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Read more at: Astronomers find a giant hiding in the ‘fog’ around a young star

Astronomers find a giant hiding in the ‘fog’ around a young star

28 July 2025

Astronomers have detected a giant exoplanet – between three and ten times the size of Jupiter – hiding in the swirling disc of gas and dust surrounding a young star. Earlier observations of this star, called MP Mus, suggested that it was all alone without any planets in orbit around it, surrounded by a featureless cloud of...

Read more at: Cyril Hazard (18 March 1928 – 14 June 2025)

Cyril Hazard (18 March 1928 – 14 June 2025)

12 July 2025

We are saddened to report the passing of Cyril Hazard (18 March 1928 – 14 June 2025). Cyril was a pioneering radio astronomer whose work on quasars helped transform our understanding of the Universe. Cyril began his career at Jodrell Bank and went on to work across three continents -- including positions at Cambridge (from...

Read more at: Three Decades of Discovery: Celebrating 30 Years of the Undergraduate Astronomy Course at Cambridge

Three Decades of Discovery: Celebrating 30 Years of the Undergraduate Astronomy Course at Cambridge

9 July 2025

In 2025, the University of Cambridge celebrates a significant milestone: the 30th anniversary of the undergraduate astronomy course at the Institute of Astronomy. First introduced in the Michaelmas Term of 1995, the course offers students a unique opportunity to explore the universe through rigorous academic training...

Read more at: Three Decades of Discovery: Celebrating 30 Years of the Undergraduate Astronomy Course at Cambridge

Three Decades of Discovery: Celebrating 30 Years of the Undergraduate Astronomy Course at Cambridge

9 July 2025

In 2025, the University of Cambridge celebrates a significant milestone: the 30th anniversary of the undergraduate astronomy course at the Institute of Astronomy. First introduced in the Michaelmas Term of 1995, the course offers students a unique opportunity to explore the universe through rigorous academic training...

Read more at: Rubin Observatory reveals first images

Rubin Observatory reveals first images

25 June 2025

The Vera C Rubin Observatory, a new scientific facility that will bring the night sky to life like never before using the largest camera ever built, has revealed its ‘first look’ images at the start of its 10-year survey of the cosmos. The Rubin Observatory , jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the US...

Read more at: Cosmic signal from the very early universe will help astronomers detect the first stars

Cosmic signal from the very early universe will help astronomers detect the first stars

20 June 2025

Understanding how the universe transitioned from darkness to light with the formation of the first stars and galaxies is a key turning point in the universe’s development, known as the Cosmic Dawn. However, even with the most powerful telescopes, we can’t directly observe these earliest stars, so determining their...

Read more at: 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy awarded to George Efstathiou and John Richard Bond

2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy awarded to George Efstathiou and John Richard Bond

27 May 2025

The Shaw Prize in Astronomy 2025 is awarded in equal shares to John Richard Bond, Professor of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics and University Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada and George Efstathiou, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge, UK for their pioneering research...

Read more at: 2025 Gruber Cosmology Prize awarded to Max Pettini and Ryan Cooke

2025 Gruber Cosmology Prize awarded to Max Pettini and Ryan Cooke

15 May 2025

The 2025 Gruber Cosmology Prize has been awarded to Professor Max Pettini (IoA) and Professor Ryan Cooke (who is currently faculty at Durham, and was an IoA PhD student 2008-2011). The collaboration that would eventually receive the 2025 Gruber Cosmology Prize coalesced over the course of a short car ride. In early 2009...

Read more at: Strongest hints yet of biological activity outside the solar system

Strongest hints yet of biological activity outside the solar system

18 April 2025

Astronomers have detected the most promising signs yet of a possible biosignature outside the solar system, although they remain cautious. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, have detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or...

Read more at: Jeremiah Ostriker (April 13, 1937 – April 6, 2025)

Jeremiah Ostriker (April 13, 1937 – April 6, 2025)

9 April 2025

Jeremiah Ostriker, one of the most influential astrophysicists of the 20th century, has died at the age of 87. His work reshaped our understanding of the Universe, revealing it to be dominated not just by stars and galaxies, but also by mysterious dark matter and dark energy. From 2001 to 2004, Ostriker held the Plumian...

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