Tag Space & astronomy

Puzzle of how spiral galaxies get their arms comes into focus

April 2, 2013

Despite their common morphology, how galaxies like ours get and maintain their characteristic arms has proved to be an enduring puzzle in astrophysics. How do the arms of spiral galaxies arise? Do they change or come and go over time?

Badgers eager for chance to blast off into space

March 13, 2013

It’s no secret that Badgers excel in everything from sports to science, finance to fashion. Now, two UW–Madison alumni have hopes of bringing Badger pride to outer space.

Speakeasy Science: Space Place tees up science for grown-ups

March 5, 2013

Line up your baby sitter for the evening of Friday, March 8, and lift off for a night of fun and science at UW–Madison’s Space Place for the first edition of Speakeasy Science.

Botany experiment will try out zero gravity aboard space station

December 17, 2012

Gravity: It's the law in these parts. But to reach the stars, humans may have to learn to live outside the law.

Suomi satellite reveals Earth’s dark side

December 5, 2012

A remarkable new view of the dark side of our planet from space released today by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is just a peek at the nighttime capabilities of the agencies' newest weather satellite, the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership.

‘Bringing the Universe to Wisconsin’ begins at UW–River Falls

November 26, 2012

It took seven years and the efforts of an international collaboration of scientists to turn the South Pole ice into the world's largest, most innovative telescope: the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.

Keck observations bring weather of Uranus into sharp focus

October 17, 2012

In 1986, when Voyager swept past Uranus, the probe's portraits of the planet were "notoriously bland," disappointing scientists, yielding few new details of the planet and its atmosphere, and giving it a reputation as a bore of the solar system.

Universe in the Park takes astronomy to Wisconsin state parks

September 12, 2012

"I want to blow your mind, take you places you have never seen before. Do not hesitate to ask question. I will not bite."

A Hubble Space Telescope original returns to Wisconsin

July 17, 2012

After a journey of some 535 million space miles, give or take, and years languishing in a cavernous government warehouse, one of the original scientific instruments aboard the Hubble Space Telescope has splashed down in Wisconsin.

Learn about science in Spanish at Explorando las Ciencias

June 13, 2012

Explorando las Ciencias, a popular Spanish-language science outreach event, will take place from 2 to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 22, at Warner Park in the Community Recreation Center and shelter at Warner Park, 1625 Northport Drive, and with the help of “Amigos en Azul,” a Madison police organization aimed at building partnerships in the city’s Hispanic community.

Transit of Venus a rare event

June 1, 2012

On the evening of Tuesday, June 5, the planet Venus will cross the disk of the Sun in what astronomers call a "transit."

Washburn telescope optics get 130-year checkup, cleaning

May 10, 2012

Bit by bit over the last two decades, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's iconic Washburn Observatory has been restored to its original sheen.

Launch of new satellite will sharpen weather observations

October 28, 2011

From a launching pad at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base our newest weather satellite rose into orbit this morning, buoyed by know-how from the University of Wisconsin–Madison's atmospheric and space science community.

Astronomers discover how mysterious blue straggler stars stay young

October 19, 2011

Mysterious "blue stragglers" are old stars that appear younger than they should be: they burn hot and blue. Several theories have attempted to explain why they don't show their age, but, until now, scientists have lacked the crucial observations with which to test each hypothesis.