Welcome to the Keele Astrophysics Group which is part of the EPSAM Research Institute and the School of Physical and Geographical Sciences of the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

The Keele Astrophysics group currently consists of 10 academic staff members, with research interests including star formation and stellar clusters, late stellar evolution, massive stars and their impact on the early universe, the interstellar medium, binary stars, interacting binary stars, and the detection of extra-solar planets.

WWF's Earth Hour

For the first time, Keele University participates in the World Wildlife Foundation's Earth Hour. Saturday 23 March, between 8:30 and 9:30pm, Keele Observatory will open its doors; a telescope will be set up at Union Square as well. (Photo: NASA)

Keele Astronomers find Solid Buckyballs in Space

Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, a team of astronomers led by Nye Evans and including Jacco van Loon of the Keele Astrophysics Group has detected solid buckminsterfullerne (C60) in space for the first time. The buckminsterfullerne molecules are spherical, like soccer balls, and in solid form they stack like "oranges in a crate", as shown in the illustration. The "buckyballs" are found in the environment of a star called XX Ophiuchi, which is about 6500 light years from Earth.

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