Carina Nebula as captured by the Jamess Webb Space Telescope — NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

Exploration that spans the universe

Department of Astronomy and Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science

Astronomy News

In the sky, a perfect half circle appears around a rising sun with two bright "sun dogs" on either side

Sun dogs, other celestial effects could appear in alien skies

Phenomena common to Earth’s atmosphere can appear in the skies over some exoplanets of the “hot Jupiter” variety, a common type of gaseous giant that always orbits close to its host star, according to new research.

Person wearing red sits for a portait, backed by an image of a galaxy

Alumna’s namesake observatory takes a deep dive into the cosmos

The facility, which honors astronomer Vera Cooper Rubin, MS ’51, has released its first images—and they’re mind-blowing

A&S honors 13 faculty with endowed professorships

The professorships are made possible because of gifts from alumni, parents and friends.

SPROUT Awards cultivate early-stage engineering research

From designing a reversible male contraceptive to detecting life on distant ocean worlds, the latest Cornell Engineering SPROUT Awards are cultivating breakthroughs across medicine, space exploration, robotics and environmental sensing.

A telescope in space: topped by a circular yellow mirror, the object is boat-shaped, with a background of stars

Cornell astronomers win time on James Webb Space Telescope

“It’s the cutting edge of what we can achieve, with better precisions and resolutions than other instruments.”

Karen Perez with Jill Tarter and William J. Welch in 2019. Karen Perez

SETI Institute Names First William J. Welch Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Karen I. Perez is the inaugural recipient of the William J. Welch Postdoctoral Fellowship at the SETI Institute.

Rectangular glass award set among model planets on a table

Changemaker Award goes to SPIF and Zoe Learner Ponterio

The Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways say Ponterio’s support “has been invaluable."

'I embraced my love of learning'

Laine Havens is majoring in astronomy and science & technology studies

See all Astronomy news

Together the Department of Astronomy and Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science represent one of the world’s leading institutes for space science with over 110 active researchers. Research emphases include cosmology, solar system exploration, exoplanet science, and fundamental astrophysics. Graduate students, early career researchers and undergraduates, are actively engaged in current NASA missions, NSF consortia, and CCAT-Prime/FYST. The department and center also run an extensive and robust outreach program to the broader community.

Pick a destination

Research Courses Undergraduate Studies Graduate Studies Faculty Support the Department of Astronomy Friends of Astronomy

Department of Astronomy research

The Department of Astronomy is a leading center of astrophysics and planetary science research.

Visit CCAPS, the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science

Learn about the Carl Sagan Institute

A start stripping a planet's atmosphere. — This artist’s rendering shows a star stripping away a planet’s atmosphere. Image Credits: NASA/GSFC

Research spotlight

Universe Today reports "New research titled “Metal pollution in Sun-like stars from destruction of ultra-short-period planets” suggests that rocky planets are the source of these discrepancies. The authors are Christopher E. O’Connor and Dong Lai from Northwestern University and Cornell University, respectively." Read the full story here.

Learn more about astronomy research at Cornell.

Undergraduate program

The Astronomy Major at Cornell University is designed to be flexible so that it can be customized to the needs of each student.

Learn about the undergraduate program

Graduate program

Astronomy offers a wide variety of world-class research opportunities in astronomy, astrophysics and space science, with strong multidisciplinary connections, and a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

Explore the graduate program

Reaching beyond campus

In the spirit of the renowned Cornell Professor Carl Sagan, the Department of Astronomy reaches beyond campus in numerous ways. The Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility (SPIF) is a repository of spacecraft data, a facilitator of research, and a hub for PreK-12 education and public outreach activities. Ask an Astronomer has been answering questions from the curious since 1997. The Cornell Astronomical Society conducts viewing nights at the Fuertes Observatory and offers educational programing to the public.