy Department. He hosted an event on June 21, 2023 at 7:30 to discuss the relevance of the Summer Solstice. -
Congratulations to 2023 Astronomy Graduates
Many congratulations to our 2023 Astronomy Graduates. During Commencement on May 25th, 2026, they were accompanied by their advisors: Prof. Neal Katz and Prof. Daniel Wang. We all wish our graduates the best of luck for their future endeavors. -
Congratulations to Daniel Krista Kelsey, Samuel Milstone & Liam Yanulis
Congratulations to Astronomy Senior students Daniel Krista-Kelsey, Samuel Millstone, and Liam Yanulis for awards from the Department of Astronomy, UMass. Samuel Millstone received the 2023 Outstanding Senior Award. Daniel Krista-Kelsey and Liam Yanulis received the 2023 Astronomy Awards for Academic Excellence. The awards recognize accomplishments from our seniors across multiple dimensions. More information can be found at: UMass Astronomy Undergraduate Awards & Scholarships -
Congratulations on the Recipients of the 2023 David van Blerkom Research Scholarship.
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2023 Mary Dailey Irvine Outstanding Thesis Award
Kate Whitaker and Team Investigate Oldest Galaxies
Whitaker’s team devised an innovative pairing of telescopes to better understand why some of the oldest, most massive galaxies go quiescent early in their formation. The team used the Hubble Space Telescope, which sees ultraviolet to near-infrared light, including the light we can see with our own eyes, to detect these distant galaxies, which are so far away that we’re only just now seeing the light they emitted 10 billion to 12 billion years ago, when the universe was in its infancy. In effect, Whitaker’s team is looking into the deep past.

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