Astronomy & Astrophysics
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Radioactive elements may be crucial to the habitability of rocky planets
Earth-size planets can have varying amounts of radioactive elements, which generate internal heat that drives a planet’s geological activity and magnetism.
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Anemic star cluster breaks metal-poor record
In a surprising discovery, astronomers have found a globular star cluster in the Andromeda galaxy that contains a record-breaking low amount of metals.
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Astrophysicist Jonathan Fortney awarded 2020 Farinella Prize
Jonathan Fortney has been awarded the 2020 Paolo Farinella Prize from the Europlanet Society for his contributions to the understanding of the structure, evolution, and atmospheric dynamics of giant planets.
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New observations of black hole devouring a star reveal rapid disk formation
The first clear confirmation of accretion disk formation in a tidal disruption event without x-ray emissions supports theoretical predictions.
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UC’s Lick Observatory threatened by fire
Residences on Mt. Hamilton sustained some damage, but fire crews have so far been able to protect the observatory’s telescope domes and visitor center.
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Calcium-rich supernova examined with x-rays for first time
An international team has obtained unprecedented observations of a rare calcium-rich supernova.
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How galaxies die: New insights into the quenching of star formation
A simple model explains a wide range of observations by describing a contest between galaxy halos and their central black holes that eventually turns off star formation.
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Astrophysics graduate student Diana Powell wins 2020 Ford Fellowship
Powell won a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship to support her work as she completes her Ph.D. thesis on exoplanets.
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White dwarfs reveal new insights into the origin of carbon in the universe
A new analysis of white dwarf stars supports their role as a key source of carbon, an element crucial to all life, in the Milky Way and other galaxies.
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Physicist Tesla Jeltema wins Mentorship Award from American Physical Society
An accomplished astrophysicist, Jeltema is also a champion for diversity and a dedicated supporter of students at all levels.
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Universe’s ‘missing matter’ finally found in the space between galaxies
An international team of astronomers has solved the decades-old mystery of the ‘missing matter’ long predicted to exist in the universe but never before detected.
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Astronomers create cloud atlas for hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets
Giant planets in our solar system and circling other stars have exotic clouds unlike anything on Earth, and the gas giants orbiting close to their stars—so called hot Jupiters—boast the most extreme.