Expanding universe. Expanding mind.

Think outside the world

If you are interested in solving large problems with big ideas, Astronomy has a degree program for you.

In our programs, you will expand your mind using tools that can be applied to multiple problems.

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Astronomy News

Charlie Young sitting in a dugout with a laptop and tossing a baseball in the air.
CS+Astronomy alum Charlie Young’s work behind the scenes makes for better baseball
LIKE MILLIONS of other kids, Charlie Young, CS+astronomy & statistics ’20, dreamed of being a big-league baseball player—and never made it past high school ball. "Fortunately, I was better at computer science." And by the time...
Charles Gammie standing with his arms crossed in front of a chalkboard.
Charles Gammie named AAAS Fellow
Four faculty members at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been named 2025 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific...
A group of people listening to a presentation.
LAS undergrads grow from the "hidden curriculum" of academic conferences
 When Annie Zeng walked into her first research conference last May, she didn’t arrive with a lab group or a familiar cohort of classmates. She arrived alone, and she immediately felt like it.“I honestly felt very nervous,” said Annie, a senior pursuing a double degree in...
Illinois Physics Professor Nicolás Yunes
Yunes group finds mysterious signals were likely not caused by passage of dark matter clumps through Earth
Scientists have been able to detect the presence of gravitational waves since 2015, when the first instruments capable of doing so were set up. However, these instruments capture many other signals as well. Sometimes these signals’ sources are easy to identify—perhaps there was a small earthquake,...
A diagram showing how the observatory discovered the megamaser.
Farthest-known cosmic OH ‘megamaser’ found
An international team of astronomers led by Dr. Thato Manamela at the University of Pretoria has identified the most distant hydroxyl (OH) megamaser ever detected — a powerful...

AstroFest 2026

Illini AstroFest is being organized to bring together members of the astrophysics community from around campus to showcase our research, encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, and build community.

There will be poster sessions in the morning and afternoon. The plenary talks in the morning session are designed to give a broad overview of research activities in units around campus. The afternoon Career Panel session is aimed to give practical research and career advice to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs.

All members of the Illinois campus community are welcome to attend. This event is specifically geared towards early-career researchers and faculty members. Registration is required to attend, and all registered participants are asked to present a one-minute introductory slide.

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Astronomy Events

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Real data, real experiences

The universe provides plenty of room for exploration. Astronomy classes make use of vast, modern datasets to give you hands-on experience with real data. 

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Help celebrate our centennial by reaching for the stars.

100 gifts for 100 years

In celebration of the department’s centennial, we’re asking for your help to replenish the department’s annual fund. Our goal is 100 gifts for 100 years.

Celebrate with us Give to astronomy

Astronomy Courses

Illustration of observable universe

Introduction to Astronomy

Learn the basic concepts of modern astronomy, from the Solar System to the Big Bang.
heat map of universe

Introduction to Astrophysics

Survey of modern astronomy for students with background in physics.
Hubble image of universe

The Big Bang, Black Holes, and the End of the Universe

Studies the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe, and the scientific tools used to study these issues.
Stephens quartet galaxy

Galaxies and the Universe

Explore elementary aspects of physical cosmology, including galaxies in our Local Group, starburst galaxies, and quasars.
Computer generated model

Computing in Astronomy

An introduction to the use of computers in astrophysics research.

Astronomy picture of the day

Discover the cosmos with NASA.gov. Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

Learn about today's picture