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EXTRAGALACTIC ASTRONOMY
“Astronomy is a science which, at the most basic level, tries to answer existential questions such as how do we fit in, where do we come from ? The reason you may want to consider Extragalactic astronomy for a PhD is that it explores the growth and evolution of structure in the Universe.” — Associate Professor Misty Bentz Dr. Michael Crenshaw studies supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies that are actively feeding on their surroundings. He is an expert on winds of ionized gas moving outward at speeds of thousands of kilometers per second, which affect the growth and evolution of the black holes and their galaxies. Dr. Misty Bentz is an expert in determining the masses of black holes using their strong gravitational signatures on the stars and gas around them. She also studies the symbiotic relationship between supermassive black holes and the galaxies in which they live. |
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STELLAR ASTRONOMY “Our program is extremely strong in Stellar Astronomy: from broad surveys to new images of stars and their environments, new students are sure to find projects that spark their interest !“. — Professor Todd Henry, Director of RECONS Dr. Todd Henry studies the smallest and most abundant stars in our galaxy, the M dwarfs. He leads the RECONS consortium, an international collaboration of astronomers devoted to identifying and accurately measuring the physical properties of all the stars and brown dwarfs within 80 light years of the Sun. Dr. Russel White studies the formation of evolution of stars and planets. He does this by using a variety of observational techniques to precisely measure the properties of stars and constrain theories of stellar evolution. These precisions measurements are also leading to the discovery of the youngest planets known. Dr. Sebastien Lepine is an expert in large astronomical surveys and data-mining techniques. He maintains a catalog of 2.5 million stars closest to the Sun, identifying the best systems to search for exoplanets. He also studies the motions of stars near the Sun, and how these can retrace the formation and history of our galaxy. Dr. Doug Gies studies the most massive stars in our galaxy, the OB stars. These are often found in systems of two or more stars, are sometimes surrounded by massive spinning disks, and generate powerful winds that replenish and churn out the interstellar clouds from which new stars are born. |
Professor Todd Henry |
