Original cover art by Nahks Tr'Ehnl, a former undergraduate student at Penn State double majoring in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Art

Downloadable/Printable version of the entire brochure in PDF format.

(2.8 MB, requires Acrobat Reader, which is freely available from Adobe).

Penn State Astronomy and Astrophysics offers a wealth of opportunities to students with active research programs on topics ranging from the birth of stars to colliding black holes, and from the coolest stars to the most distant galaxies. Students not only work in these fields -- they also participate in building the instruments that collect the data. The department's faculty offer a remarkable balance between observers, theorists, and instrumentalists which allows students to develop a wide range of skills and enhance their chances of future employment. World-class resources, including the 8-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Telescope, the Swift sattellite mission, and the Penn State Pulsar Machines allow students unlimited access to the edge of the observable universe.

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State offers programs in undergraduate and graduate education that emphasize frontier research and quality instruction in an atmosphere that is intimate, vigorous, and challenging. Front line research is not for everyone. It takes dedication, drive, imagination, insatiable curiosity and boundless energy to contribute to the frontiers of astronomy. In the following pages we will take you on a tour of the department first with some general information about the instructional program and research opportunities, next with a description of the large array of facilities we use or are developing, and then with a look at the outstanding faculty of the department and their research specialties. The brochure concludes with information about what the local community has to offer you in the way of cultural and recreational activities.