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2011 Astronomy and Astrophysics

December 22, 2011
Astronomers' pristine gas discovery among top scientific breakthroughs of 2011
Lists from Science and Physics World of the top scientific breakthroughs of the year include the discovery of primordial gas clouds by UCSC astronomers.
December 20, 2011
Lick Observatory open to public December 26 through January 1
Lick Observatory will be closed to the public December 24 and 25, but visiting hours will be extended for the rest of the holiday period.
December 19, 2011
UC Santa Cruz astronomer Jerry Nelson to receive 2012 Franklin Medal
The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has announced that Jerry Nelson, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, will receive the 2012 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering.
December 02, 2011
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz named to Silicon Valley's '40 Under 40'
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz is among 40 "rising stars" in Silicon Valley recognized by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.
November 10, 2011
Astronomers find clouds of primordial gas from the early universe
For the first time, astronomers have found pristine clouds of the primordial gas that formed in the first few minutes after the Big Bang.
October 13, 2011
Galaxy mergers not the trigger for most black hole feeding frenzies
A survey of distant galaxies shows that galaxy mergers are not responsible for most active galactic nuclei.
October 06, 2011
Crab pulsar beams most energetic gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar
Astrophysicists have detected pulsed gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar at energies far beyond what current theoretical models of pulsars can explain.
October 03, 2011
Founders Dinner on October 21 to honor achievement, service, and scholarship
UC Santa Cruz will host its fifth annual Founders Celebration dinner at the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz on Friday, October 21.
September 28, 2011
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz featured in research profile
A profile of astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz is featured on the University of California Research web page.
September 20, 2011
Frans Lanting’s multimedia show to highlight UCSC evening at Flint Center
For more than two decades, acclaimed nature photographer Frans Lanting has documented wildlife from the Amazon to Antarctica, in an effort to promote understanding about the Earth and its natural history. On October 15, he will join with the campus for a remarkable evening of art, science and life, at the Flint Center in Cupertino.
September 15, 2011
Astronomers confirm first planet orbiting two stars
A world with multiple suns is a common trope in science fiction, and scientific reality has now caught up, with a report from NASA's Kepler mission of a planet orbiting two stars.
September 15, 2011
Small distant galaxies host supermassive black holes
Using the Hubble Space Telescope to probe the distant universe, astronomers have found supermassive black holes growing in surprisingly small galaxies, suggesting that central black holes formed at an early stage in galaxy evolution.
September 07, 2011
Lick Observatory will be closed to public from September 12 through October 5
Lick Observatory will be closed to the public from Monday, September 12, through Wednesday, October 5, for building maintenance.
August 29, 2011
Astrophysicists report first simulation to create a Milky Way-like galaxy
A simulation of galaxy formation by UCSC astrophysicists solves a longstanding problem in cosmology.
July 26, 2011
Microscopes borrow tricks from astronomy to see deep into living tissues
UCSC researchers are developing new microscope technologies to enable biologists to see deep within living tissues.
July 06, 2011
Evolutionary / Revolutionary: an evening of art, music, science
The University of California, Santa Cruz will present Evolutionary/Revolutionary, a remarkable evening of art, science and life, on Saturday, October 15, at the Flint Center in Cupertino.
June 24, 2011
Condors land at UC Lick Observatory
Five California condors made a historic fly-by and stopover at the UC Lick Observatory atop Mt. Hamilton earlier this week.
June 07, 2011
President Obama meets astronomer Jerry Nelson and other Kavli Prize winners
President Barack Obama met in the Oval Office with UCSC astronomer Jerry Nelson and other recipients of the 2010 Kavli Prizes.
June 03, 2011
Outstanding work in the spotlight: Student Achievement Week recognizes accomplishment
Student Achievement Week closed with the highly anticipated 2011 Undergraduate Academic Achievement, Excellence in Teaching, and Mentoring Awards ceremony and reception. This year's winner of the prestigious Steck Award is undergraduate astrophysics major Luke Kelley, 23.
May 13, 2011
Irene Hansen Osterbrock named Patron of the AAS
The American Astronomical Society has named Irene Osterbrock a Patron of the Society to recognize her lifetime contributions.
May 10, 2011
Clarity and vision: scholars impress judges at Graduate Research Symposium
The 7th annual Graduate Research Symposium on Friday, May 6, gave graduate students a chance to show off their projects and highlight their far-ranging achievements.
May 05, 2011
Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco presents findings from Saturn in May 25 lecture
Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco will present findings from the Cassini spacecraft now in orbit around Saturn in a free public lecture on Wednesday, May 25.
March 31, 2011
UCSC shines in survey of senior women in astronomy
The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics has more senior women faculty members than any other astronomy department in the country.
March 02, 2011
Lick Observatory reduces Visitor Center hours
The Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton is reducing its Visitor Center hours due to budgetary constraints.
February 24, 2011
Sandra Faber and Lynda Rogers among Silicon Valley's 'Women of Influence'
Astronomer Sandra Faber and Lynda Rogers, dean of UCSC Extension, are among the 2011 "Women of Influence" in Silicon Valley.
February 02, 2011
Six small planets orbiting a Sun-like star amaze astronomers
A remarkable planetary system discovered by NASA's Kepler mission has six planets around a Sun-like star, including five small planets in tightly packed orbits.
February 01, 2011
UCSC faculty mentor Intel science contest finalists
Two high-school students mentored by UC Santa Cruz professors are finalists in the nationwide Intel Science Talent Search competition.
January 26, 2011
UCSC astronomers find most distant galaxy candidate yet seen
Astronomers have found what may be the most distant galaxy ever seen, about 13.2 billion light-years away.
January 18, 2011
Sandra Faber honored by American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society has awarded the 2011 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship to astronomer Sandra Faber.
January 11, 2011
Astronomers release the largest color image of the sky ever made
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III has released the largest digital color image of the sky ever made.
January 07, 2011
Top science stories of 2010 include UCSC research
Two stories involving UCSC researchers turned up on a wide array of lists of the top science stories of 2010.