Eberly News

Tagged with Astronomy
Almost every 18 months, a total solar eclipse is visible to some part of the world. However, the United States hasn’t had a total solar eclipse since 1994. For the first time during the 21st century, a total solar eclipse, will be visible across the United States on Monday, Aug. 21. 

To help prepare the community for the “Great American Eclipse,” the West Virginia University Planetarium is hosting a pre-eclipse event from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 19.

WVU Planetarium and Observatory to host pre-eclipse event Aug. 19

Almost every 18 months, a total solar eclipse is visible to some part of the world. However, the United States hasn’t had a total solar eclipse since 1994. For the first time during the 21st century, a total solar eclipse will be visible across the United States on Monday, Aug. 21.  

WVU researchers help detect gravitational waves for the third time; confirm new population of black holes

WVU researchers help detect gravitational waves for the third time; confirm new population of black holes

West Virginia University researchers were part of a team that detected gravitational waves for the third time since 2015, once again confirming Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity.

WVU coaches area students to highest award at global robotics championship

WVU coaches area students to highest award at global robotics championship

The expertise of West Virginia University, the experience of community mentors and the minds of West Virginia high school students created a winning formula at the world’s largest event for STEM students. 


WVU to celebrate Einstein during month-long event

WVU to celebrate Einstein during month-long event

Over 100 years ago, Einstein predicted gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space and time caused by energetic processes in the universe. Just last year, two professors at West Virginia University helped discover gravitational waves and verify Einstein’s theory.

WVU helps find origins of mysterious, ultra-powerful bursts in space

WVU helps find origins of mysterious, ultra-powerful bursts in space

You can’t see it, but billions of light years away cosmic flash bulbs are popping and no one knows why.

Astrophysicist part of team that has created most detailed map of Milky Way

Astrophysicist part of team that has created most detailed map of Milky Way

Hydrogen. Atomic number 1. It is the simplest and lightest element on the periodic table, but don’t be fooled by its humble appearance. With just a single proton and a single electron it is the most abundant element in the universe and has fueled star formation for the past 13 billion years.

'little green men' to premiere Sept. 29

'little green men' to premiere Sept. 29

No, it isn’t about aliens. While the title of the upcoming documentary “little green men” suggests an extra-terrestrial theme, it actually features life in our own backyard.

Colin Komar

Alumni Spotlight: Colin Komar

Briefly, describe your career path.

Sean McWilliams

WVU astrophysicist part of team that detects gravitational waves from second pair of colliding black holes

For the second time in history, a team of astrophysicists – including Sean McWilliams at West Virginia University, has observed gravitational waves – ripples in the fabric of spacetime.

Figure Credit: Danielle Futselaar — The 305-m Arecibo telescope and its suspended support platform of radio receivers is shown amid a starry night. From space, a sequence of millisecond-duration radio flashes are racing towards the dish, where they will be reflected and detected by the radio receivers. Such radio signals are called fast radio bursts, and Arecibo is the first telescope to see repeat bursts from the same source.

WVU astrophysicist part of research team that discovers mysterious cosmic radio bursts are found to repeat

Figure Credit: Danielle Futselaar — The 305-m Arecibo telescope and its suspended support platform of radio receivers is shown amid a starry night. From space, a sequence of millisecond-duration radio flashes are racing towards the dish, where they will be reflected and detected by the radio receivers. Such radio signals are called fast radio bursts, and Arecibo is the first telescope to see repeat bursts from the same source.A global team of astronomers, including one from  West Virginia University, have for the first time detected repeating short-duration bursts of radio waves from an enigmatic source which is likely located well beyond the edge of the Milky Way galaxy. The findings indicate that these “fast radio bursts,” or FRBs, come from an extremely powerful object which occasionally produces multiple bursts in under a minute.