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Astronomy and Astrophysics

December 17, 2019
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz gives TED talk at National Academy of Sciences
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, is among a select group of scientists who delivered TED talks at the National Academy of Sciences in November.
December 03, 2019
Composition of gas giant planets not determined by host star, study finds
Research led by astronomers at UC Santa Cruz and Carnegie Institution for Science has implications for understanding how planets form.
December 02, 2019
Nine UCSC speakers join TEDx Santa Cruz extravaganza Dec. 7
Nine UCSC affiliates will join novelist Jonathan Franzen and a host of other speakers for TEDx Santa Cruz, a daylong extravaganza focused this year on the "Art of Hope," on Saturday, Dec. 7.
November 19, 2019
List of most highly cited researchers features 18 UCSC scientists and engineers
The 2019 Highly Cited Researchers list includes 18 scientists and engineers at UC Santa Cruz.
November 07, 2019
Lick Observatory continues popular program for Spanish-speaking community
‘La Noche de las Estrellas’ at Lick Observatory brings science to Spanish-speaking students and their families.
October 30, 2019
Simulations explain giant exoplanets with eccentric, close-in orbits
A giant-impacts phase in the evolution of planetary systems can explain the observations of close-in giant planets with eccentric orbits.
October 30, 2019
Powerful new supercomputer supports campus research in physical sciences
UCSC faculty are using the new system for research in astrophysics, climate science, materials science, chemistry, and other fields.
October 28, 2019
DESI opens its 5,000 eyes to capture the colors of the cosmos
UC Santa Cruz astronomers have played leading roles in the collaborative effort to install a new sky-surveying instrument now beginning final testing.
October 22, 2019
When exoplanets collide
Scientists thought they found clues pointing to a collision between two exoplanets ten years ago. Now they found more evidence of a catastrophic collision.
September 26, 2019
Galaxy found to float in a tranquil sea of halo gas
Analysis of radio pulses that passed through a galactic halo reveals a surprisingly quiescent halo with very low density and weak magnetic field.
July 22, 2019
Lick Observatory commemorates Apollo 11 experiment on 50th anniversary
Dedication of a plaque at Lick's Shane Telescope on August 1 honors the Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment that measured the distance to the moon 50 years ago.
June 27, 2019
Astronomers make history in a split second with localization of fast radio burst
In a world first, an international team of astronomers has determined the precise location of a powerful one-off burst of cosmic radio waves known as a fast radio burst.
June 09, 2019
Steck Award honoree delves into the mysteries of supernovae
Tin Long Sunny Wong has been gazing at the stars and studying celestial bodies since he was a middle-school student in Hong Kong. This year, his study of supernovae earned him a Steck Family Award, honoring the most outstanding senior research project
June 04, 2019
Gifts accelerate research, from the galactic to the microscopic
Gifts from Ken and Gloria Levy support biomedical discovery that may help cancer patients as well as research on dark matter halos, some of the universe’s largest structures
May 24, 2019
Astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz appointed to endowed chair for diversity in astronomy
The May 22 investiture ceremony honored Ramirez-Ruiz as the inaugural holder of the Vera Rubin Presidential Chair for Diversity in Astronomy.
May 23, 2019
Astrophysicist Natalie Batalha will give annual Mandel Lecture on June 5
Free public talk will focus on Batalha's research on exoplanets and the search for life on other planets.
May 10, 2019
First Faculty Ethics Bowl at UC Santa Cruz to focus on the future
What role should thinking about the far future—1,000 years ahead and beyond—play in research on campus? That’s the key question that will be discussed at "Ethics and the Far Future"--the first UC Santa Cruz Faculty Ethics Bowl.
May 08, 2019
Ancient galaxies reveal new clues about a cosmic transformation
The unexpected brightness of early galaxies may explain "reionization," a transformative epoch in the history of the universe.
May 02, 2019
Astronomers assemble wide view of the evolving universe
A team led by UC Santa Cruz astronomer Garth Illingworth used 16 years of Hubble Space Telescope observations to create a new portrait of the distant universe.
April 30, 2019
Alumni Weekend 2019: Slugs in the mist
More than a thousand people, including 560 alumni, converged on the hilly forested campus for Alumni Weekend 2019, complete with thought-provoking lectures, snacks, free Slug Taxis, a fond farewell, and dancing into the night.
April 29, 2019
Sandra Faber receives American Philosophical Society's Magellanic Premium Medal
Faber was honored for her transformative research on galaxy formation and evolution.
April 19, 2019
UC Santa Cruz hosts summer program on machine learning in astronomy
The Kavli Summer Program in Astrophysics brings together an international group of scientists and students for a six-week program of learning and research.
April 17, 2019
Astronomer Natalie Batalha elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The academy's class of 2019 also includes UCSC alumnus Joe Palca, as well as Michelle Obama and Jonathan Franzen.
March 25, 2019
Summer programs draw visitors to Lick Observatory for music and stargazing
Tickets go on sale in April for the observatory's popular summer evening programs.
March 10, 2019
Leading the charge for change
Alumna Amita Kuttner, a current graduate student in the Physics Department, is running as a Green Party candidate for a seat in Canada’s House of Commons in order to make policy around climate change—a quest sparked by a devastating loss
March 01, 2019
UCSC to bring art/science LASER series downtown for special evening at Rio Theater
On Tuesday, March 12, the Institute of the Arts and Sciences at UC Santa Cruz will bring its local LASER—now in its sixth year of quarterly talks on campus—downtown for a special evening at the Rio Theater.
February 20, 2019
In memoriam: Irene Osterbrock
Widow of late Lick Observatory director was tireless UC Santa Cruz advocate, volunteer, supporter of graduate students, and arts patron
February 12, 2019
Astrophysicist Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz wins AAS/HEAD Mid-Career Prize
The 2019 HEAD Mid-Career Prize recognizes Ramirez-Ruiz "for his key contributions to our physical understanding of transient phenomena involving compact objects."
February 05, 2019
Three UCSC undergrads honored for presentations at national astronomy meeting
Three UCSC undergraduates were among the winners of the Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Awards at the American Astronomical Society meeting.
January 29, 2019
MaNGA data release includes detailed maps of thousands of nearby galaxies
Major data release from Sloan Digital Sky Survey includes galaxy maps, new data access and visualization tools, and a huge 'stellar library'.
January 18, 2019
Waves in Saturn's rings give precise measurement of planet's rotation rate
Saturn's ring system acts as a sensitive seismograph, enabling scientists to measure the giant planet's vibrations and determine its rotation rate.
January 17, 2019
In Memoriam: Arnold Klemola (1931–2019)
Arnold Klemola, a long-time staff researcher at UC Observatories, passed away on January 5, 2019. He was 87.
January 15, 2019
Seed-funding innovation
The UC Santa Cruz Foundation Board of Trustees seeks interesting new projects to fund.