What if we told you black holes flip the switch on their magnetic fields? Recent images from the EHT show exactly that in M87*. This reshapes what we know about how black holes feed and power their colossal jets. Explore Steward’s role in the discovery: bit.ly/4prwzGV

Last month, U of A’s CatSat mission—built by students—snapped a breathtaking image of Hurricane Erin, the largest Atlantic hurricane since Sandy. What started as an ionospheric mission became a once-in-a-decade weather event captured from space: bit.ly/45W1weT

Looking for life beyond Earth? Steward Observatory's @danielapai.bsky.social is helping redefine what “life” means—a key step in exploring exoplanets & our own solar system. Read more:https://bit.ly/47VYUPh

Using Steward Observatory's MagAO-X, astronomers have captured—for the first time—a baby planet growing inside a disk of dust and gas. The sharp U of A-developed adaptive optics revealed how young worlds plow dark paths through their star’s protoplanetary disks as they form: bit.ly/3Vn0CSo

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected CatSat as a finalist for the Rookie Satellite of the Year award! Voting closes on Tuesday, August 12 at 11:59 pm - cast your vote now: bit.ly/4ltscb7

In a new paper this month from Carlos Vargas and the Aspera team, readers get updates and context for the Steward Observatory-based mission. Learn more about this bold mission that aims to study galaxy evolution through UV light: bit.ly/3INfG93

For 40 years, Michelle Cournoyer has supported students and faculty, solved problems, and shown up with heart. As she prepares to retire this August, we celebrate the impact of a true Steward Observatory legend: bit.ly/3GWkAQv

The @vrubinobs.bsky.social has captured its first images with the largest digital camera ever built—and many of its tiny, powerful sensors were made here at our Imaging Technology Lab! Now begins a decade-long survey of the night sky, powered by @uarizona.bsky.social tech. Read more: bit.ly/4kJ404m

The University of Arizona ranked #4 in space sciences globally according to the latest report from US News and World report! This ranking includes both LPL and @stewardobservatory.bsky.social. Read more about this honor here: www.usnews.com/education/be...

from every perspective Rubin is remarkable. From a telescope optics point of view, the primary/tertiary on a single substrate is absolutely incredible. Buddy Martin of @stewardobservatory.bsky.social is an optics wizard. #RubinFirstLook

@vrubinobs.bsky.social has released its first imagery: glowing nebulas, pulsating stars, swarms of asteroids and millions of galaxies. For Steward Observatory, this moment represents the culmination of decades of vision and hard work, from colossal mirrors to tiny sensors. Read more: bit.ly/4lorn3O

The GMT has received official approval from the National Science Foundation (NSF), confirming that the observatory will advance into its Major Facilities Final Design Phase, one of the final steps before becoming eligible for federal construction funding: bit.ly/3SO8Di0

An international team of astronomers that includes Associate Astronomer Chi-kwan Chan of Steward Observatory has trained a neural network with millions of synthetic black hole data sets--highlighting the potential for AI to advance astronomy discoveries: bit.ly/3FOlZrx

Congratulations to Roswell Roberts IV, Astronomy major and winner of the Outstanding Senior Award in the Dept. of Hydrology & Atmospheric Science! Read Roswell's reflections on his time at U of A: bit.ly/4kU4YeF

When is an alien world habitable? Steward Observatory's @danielapai.bsky.social explores this question in his latest article in The Conversation: bit.ly/43vZKQw

Congratulations to Nikhil Garuda, recipient of the College of Science Outstanding Senior Award. “The astronomical community thrives when knowledge flows freely between generations of researchers,” he says. Read his reflections on his time at Steward: bit.ly/43ffdTm

NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to launch the Aspera mission, led by Steward Observatory's assistant astronomer Carlos Vargas. Aspera will study galaxy formation through the observation of ultraviolet light. Read more: bit.ly/3FkEnrZ

WEIRD UNIVERSE: this month, Professor Erika Hamden's book comes out! Her expertise shines through as she leads readers on an exploration of the strangest and most awe-inspiring phenomena in space. Secure a copy for yourself: bit.ly/4lU1idY @erikahamden.bsky.social

With all the buzz about the latest potential sign of life on a distant planet, Steward Observatory's astronomy professor @danielapai.bsky.social puts the discovery in context. Read his take: bit.ly/3S1fYKB

Using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, at Kitt Peak Observatory, scientists have assembled the largest three-dimensional map of the universe to date. Read the @nytimes.com article: bit.ly/3RD2UuL

In August, Dr. Brittany Miles will join the Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory faculty, advancing UofA’s legacy in infrared instrumentation and innovation. Dr. Miles studies the atmospheres of exoplanets and isolated, rogue worlds. Read more: bit.ly/3R0m0uF

NASA's SPHEREx mission, which launched earlier this month, will use software from the Arizona Cosmology Lab to answer questions about the first moments after the Big Bang. Read more: bit.ly/4iJ4GXj

Some exciting news: @erikahamden.bsky.social will serve as an inaugural member of the Arizona Space Commission, where she will advise Gov. Katie Hobbs in advancing Arizona's role in aerospace and space sciences. 🔭 🚀 🌌 Read more: bit.ly/4hSYtaL

Peter Behroozi’s work in computational astrophysics has been cited over 15,000 times throughout his career, ranking him among the most cited researchers in the world. Read more about this impressive accolade: bit.ly/3EJ5qN0

Glen Schneider (1955–2025) was a self-confessed "umbraphile" -- a "shadow-lover" who pursued solar eclipses around the globe and earned a world record for the greatest number of total solar eclipses ever experienced. Read about his work and lasting legacy: bit.ly/4hVUaet

NASA's Pandora mission is one step closer to probing alien atmospheres, with mission operations based at University of Arizona. Congratulations to astronomy professor @danielapai.bsky.social, who leads the mission's Exoplanets Science Working Group! Read about it: bit.ly/3WHdu6P

Steward Observatory's Gurtina Besla and Kaitlin Kratter were awarded the highest presidential honor for their research in galaxy evolution and star and planetary formation. Their awards highlight the department's preeminence in Theory, Data & Computation: bit.ly/4hp0Amm

I am thrilled to speak in the College of Science Lecture Series "Can We Talk?". On March 27, Chris Impey and I will explore a really cool topic: communicating with alien civilizations! science.arizona.edu/community-en... @stewardobservatory.bsky.social @uarizona.bsky.social @uarizonalpl.bsky.social

Isabella Olin won an Undergraduate Honorable Mention for the Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award, for her AAS presentation on why galaxies stop forming stars. "Don't be afraid to pursue what you love," said Isabella. Read her story: bit.ly/40C9C8n

Richard Donnerstein, a retired pediatric cardiologist, has won a national award for amateur astronomy after helping U of A scientists develop a way to detect some of the faintest and most confounding galaxies in the universe. Read more: bit.ly/40R0ZZ4

U of A Steward Observatory astronomers unlock the atmospheric secrets of a 'new class of planet' -- read more: bit.ly/4gcXNvn

Steward Observatory astronomers capture unprecedented view of supermassive black hole in action! "The LBTI can be considered the first extremely large telescope, so it's very exciting to prove this is possible," said Jacob Isbell. Read about it: bit.ly/4gejsmN

Exploring Tucson? The New York Times recommends heading to the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, where scientists lead "staggering viewings through giant telescopes." Be sure to book your viewing! skycenter.arizona.edu/news/nyt-spe...

Steward Observatory postdoc Catherine Fielder provides a rare, elusive glimpse into how small galaxies form and evolve, with new research suggesting that the mechanisms fueling galaxy growth may be more universal than previously thought: bit.ly/4alNx2o

Our very own Kaitlin Kratter and Gurtina Besla! How awesome! Congrats to both and all the others. @stewardobservatory.bsky.social www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-up...

On receiving the prestigious Henry Norris Russell Lectureship, Marcia Rieke says: “Receiving a prize like this honors not only me, but also the thousands of people that made the mission happen for which I'm extremely grateful." Read more here: bit.ly/4hjbQQR

Trying to find individual stars deep in the universe is a bit like using binoculars to spot grains of sand on the moon. Thanks to a cosmic quirk of nature, an international team led by astronomers at U of A's Steward Observatory did just that. bit.ly/40u7yAw

Our exoplanets and astrobiology research group – what a thrill to work with this amazing team on exploring new worlds! @gabeweible.bsky.social @stewardobservatory.bsky.social @bemiles.bsky.social @sailorsupernova.bsky.social @matthewmurphy.bsky.social @kevinkhu.bsky.social

Here is a video from the catwalk on the Kuiper Telescope from that night. I have made official requests that @stewardobservatory.bsky.social call this catwalk, the Kuiper Belt. The Bok Walk has a name so there’s precedence.

Exploring Tucson? The New York Times recommends heading to the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, where scientists lead "staggering viewings through giant telescopes." Be sure to book your viewing! skycenter.arizona.edu/news/nyt-spe...

The Kuiper 61" lies at an elevation of 8230 feet on Mount Bigelow in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, sharing the site with the Catalina Schmidt. It was built in the early 1960's to survey the Moon in preparation for the upcoming lunar spacecraft missions. (adapted from Paul Smith)

They use these nights to observe our Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Orion Nebula, and our neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, among other objects. It is also a great opportunity to do some astrophotography! Shown are images captured by graduate student Mahdi Naseri during their last observing run. #astronomy

Every semester, our graduate students are awarded three nights of observing time on the Kuiper 61" telescope for eyepiece observing! It is a truly unique opportunity to use research-grade facilities to connect with the dark skies near Tucson 🔭 Image credits: Mahdi Naseri

Welcome to Steward Observatory’s official Bluesky account! We represent both the century-old astronomy research unit and the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. Follow to hear about our world-leading research, our outreach efforts, and the people who make it all happen.