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Astronomy and Astrophysics

November 30, 2018
Kepler telescope captures extraordinary observations of a star's death throes
Kepler's observations of the supernova known as SN 2018oh showed an unexpected fast rise in brightness that may be an important clue to understanding the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, which cosmologists use to study the expansion of the universe and dark energy.
November 15, 2018
Astronomers find the progenitor to a unique type of supernova
Astronomers may have finally uncovered the long-sought progenitor to a unique type of exploding star called a type Ic supernova.
November 14, 2018
Planet discovered orbiting the second closest stellar system to the Earth
Measurements from high-precision instruments, including Keck's HIRES and Lick's Automated Planet Finder, reveal a cold super-Earth around Barnard’s star.
October 18, 2018
NSF honors astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz among Hispanic leaders in science
In recognition of their efforts and Hispanic Heritage Month, the National Science Foundation profiled eight leaders in their fields.
October 10, 2018
Three UCSC professors honored as Fellows of the California Academy of Sciences
Biologist Beth Shapiro and astronomers Claire Max and Natalie Batalha are among 14 new fellows elected to the California Academy of Sciences for 2018.
October 10, 2018
Astronomer Natalie Batalha to receive Alumni Achievement Award
After serving as science lead for NASA’s Kepler Mission from 2011 to 2017, Batalha is returning to UC Santa Cruz as a professor of astronomy and astrophysics.
October 01, 2018
NSF grant funds program to increase diversity in physics and astronomy
The Cal-Bridge program has received a $5 million grant to support Ph.D. pathways at 24 campuses.
September 25, 2018
First-year Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam survey results yield cosmological constraints
UC Santa Cruz astronomer Alexie Leauthaud has been involved in the HSC survey project from the beginning of the survey.
September 25, 2018
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz elected fellow of American Physical Society
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics, has been elected an APS Fellow in recognition of his outstanding contributions to physics.
September 10, 2018
NSF funds powerful new supercomputer for UC Santa Cruz researchers
The new high-performance computer system will support research in theoretical astrophysics, climate science, materials science, and other fields.
August 29, 2018
Gifts to UC Santa Cruz fund new presidential chair for diversity in astronomy
UCSC astronomer Sandra Faber and her husband made the lead gift to establish an endowed chair named in honor of Faber's mentor, distinguished astronomer Vera Rubin.
July 24, 2018
Campus, Silicon Valley leaders celebrate Lick Observatory’s 130th anniversary
The University of California owns and operates the observatory, which was founded by a bequest from James Lick. It opened in 1888.
June 26, 2018
ISEE receives presidential award for excellence in STEM mentoring
The UC Santa Cruz Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators has received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).
June 25, 2018
Astronomer Alexie Leauthaud wins DOE Early Career Award
The award from DOE's Early Career Research Program supports Leauthaud's research on dark energy.
June 14, 2018
Dust clouds can explain puzzling features of active galactic nuclei
Mysterious features seen in light emitted from active galactic nuclei may be due to partial obscuration by dust clouds, according to new study.
May 29, 2018
New model explains what we see when a massive black hole devours a star
Theoretical astrophysicists have developed a unified model that explains observations of tidal disruption events, when a black hole swallows a disrupted star.
May 22, 2018
Astrophysicist Jedidah Isler will give annual Mandel Lecture on June 7
Award-winning astrophysicist Jedidah Isler will give a free public lecture entitled "Blazars: Nature's particle accelerators" on Thursday, June 7, at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz.
May 07, 2018
Astronomers find an exoplanet atmosphere free of clouds
An international team of astronomers has detected an exoplanet atmosphere that is free of clouds, marking a pivotal breakthrough in the quest to better understand what lies at the outer reaches of our galaxy.
April 23, 2018
Face recognition for galaxies: Artificial intelligence brings new tools to astronomy
A 'deep learning' algorithm trained on images from cosmological simulations has been surprisingly successful at classifying real galaxies in Hubble images.
April 16, 2018
Lick Observatory expands evening programs for the public this summer
Tickets for the popular concert and lecture series and new evening tours on Mount Hamilton go on sale at noon on Wednesday, April 18.
April 04, 2018
2018 Osterbrock Lecture will focus on the role of science in public policy
Rush Holt, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, will speak at UC Santa Cruz on Thursday, April 19 .
April 04, 2018
Astrophysicist Douglas Lin remembers Stephen Hawking
Astrophysicist Doug Lin wrote some personal reflections on his friendship with the late physicist Stephen Hawking.
March 13, 2018
UC Santa Cruz prof and grad student are among honorees at 2018 NEXTies
The local awards show will be held at the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz on Friday, March 23.
March 08, 2018
Grant to transform upper floor of Science and Engineering Library
A $5 million grant will kick-start the Science and Engineering Library’s transformation and name floor to honor legendary astrophysicist Sandra Faber
February 15, 2018
UCSC astronomer Alexie Leauthaud wins Sloan Research Fellowship
The Sloan Research Fellowships honor early-career scholars whose achievements mark them as among the very best scientific minds working today.
January 10, 2018
Earliest galaxies in the universe spin like the Milky Way
Astronomers looking back to a time soon after the big bang have discovered swirling gas in some of the earliest galaxies to have formed in the universe.
January 08, 2018
Neutron star merger observations hailed as scientific breakthrough of the year
Both Science and Physics World noted the significance of the findings in which UC Santa Cruz astronomers played a key role.
January 01, 2018
Supermassive black holes control star formation in large galaxies
Astronomers found a close correlation between the mass of a galaxy's central black hole and its star formation history.