Astronomy and Astrophysics

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Astronomy and Astrophysics

Research and news

High Priorities: What do we know about black holes?

In the second episode of High Priorities (HoofdZaken), a film series on the research priority areas of the University of Amsterdam, the subject of discussion is black holes and gravity.

Bright rare super star discovered

An international team of astronomers including Alex de Koter and Hugues Sana from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have discovered an extraordinarily bright star in a nearby galaxy that radiates three million times as much light as the sun.

Focus on research: astrophysicist Sera Markoff

Sera Markoff is interested in the collision of particles in extreme environments. ‘Black holes are very extreme environments. They are the drivers of many extreme phenomena in the universe.’

Kepler telescope sees age of red giant stars

An international team of astronomers, including Dr Saskia Hekker of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), has succeeded in looking deep inside ‘red giants’ and deciding which of these giant stars are still in their infancy, which are reaching puberty and which ones are dying.

Focus on Research: Astronomer Anna Watts

Astronomer Anna Watts beams with enthusiasm as she explains her research. Watts analyses electromagnetic signals from space in order to figure out the composition of neutron stars, jokingly referred to as zombies or dead stars. Though this label might suggest otherwise, these stars are at the heart of an extremely lively field of research.

Participating research institutes within UvA

Astronomical Institute Anton Pannenkoek (API)

The Anton Pannekoek Institute of Astronomy runs a cutting-edge research programme that focuses on two main themes: (i) late stages of stellar evolution and the physics of neutron stars and black holes and (ii) the birth and death of stars and planetary systems. The API has a long and established history as a world leader in research in the areas of observational and theoretical astronomy.