Joel Kastner
Professor
Joel Kastner
Professor
Education
BS, University of Maryland; MS, Ph.D., University of California
Bio
- Joel Kastner (Ph.D. in Astronomy, UCLA 1990) is a Professor on the faculty of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Imaging Science and School of Physics & Astronomy. He was the founding Director of RIT's Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics.
- Prior to his two decades at RIT, Prof. Kastner spent almost a decade at MIT, first as Bantrell Postdoc at MIT Haystack Radio Observatory and then as staff scientist with MIT's side of the Chandra (then AXAF) X-ray Science Center.
- Prof. Kastner's research interests lie in the early and late stages of stellar evolution -- i.e., the formative stages of stars and planetary systems, and their death throes. He has conducted observations of forming and dying stars and stellar systems across a broad swath of the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to X-rays.
- Prof. Kastner was among the original group of (roughly 230) astronomers named as "Legacy" Fellows of the American Astronomical Society in 2020, and presently serves as Chair of the AAS Committee on Employment.
- A complete list of Prof. Kastner's publications can be found at this link to NASA's Astrophysics Data System.
Currently Teaching
In the News
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January 27, 2021
![Butterfly Nebula in deep space.]()
Say Goodbye To 2020 With The Year’s Top 10 Hubble Photos
Forbes features work by Joel Kastner, professor in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science and program faculty in the astrophysical sciences and technology graduate program, in its 10 most important Hubble photos from 2020.
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January 15, 2021
![side-by-side images of the Jewel Bug Nebula using different colors to highlight different areas.]()
Astronomers dissect the anatomy of planetary nebulae using Hubble Space Telescope images
Images of two iconic planetary nebulae taken by the Hubble Space Telescope are revealing new information about how they develop their dramatic features. Researchers from RIT and Green Bank Observatory presented new findings about the Butterfly Nebula and the Jewel Bug Nebula at the 237th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Friday, Jan. 15.
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June 30, 2020
![planetary nebula NGC 7027.]()
Astronomy Picture of the Day
NASA features an image of planetary nebula NGC 7027, captured by RIT professor Joel Kastner and his team, as its Astronomy Picture of the Day.
