National recognition for astronomers from Perth, Canberra, and Melbourne

• How dark matter behaves in colliding galaxy clusters, explained by UWA/ICRAR student William McDonald
• Why the Universe’s earliest stars are so elusive, by Dr Piyush Sharda of ANU (now working at Leiden Observatory, the Netherlands)
• A sharper focus on when the Universe lit up, by Dr Nichole Barry of Curtin University/ICRAR
• The chemistry of starlight helps explain our galaxy’s evolution, says Dr Sven Buder of ANU
• A mission to study 6 million galaxies in 5 years, by A/Prof. Michelle Cluver of Swinburne University of Technology
• Software that enables ‘impossible’ research, by Dr Manodeep Sinha of Swinburne University of Technology.

The Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) will honour the 6 at its Annual Scientific Meeting at the Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campus in Sydney 3-7 July 2023.

Next generation astronomers win national recognition

A Sydney student, early-career researchers from Perth and Melbourne, and a fast telescope have received awards for changing our view of our galaxy and the Universe.

• Our Milky Way may just have two arms, says University of Sydney student Maria Djuric.
• A rare X-ray blast a thousand times brighter than the sun was predicted and observed by ICRAR astrophysicist Adelle Goodwin from Monash University and Curtin University.
• Thousands of black holes are pictured in colour by Curtin University/ICRAR radio astronomer Natasha Hurley-Walker.
• The laws of the universe have been manipulated in a supercomputer by University of Western Australia/ICRAR theoretical astrophysicist Adam Stevens.
• A telescope is opening up the sky thanks to CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope team.

The Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) will honour the five at its Annual Scientific Meeting in Hobart 27 June – 1 July.

“Australian astronomers are among the best in the world, and the breadth of these prestigious awards shows why we lead the world in so many areas. It is a pleasure to recognise these examples of individual brilliance, as well as teamwork, and technical innovation,” says ASA President Professor John Lattanzio.

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• More about the winners and the award

200 supernovae found by six mates – enabling discoveries about the evolution of stars and the ingredients of life

Ex-miner from Broken Hill discovers a massive electrical storm on Saturn and guides NASA mission

Two amateur astronomy projects were awarded the 2022 Page Medal on Saturday 16 April at the National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers held online.

The six friends who make up The Backyard Observatory Supernova Search (BOSS) Team monitor distant galaxies to detect the death throes of massive stars as they explode in brilliant supernovae. The team then alerts professional telescopes to swing into action and study these phenomena at the crucial moment. The sooner those observations begin, the more is learnt about the lead up to the star’s final moments.

Astronomical Society of Australia honours stargazers at annual conference

Six Australian astronomers will be recognised by the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA), the country’s professional body for the field.