Director's Message
Welcome to the first edition of the WCA Observer!
The Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics (WCA) is a research centre within the University of Waterloo that brings together 11 faculty, 14 postdoctoral researchers and over 40 graduate students, all driven by a passion for astronomy and astrophysics. The breadth of research we are interested in is demonstrated by three reports highlighted in this newsletter covering planetary systems, galaxies and the Universe as a whole. The patch of the Universe used to measure the cosmological Hubble constant is 15 orders of magnitude (that’s 1 followed by 15 zeros) larger than the planetary system containing the lava planet discussed.
Training early-career researchers is important to the WCA. To encourage and inspire our graduate students, we run an annual competition for the best graduate student-led published paper, with the winners receiving a certificate and cash prize. Congratulations to this year's winners, Sofia and Cam!
You are reading this newsletter, so I’ll assume that you agree with us that astronomy is cool! We want to use this to engage with as many people as possible, encouraging the next generation of scientists and allowing everyone to share in our developing understanding of the universe. We’re very proud of our inflatable planetarium (the Astro-Bubble), which we regularly take to local schools and, as described in the final news item in this report, can also go on tour to more distant parts of Canada! Our outreach work, which connects with more than 6000 people every year, is supported by donations - we are grateful to everyone who has previously supported our work!
Thank you,
Will Percival
Director, Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics
Professor and Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Distinguished Research Chair in Astrophysics
Featured Research
Scientists observe distant jellyfish galaxy for the first time
Jellyfish galaxies are named for the long, tentacle-like streams that trail behind them. WCA researchers Ian Roberts and Michael Balogh lead the team that discovered the most distant, and therefore oldest, jellyfish galaxy ever observed. The new find is 8.5 billion years old and reshapes our understanding of early cosmic evolution.
Lava planet defies expectations
Scientists have found a planet that challenges the long-held assumption that lava planets are too hot to sustain an atmosphere. Dr. Lisa Dang, a physics and astronomy professor at the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics, and her collaborators made this discovery when they found a thick atmosphere around the rocky exoplanet TOI-561 b.
A fresh take on the Hubble Constant
In two recently published papers, members of Will Percival's team at the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Waterloo presented a new measurement of the Hubble parameter using data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI).
WCA News
WCA Student Paper Prize 2025
Congratulations to graduate students Sofia Chiarenza and Cameron Morgan, who were awarded the 2025 WCA Student Paper prize. They were presented with their certificates by Dr Sara Seager, who sits on the WCA Governing Board.
Astro-Bubble on Tour
Last October, three WCA members took the "Astro-Bubble" planetarium on tour, sharing space and astronomy with students and communities across Northern Ontario.
Banner background is a section of the Euclid Deep Field South (70 x zoom). Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA