University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Apr 30
    Astronomy Colloquium: Whitford Lecturer Prof. Bruce Draine

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: Prof. Bruce Draine Institution: Princeton University Title: Dust and Molecular Hydrogen in a galaxy with 3% Solar abundances Abstract: The first galaxies form stars out of initially pristine gas.  After a few million years the gas is enriched with heavy elements formed by the first generation of stars.  Dust starts to appear in small …

  • Apr 23
    Astronomy/WiCOR Joint Colloquium: Prof. Victoria Meadows

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: Victoria Meadows Institution: Senior Research Scientist, SETI Institute Title: The Virtual Planetary Laboratory and the Search for Signs of Life on Exoplanets Abstract: The Virtual Planetary Laboratory is a massively interdisciplinary research group that has been working since 2001 to put a strong scientific foundation under the search for signs of life on exoplanets. …

  • Apr 16
    Astronomy Colloquium: Prof. Daniel Stevens

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: : Prof. Daniel Stevens Institution: UMN-Duluth Title: Single-lined Eclipsing Binary Stars: A Stellar Astronomy Multi-Tool Abstract: Precisely and accurately measured stellar properties such as mass and radius are important for a wide range of science cases, from characterizing nearby exoplanets to inferring properties of distant galaxies. Double-lined eclipsing binary stars (DLEBs) have long been …

  • Apr 9
    Astronomy Colloquium: Roberta Paladini

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: Dr. Roberta Paladini Institution: IPAC Title: The SPHEREx Space Mission: Preliminary Results Abstract: The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) is a Medium-Class Explorer (MIDEX) NASA mission launched on March 11th 2026. SPHEREx has just completed the second full sky coverage in 102 spectral bands from …

  • Mar 26
    Astronomy Colloquium: Dr. David Rice

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: Dr. David Rice Institution: UW-Madison Title: Toward Real Rocky Planet Interiors with Ideal Multicomponent Mixing Abstract: As observational precision improves, a leading uncertainty in exoplanet interior inference is no longer the data but our models of realistic, multicomponent interiors. I present a mixing framework focused on planets less than 10 Earth-masses that treats differentiated …

  • Mar 19
    Astronomy Colloquium: Prof. David Nataf

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: Prof. David Nataf Institution: University of Iowa Title: JWST Imaging of the Stellar Populations of Andromeda and Triangulum Abstract: The James Webb Space Telescope is revolutionizing virtually all areas of observational astrophysics, and that includes our nearest galactic neighbors. I discuss imaging results of three guest observer programs (2301, 2609, 3322) toward Andromeda and …

  • Mar 12
    Astronomy Colloquium: TBD

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: TBD Institution: TBD Title: TBD Abstract: TBD Host: TBD Zoom link here.

  • Mar 5
    Astronomy Colloquium: Director Julianne Dalcanton

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: Director Julianne Dalcanton Institution: Flatiron Institute/CCA Title: TBD Abstract: TBD Host: Michael Maseda Zoom link here.

  • Feb 26
    Astronomy Colloquium: Dr. Amy Secunda

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: Dr. Amy Secunda Institution: Flatiron Institute/CCA Title: Uncovering the Nature of Active Galactic Nuclei Accretion Disks with Radiation Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations, Machine Learning, and Laboratory Experiments Abstract: Active galactic nuclei (AGN) accretion disks fuel powerful AGN feedback and are important laboratories for studying accretion physics. Because AGN are generally too distant to resolve spatially, most …

  • Feb 19
    Astronomy Colloquium: Dr. Ludwig Boess

    4421 Sterling

    Speaker: Dr. Ludwig Boess Institution: University of Chicago Title: Cosmic rays in cosmological simulations – bridging scales Abstract: Galaxy clusters and their role in the large-scale structure of the Universe, the cosmic web, have been studied extensively through observations and simulations. However, many of the high-energy process that happen in these structures still elude observations …