News/Events

Normally when you visit the WVU Planetarium and Observatory, you take your seat and wondrously peer up at the dome with anticipation; the lights dim, and the dome lights up.

Dr. Sarah Burke-Spolaor and team investigate a missing supermassive black hole in the center of galaxy cluster Abell 2261.

A West Virginia University astrophysicist has been named a 2020 Highly Cited Researcher by Web of Science, one of the world’s top research awards.  

In data gathered and analyzed over 13 years, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) Physics Frontiers Center (PFC) has found an intriguing low-frequency signal that may be attributable to gravitational waves.

The baby magnetar, named Swift J1818.0-1607 (or J1818 for short), lies in our galaxy and was discovered in March of 2020 by NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. In the middle of the pandemic, when the whole world was under lockdown, the magnetar decided to make an appearance by suddenly lighting up in X-rays and soft gamma rays. The Swift detection caught astronomers’ attention because the source launched a series of intense, millisecond duration high-energy bursts in our direction, announcing the discovery of this new kid on the block. Scientists have identified only 31 magnetars, while there are over 3,000 known neutron stars.

Dr. Sarah Burke-Spolaor and team investigate a missing supermassive black hole in the center of galaxy cluster Abell 2261.

First generation college students are on the rise but supporting their unique needs continues to evolve; especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) fields in higher education.

Hosted by the Marshall University Society of Physics Students, the "Faces of Physics" lecture series will feature Natalia Lewandowska, PhD.

Co-discoverer of the fast radio burst, Duncan Lorimer, weighs in on recent scientific discoveries across various media channels.

In pursuit of unraveling the mysteries of Fast Radio Bursts, a new telescope will bring engineers at West Virginia University one step closer to an explanation.