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Institute of Astronomy

 
Read more at: Last starlight for ground-breaking Gaia

Last starlight for ground-breaking Gaia

15 January 2025

The European Space Agency’s Milky Way-mapper Gaia has completed the sky-scanning phase of its mission, racking up more than three trillion observations of about two billion stars and other objects over the last decade to revolutionise the view of our home galaxy and cosmic neighbourhood. Launched on 19 December 2013, Gaia’...


Read more at: Sverre Aarseth (20 July 1934 – 28 December 2024)

Sverre Aarseth (20 July 1934 – 28 December 2024)

14 January 2025

Sverre Johannes Aarseth was born on 20th July 1934 on a small island in the spectacular Hardangerfjord region of Norway. The island had a population of fifty souls, no shops and no electricity. As the son of the local priest, he was at the centre of the local rural community where he travelled to school by boat, sometimes...


Read more at: Houshang Ardavan, 1942-2024

Houshang Ardavan, 1942-2024

8 January 2025

It is with great regret that we announce the recent death of one of our Emeritus Staff, Houshang Ardavan. Houshang, whose research focused on radiation mechanisms in pulsars, had a longstanding connection with the IoA since the 1970s. He was an emeritus Fellow of Murray Edwards College and formerly Director of Studies in...


Read more at: Professor George Efstathiou awarded honorary degree from Durham University

Professor George Efstathiou awarded honorary degree from Durham University

18 December 2024

Congratulations to Professor George Efstathiou, who has been awarded an honorary degree from Durham University. Honorary graduates exemplify the highest levels of achievement in their spheres of activity. Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, said: "Our honorary graduates are leaders in their...


Read more at: Researchers deal a blow to theory that Venus once had liquid water on its surface

Researchers deal a blow to theory that Venus once had liquid water on its surface

4 December 2024

A team of astronomers has found that Venus has never been habitable, despite decades of speculation that our closest planetary neighbour was once much more like Earth than it is today. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, studied the chemical composition of the Venusian atmosphere and inferred that its...


Read more at: The kick-off of the Astrophysics Centre for Multimessenger studies in Europe ACME, an EU-funded project built by and for the astroparticle and the astronomy communities

The kick-off of the Astrophysics Centre for Multimessenger studies in Europe ACME, an EU-funded project built by and for the astroparticle and the astronomy communities

1 October 2024

On the 16 th and 17 th of September was held in Paris the kick-off meeting for the Astrophysics Centre for Multimessenger studies in Europe - ACME. This HORIZON-INFRA-2023-SERV-01 EU-funded project coordinated by Centre national de la recherche scientifique CNRS aims to realize an ambitious coordinated European-wide...


Read more at: Pioneering astrophysics scholars announced as scholarship applications open for 2025

Pioneering astrophysics scholars announced as scholarship applications open for 2025

1 October 2024

Two exceptional female astrophysicists will take up Master’s degree places at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge this month as the first recipients of The Parasol Foundation Scholarship. This new award is launched by Murray Edwards College in partnership with Cambridge University’s Institute of Astronomy to encourage more...


Read more at: Announcing £5.25m funding for SPACE from Cancer Grand Challenges team IMAXT

Announcing £5.25m funding for SPACE from Cancer Grand Challenges team IMAXT

13 September 2024

A team of researchers has today (Friday 13th) been awarded more than £5m to establish the Spatial Profiling and Annotation Centre of Excellence (SPACE) to open up access to their groundbreaking cancer mapping technology and establish collaborations with other scientists to enable them to investigate tumours in 3D. The...


Read more at: ALMA Detects Hallmark “Wiggle” of Gravitational Instability in Planet-Forming Disk

ALMA Detects Hallmark “Wiggle” of Gravitational Instability in Planet-Forming Disk

5 September 2024

Interferometry of stunning spiral arms around young star reveals gravity’s hand in planet formation Traditionally, planet formation has been described as a “bottom-up” process, as dust grains gradually collect into bigger conglomerations over tens of millions of years: from microns, to centimeters, to meters, to kilometers...


Read more at: IoA spin-out SuperSharp awarded £5M grant

IoA spin-out SuperSharp awarded £5M grant

31 July 2024

More than 20 national space projects have been announced today by DSIT Secretary of State Peter Kyle, on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow The projects, worth £33 million, come from the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme – designed to invest in high-potential technologies, drive...