News | Steward Observatory

Dr. Brittany Miles joins faculty at Steward Observatory, advancing UofA’s legacy in infrared instrumentation innovation

“Executing ambitious observational programs is key to pushing the boundaries of our understanding of planetary atmospheres,” said Dr. Brittany Miles, who will be joining the faculty of the UofA Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory this fall. “Arizona has provided me with resources, facilities, and long-term stability to support the development and execution of these goals.”

New York Times: ‘More Than a Hint’ That Dark Energy Isn’t What Astronomers Thought

Using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, scientists have assembled the largest three-dimensional map of the universe to date.

James Webb Space Telescope reveals unexpected complex chemistry in primordial galaxy

This infrared image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was taken by the onboard Near-Infrared Camera for the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, or JADES, program. The NIRCam data was used to determine which galaxies to study further with spectroscopic observations. One such galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0 (shown in the pullout), was determined to be at a redshift of 14.3, making it the current record-holder for most distant known galaxy. This corresponds to a time less than 300 million years after the big

NASA's SPHEREx mission will use software from the Arizona Cosmology Lab to answer questions about the first moments after the Big Bang

By creating the largest 3D map of galaxies that has ever existed, SPHEREx will help scientists answer big-picture questions about why the large-scale structure of the universe looks the way it does today, how galaxies form and evolve and the abundance of water and other key ingredients for life in the Milky Way galaxy.

How next-gen telescopes could discover extraterrestrial oxygen

Interior view of the Giant Magellan Telescope at night. The University of Arizona is a major partner in the telescope, and is creating all its mirrors.

Sharper image: U of A-built instrument reveals pictures of 'baby planets'

Donuts of dust: An artist’s impression of the PDS 70 system with protoplanets, each surrounded by dust rings illuminated by starlight. The planets themselves (not to scale) have thin rings of plasma heated to around 14,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which glow at the red emission line of H-alpha light.

Steward Observatory astronomer Erika Hamden named to Arizona Space Commission

Erika Hamden

Steward Observatory's Peter Behroozi ranked among most cited researchers in the world

Peter Behroozi

Astronomy has lost one of its most passionate chasers of total solar eclipses with the passing of astronomer Glenn Schneider

GLENN SCHNEIDER, 1955–2025

Highest Presidential Honor Bestowed on Steward Observatory Astronomers, Highlighting the Department’s Preeminence in Theory, Data and Computation

Gurtina Besla and Kaitlin Kratter