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2017 Astronomy and Astrophysics

December 15, 2017
Osterbrock Leadership Program awards mini-grants to six astronomy grad students
The Osterbrock Leadership Program provides experiences and opportunities for astronomy graduate students to develop leadership and management skills.
December 11, 2017
Physicist Tesla Jeltema probes the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy
Jeltema has a leading role in the Dark Energy Survey, a major international collaboration that is gathering precise measurements of the evolution of cosmic structure.
November 29, 2017
Global SPHERE Network promotes research opportunities for high school students
A coalition of top U.S. educational institutions has launched a mentor network and online database to increase access to STEM research opportunities for high school students.
November 09, 2017
Astronomer Xavier Prochaska receives Outstanding Faculty Award
J. Xavier Prochaska, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, has received the 2016-17 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences.
October 30, 2017
UC Santa Cruz ranks in top 50 of global research universities, 5th for space sciences
UC Santa Cruz ranks fifth in the world for space sciences and is one of six University of California campuses ranked among the top 50 research universities overall, according to a study by U.S. News and World Report.
October 16, 2017
First observations of merging neutron stars mark a new era in astronomy
A UC Santa Cruz team made the first ever observations of a visible event linked to the detection of gravitational waves, using the small Swope Telescope in Chile.
October 16, 2017
Astronomer Alexie Leauthaud wins prestigious Packard Fellowship
Leauthaud is the 13th UCSC faculty member, and sixth UCSC astronomer, to receive a Packard Fellowship.
October 10, 2017
Lick Observatory hosts Latino students and parents for night of astronomy
An evening event for high school students and their family members, called La Noche de las Estrellas, was the observatory's first Spanish-language event.
September 18, 2017
New mirror-coating technology promises dramatic improvements in telescopes
An electrical engineer teamed up with astronomers to improve telescope mirrors using thin-film technology from the electronics industry
September 01, 2017
UC Santa Cruz hosts international workshop for Thirty Meter Telescope
Work on TMT is in high gear at UC Santa Cruz and other partner institutions and countries around the world.
August 11, 2017
Chasing the eclipse
Douglas Duncan, director of the Fiske Planetarium at the University of Colorado, and a distinguished UC Santa Cruz astronomy grad, is leading an eclipse-watching trip to Wyoming.
August 08, 2017
Four Earth-sized planets detected orbiting the nearest sun-like star
Four Earth-sized planets orbit the nearest sun-like star, tau Ceti, which is about 12 light years away and visible to the naked eye, astronomers say.
July 21, 2017
Superluminous supernova marks the death of a star at cosmic high noon
At a distance of 10 billion light years, a supernova detected by the Dark Energy Survey team is one of the most distant ever discovered and confirmed.
July 03, 2017
'Little Cub' gives astronomers rare chance to see galaxy demise
A primitive galaxy that could provide clues about the early universe has been spotted by astronomers as it begins to be consumed by a gigantic neighboring galaxy.
June 23, 2017
Lick Observatory kicks off popular Summer Series
Natalie Batalha, who earned her doctorate in astrophysics from UC Santa Cruz, was the keynote scientist on the second evening of the 37th annual Summer Series at the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton.
June 23, 2017
Astronomy grad students honored by International Astronomical Union
Caroline Morley and Morgan MacLeod are among the first winners of the IAU Ph.D. Prize in recognition of outstanding scientific achievement.
June 13, 2017
Looking for life
Alumna Natalie Batalha, who made Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people on Earth, has discovered approximately 4,000 new planets—some of which may turn out to be capable of supporting life.
June 13, 2017
Astronomer Jerry Nelson, pioneering designer of large telescopes, dies at age 73
Jerry Nelson, a pioneering astronomer known for his innovative designs for advanced telescopes, died June 10 at his home in Santa Cruz.
May 17, 2017
Astronomer Sandra Faber awarded Gruber Cosmology Prize
Faber's groundbreaking studies of galaxies helped establish many of the foundational principles of modern cosmology.
April 27, 2017
Cultivating potential: How UC Santa Cruz is helping undocumented students thrive
Thanks to more than a half-dozen programs, undocumented students on campus have been able to get support, assistance, and encouragement—and the campus benefits from nurturing their passion and talent.
April 27, 2017
Ripples in cosmic web measured using rare double quasars
Astronomers have made the first measurements of small-scale ripples in the primeval hydrogen gas left over from the Big Bang.
April 26, 2017
Inspiring young students to branch into STEM
This spring, an enterprising group of Watsonville High School students put on lab coats and safety goggles and got a behind-the-scenes look at the labs of UC Santa Cruz's Science Hill.
April 20, 2017
Planet hunting alumna Natalie Batalha among Time's 100 most influential people
Natalie Batalha, a NASA scientist who earned her Ph.D. in astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, has been named to Time magazine's annual list of the "100 most influential people in the world."
April 18, 2017
Planet hunting citizen scientists produce quick results for astronomers
The Exoplanet Explorer project led by UCSC astronomer Ian Crossfield got a big boost from a live television broadcast in Australia
April 17, 2017
Star Party slated for Alumni Weekend
UC Observatories/Lick Observatory and the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics are joining forces to put on a Star Party, replete with jazz, informative talks from foremost experts on astronomy, constellation identification, and telescopes for viewing celestial objects once night falls.
April 11, 2017
Lick Observatory's summer series brings a wide variety of musicians and scientists to Mt. Hamilton
Lick's summer program features live music, evening lectures by world-renowned astronomers, and opportunities for the public to view celestial objects through two historic telescopes.
March 29, 2017
UCSC and Chinese officials sign agreement for Graduate Student Scholars Program
New program will bring top Chinese students to UC Santa Cruz for graduate studies in astronomy and astrophysics.
March 23, 2017
Astronomers observe early stages of Milky Way-like galaxies in distant universe
New observations reveal massive, dusty galaxies with high rates of star formation and large, extended layers of gas.
March 23, 2017
Universe's ultraviolet background provides clues about missing galaxies
A new technique to detect the cosmic ultraviolet background radiation may show why there are so few small galaxies.
March 15, 2017
Lick Observatory offers new Public Evening Tours of telescopes in 2017
Growing demand has led to expanded opportunities for the public to see and view through the observatory's telescopes.
March 03, 2017
Astronomer Ruth Murray-Clay appointed to chair in theoretical astrophysics
Investiture ceremony honors Murray-Clay as the inaugural holder of the E. K. Gunderson Family Chair in Theoretical Astrophysics
February 23, 2017
Vast luminous nebula poses a cosmic mystery
Glowing nebula appears to be part of the cosmic web of filaments connecting galaxies, but what's lighting it up?
February 13, 2017
Astronomy team releases planet-search data, finds more than 100 candidates
The HIRES spectrometer, designed and built by UCSC astronomer Steven Vogt, has been a planet-hunting workhorse for over two decades.
February 06, 2017
Waves Passing in the Night: a talk about astrophysics, harmony, and boundaries
Acclaimed writer and UC Santa Cruz alumnus Lawrence Weschler will join Academy Award-winning sound and film editor Walter Murch, and noted campus astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz on Feb. 13, in the Music Center Recital Hall.
February 06, 2017
Black hole meal sets record for length and size
New observations confirm a theoretical model developed by UCSC astrophysicists of a black hole tearing apart a star.
January 26, 2017
Science Internship Program creates opportunities for high school students
SIP alumni and their families are raising funds to extend the program's reach and support need-based scholarships.