What Hollywood gets wrong (and right!) about protecting the Earth from asteroids
UC Santa Cruz alumna Kirsten Howley is an astrophysicist working as part of a planetary defense team that has been tasked with preventing a real-life ‘Armageddon’
Life on Earth may have begun in hostile hot springs
Understanding the origins of life on this planet could offer hints about where to search for life elsewhere, says Natalie Batalha, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “It has very significant implications for the future of space exploration.”
Original story from Science News.
New observations of black hole devouring a star reveal rapid disk formation
New TDE observations led by astronomers at UC Santa Cruz now provide clear evidence that debris from the star forms a rotating disk, called an accretion disk, around the black hole. Theorists have been debating whether an accretion disk can form efficiently during a tidal disruption event, and the new findings should help resolve that question.
Astrophysics graduate student Diana Powell wins 2020 Ford Fellowship
Diana Powell, an astrophysics graduate student at UC Santa Cruz, was among 132 outstanding scholars awarded fellowships in the 2020 Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Original story from UCSC Newscenter.
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.
Original story from UCSC Newscenter.
The galaxy that grew up too fast
A vast wheel of gas in the primordial cosmos is forcing astronomers to rethink how some of the universe’s largest structures may have formed.
Original story from The New York Times.
Powerful new AI technique detects & classifies galaxies in astronomy image data
UCSC researchers developed a deep-learning framework called Morpheus to perform pixel-level morphological classifications of objects in astronomical images.
Original story from UCSC Newscenter.
Astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
Original story from UCSC Newscenter.
Astronomers use slime mold model to reveal dark threads of the cosmic web
A computational approach inspired by the growth patterns of a bright yellow slime mold has enabled a team of astronomers and computer scientists at UC Santa Cruz to trace the filaments of the cosmic web that connects galaxies throughout the universe.
Original story from UCSC Newscenter.
Five astronomers among the first class of AAS Legacy Fellows
The American Astronomical Society (AAS), the major organization of professional astronomers in North America, has established a new accolade, Fellow of the AAS, to honor members for extraordinary achievement and service.
Astronomer Sandra Faber awarded Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal
The Royal Astronomical Society has awarded its Gold Medal in Astronomy to Sandra Faber, professor emerita of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz.
Original story from UCSC Newscenter.
$1 million gift creates William Wallace Campbell Director’s Fund for Lick Observatory
UC Santa Cruz has received a gift of $1 million to establish the William Wallace Campbell Director’s Fund for Lick Observatory in the University of California Observatories (UCO).
Original story from UCSC Newscenter.