This past summer, Piper Lentz analyzed data of dwarf stars to advance investigations into the possibilities of life beyond our universe. A senior Astronomy and Physics double major at Amherst College, she has spent the past three years working under Professor Bardalez Gagliuffi in the Binary Worlds Lab. When Piper joined the summer after her…
Cover image credit: ESO/L. Calçada Two thousand years ago, Aristotle posited that the Sun and the planets of our Solar System are immaculate, divine bodies — a belief that stood its ground even into the 17th century. But Galileo, alongside other astronomers of his time, pointed his telescope at the heavens and uncovered a messier…
By Fernanda Morais Cover image credit: NASA Astrobiology On February 25, Dr. Mark Popinchalk, a postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History, visited the Amherst Physics & Astronomy Department for its weekly colloquium. Dr. Popinchalk is a member of the Brown Dwarfs in New York City (BDNYC) research group. Brown dwarfs are objects…
Last semester, the Physics and Astronomy Department welcomed a new postdoc, Dr. Mark Giovinazzi. In this article, we explore Mark’s research expertise on low-mass stars and exoplanets and learn more about his personal life at Amherst! His journey involves diverse research experiences and the continuous mission to elevate underrepresented students in the field. …