CIERA Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics

08/28/2026

Looking for the perfect way to spend a summer evening? Join us tonight at Dearborn Observatory for CIERA Astronomer Evening! Hear a talk by an astronomer, ask questions, and look through the historic telescope.

08/25/2026

📚 Big congratulations to CIERA's Aaron Geller on the publication of Dawn of the Stars, a new astrophysics textbook co-written with Nathan Leigh and Taeho Ryu!

The book brings stellar evolution, star formation, and gravitational astrophysics to life through the story of the Seven Sisters, the brightest stars of the Pleiades cluster, on a journey through the Milky Way.

Read more about the book and where to find it 📖 https://bit.ly/4crTBJd

08/17/2026

👁️ A dying star's remains, caught mid-recycling! A new image of the Helix Nebula reveals 22 glowing shock waves showing how stellar debris breaks down and returns to the galaxy — material that may one day form new stars and planets. It's also a preview of our own Sun's distant future.

The discovery was led by Pieter van Dokkum — co-founder of the Dragonfly Focused Research Organization, the Sol Goldman Family Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Yale, and a visiting scholar at CIERA, who will join Northwestern in January 2027 as Core Faculty in CIERA. CIERA's Imad Pasha co-authored the study.

Read more:

After colliding with gas, stellar fragments remain intact for just 10,000 years, the team estimates.

08/14/2026

📰 This discovery is getting national attention! Northwestern's Tjitske Starkenburg's stellar stream research — and what it reveals about dark matter — was recently featured by CNN. Read the coverage:

In a first, astronomers say they’ve detected a long ribbon of stars outside the Milky Way. The globular cluster stellar stream could reveal clues about dark matter.

08/12/2026

For billions of years, an ancient star cluster has been slowly unraveling — and it's finally giving up its secrets! Astronomers have identified the first stellar stream ever found outside the Milky Way, hidden in archival Hubble data.

The discovery does double duty: it's also a powerful new tool for mapping dark matter. "By modeling that gravity, we can estimate the galaxy's total mass," said Northwestern's Tjitske Starkenburg, who co-authored the study. "We already know roughly how much of that mass comes from visible matter like stars, so the rest must be dark matter."

Published today in Nature. Read more:

Team expects future telescopes will find many more stellar streams, expanding the ability to probe dark matter across the universe.

08/10/2026

CIERA is excited to announce we are hiring a Part-Time Program Assistant!

Join a close-knit team supporting an Astrophysics Center at the forefront of the field. This role will help support CIERA’s research, education, and public outreach programs, with opportunities to assist with events, program activities, office projects, and more.

Know someone who would be a great fit? Help us spread the word!

Up to 20 hours/week | $18–$20/hour | Evanston

Read more about the position and apply by August 28! ciera.northwestern.edu/opportunities/2026-part-time-program-assistant/

07/31/2026

"Even two years ago, we didn't have a coherent picture. It's the first time things are falling into place." - Vicky Kalogera, CIERA Director

How do black holes end up on a collision course? A new Science feature digs into this question, spotlighting research from Kalogera and CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Anarya Ray - plus former CIERA postdocs Sylvia Biscoveanu, Sharan Banagiri and Maya Fishbach.

Congratulations to all five on the recognition! 🎉

Read the full feature:

Black holes can form spiraling pairs in three different ways, the gravitational waves from hundreds of collisions suggest

07/31/2026

CIERA Astronomer Evening tonight at Dearborn, 9 PM!

07/30/2026

The CIERA Tech Council had its inaugural meeting April 13. The new 9-member group will build bridges between astronomy and industry through collaboration, mentorship, and events. The members are industry professionals, many with a background in astrophysics, currently working in organizations ranging from Google, Northwestern Medicine, Slingshot Aerospace, and more. Read more here:

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Exploration in Astrophysics (CIERA) Tech Council had its inaugural meeting April 13. The new 9-member group will build bridges between astronomy and industry through collaboration, mentorship, and events. The members are industry professionals, many with

07/23/2026

July's CIERA Astronomer Evening is just around the corner - join us next Friday for a fascinating talk and a chance to observe the night sky through Dearborn Observatory's historic telescope.