In a new paper published Oct. 28 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the international LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration reports on the detection of two gravitational wave events in October and November of last year with highly suggestive black hole spins and mass ratios.
Gravitational waves are “ripples” in space-time that result from cataclysmic events in deep space, with t…
CITA researchers have the calculations and simulations to explain mysterious flashes from the galaxy OJ 287
Roughly twice every 12 years, from 3.5 billion light years away, the light equivalent of one trillion suns flashes in the night sky and then fades away over the next few months. It’s a phenomenon that astronomers have been documenting since the late 1880s, originating in a galaxy known…
On October 21st CITA Professor J. Richard Bond accepted the 2025 Shaw Prize in Astrophysics, shared with Professor George Efstathiou from the University of Cambridge. The Shaw Foundation recognized the four 2025 Shaw Laureates at a special award presentation ceremony in the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The awards were presented by Professor Reinhard…
Multi-year Event Horizon Telescope observations capture evolving polarization patterns in supermassive black hole and see emissions in 230 GHz near the base of its jet
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration has unveiled new, detailed images of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy M87, revealing a dynamic environment with changing polarization patterns near t…
In August 2025, the global network of gravitational-wave observatories operated by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration released a huge new logbook of cosmic collisions – its fourth Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-4.0) [1-6]. These gravitational waves, or ripples in spacetime, are created when the most extreme objects in the Universe, black holes and neutron stars, crash into…
We are thrilled to announce that CITA will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary in May 2026, and we want you to be a part of this significant milestone.
Founded in 1986, CITA has grown out of the enthusiasm of three faculty members and a few postdoctoral fellows to become the world’s only national center for theoretical and observational astrophysics research from the early universe and Big…
April – May – June
It has been an extraordinary season of recognition for CITA faculty and fellows, who have been honoured with some of the most prestigious awards and distinctions in the world of physics and astronomy. We are immensely proud to share their remarkable achievements with you.
This all comes from the exciting science happening every day. In the bulletin below, you’ll see our…
On May 30, 2025, Professor Norman Murray was appointed a Fellow of the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP). This significant recognition acknowledges his “outstanding research in theoretical astrophysics, with major contributions in extrasolar and solar planets, helioseismology, energetics of galaxies, and black hole AGN feedback,” as well as his “outstanding record of mentorship and…
TORONTO, ON – May 28, 2025 – The Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) proudly announces that Professor J. Richard Bond has been awarded the 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy. Professor Bond, also a University Professor at the University of Toronto, shares the prize equally with Professor George Efstathiou of the University of Cambridge, UK. The two astrophysicists ar…
Astronomers have developed a computer simulation to explore, in unprecedented detail, magnetism and turbulence in the interstellar medium (ISM)—the vast ocean of gas and charged particles that lies between stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
Turbulence is a ubiquitous phenomenon, which all of us have witnessed. The swirly movement of mixing milk in a coffee cup is the same in principle as…