Department of Astronomy
and Astrophysics
Develop a comprehensive view of the universe and its physical laws and learn how to explain the universe to the world.
Take a leading role in one of the most productive astronomy and astrophysics research programs in the country.
More than 60 faculty researchers and educators and a dozen faculty members from other departments and colleges at Penn State pursue greater understanding of our universe. Areas of investigation include exoplanets, observational and theoretical cosmology, gravitational radiation, space and ground-based instrumentation, supermassive black holes, brown dwarfs, astrostatistics, and high energy astrophysics.
Penn State is one of the world's leading institutions in exoplanet research. Alexander Wolszscan, discoverer of the first exoplanets, is one of many faculty in this vibrant field.
For decades Penn State has been at the cutting edge of new approaches to investigating the universe, designing and constructing innovative instrumentation for both space missions and ground-based telescopes.
Our faculty is one of the largest and most productive astronomy and astrophysics programs in the country engaging in front-line research programs and preparing the next generation of scientists for the future.
Featured Faculty
Astronomy and Astrophysics Spotlight
Penn State doctoral student Alina Kuvelkar recently served as a teaching assistant for the 18th Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers.
Nick Siegler, program manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, spoke at the second annual Penn State SETI Symposium.
Seven students from the Eberly College of Science received fellowships and scholarships from the NASA Space Grant in 2023.
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October 2, 12:15 pm - October 2, 1:15 pm
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October 3, 12:00 pm - October 3, 1:00 pm
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October 4, 3:45 pm - October 4, 5:00 pm
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October 5, 12:00 pm - October 5, 1:00 pm
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Penn State University
525 Davey Laboratory
University Park, PA 16802
814.865.0418
Fax: 814.863.2842
