Stockholm university
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Research subject Stars, Planets and Astrobiology

The birth and evolution of stars and planets is of key interest for understanding our universe.

Stars are born when dense molecular clouds collapse under the force of gravitation. The star is initially deeply embedded in the gas cloud it formed from, and develops a disk which in turn is the birth place of planets. Both stars and planets have atmospheres, which can be studied with a technique known as spectroscopy. Research at Stockholm University concerns both the formation of stars and planets, the properties of their disks, and their atmospheric properties.

The formation and evolution of planets, as well as their atmospheric constituents, are of importance for our understanding of the origin and distribution of life in the universe. The cross-disciplinary scientific field that attempts to study the origin and conditions for life in the universe is called Astrobiology.

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Astronomy
spektrum planet

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A new epoch for applied stellar spectroscopy

Starlight contains a wealth of information, not only about the stars themselves, but also of the exoplanets that are bound to them. The infinitesimal signal of the planet can reveal many secrets, for example the constituents of its atmosphere.

Analysis of starlight through the atmosphere. Image credit ESO/M. Kornmesser.
Homing in on Earth-like planets

Planets around other stars than the Sun are collectively called “Exoplanets”. The first exoplanets were discovered in the late 1990s, and since then, the field has rapidly developed, with thousands of exoplanets known to date.

The making of the heaviest elements in the Universe

About 14 billion years ago, the Universe began with the Big Bang. A few minutes later, hydrogen, helium, and traces of lithium were formed during the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. However, the Universe expanded and cooled, leading to the end of this process after 20 minutes. Where, when, and how were the remaining elements of the periodic table produced?

High-resolution spectrum of the highly r-process enhanced star HD 222529

Courses and programmes

A complete list of astronomy courses and programmes can be found below:

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News

Schematic illustration of the element cycle in stars

Astronomers Crack the Code on the Formation of Super Heavy Elements in the Universe

Where do we come from? How were all our atoms created? These are some of the intriguing questions that a group of astronomers called the R-Process Alliance are trying to answer. Today, they publish a new groundbreaking study in the prestigious scientific journal Science, where they show footprints from the cosmic creation of super heavy elements. Terese Hansen, researcher at the Department of Astronomy, is one of the co-authors.

Astronomy and Cosmology - Theme page
Färgglad gas virvlar runt en protoplanetär skiva
Department of Astronomy

Observations of planetary cradles reveal rocky planets can form in extreme environments

Planets like our Earth, including planets with water, could form even in the harshest known star-forming environments, drenched by hard UV light from massive stars. That is a main result of analyses of new observations of such an environment with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The observations are the first of their kind – before the JWST, this kind of detailed observation had not been possible. This is good news for Earth-like planets, and for life in the universe: there is a great variety of environments in which such planets can form. The results have now been published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Astronomy and Cosmology - Theme page
Glödande fupppuffad planet som kretsar nära sin stjärna

James Webb telescope detects water vapor, sulphur dioxide and sand clouds around a nearby exoplanet

A team of European astronomers recently utilized observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope to study the atmosphere of the nearby exoplanet WASP-107b. By peering deep into WASP-107b's fluffy atmosphere, they discovered not only water vapor and sulfur dioxide but even clouds of silicates (i.e., sand). The results of the study were published today in the prestigious journal Nature.

Astronomy and Cosmology - Theme page
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