News
New JWST data reveal more details of exoplanet WASP-39b's atmosphere
November 22, 2022
A 'mystery molecule' seen in the initial spectrum has been identified as sulfur dioxide produced by photochemical reactions in the planet's atmosphere.
Batalha testifies at Congressional hearing on the initial scientific findings of the JWST
November 22, 2022
The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most powerful telescope humans have sent to space and, Batalha asserts, it is ushering in a new era of exoplanet science.
Webb telescope draws back the curtain on universe’s early galaxies
November 17, 2022
Initial findings from JWST Early Release Science programs include the discovery of two exceptionally bright galaxies in the early universe.
List of most highly cited researchers features 19 UCSC scientists and engineers
November 15, 2022
A new list of the world's most highly cited researchers includes 19 scientists and engineers at UC Santa Cruz.
Death of a star reveals midsize black hole lurking in a dwarf galaxy
November 10, 2022
By studying intermediate-mass black holes, scientists hope to improve their understanding of the growth of supermassive black holes in massive galaxies.
New astronomy network catalyzes scientific excellence
November 9, 2022
A new STEM mentoring network seeks to maximize scientific excellence and output within the astronomy and astrophysics community by cultivating inclusive environments where people with marginalized identities can thrive.
COSMOS program serves as a portal for aspiring astrophysicist’s journey to UC Santa Cruz
October 19, 2022
Her high school experience on campus motivated and inspired Julia Stewart (Crown ’24, astronomy) to matriculate to UCSC. Now she is paving the way for the next generation of math and science protégés seeking their own North Star
Astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz honored as Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences
October 11, 2022
Ramirez-Ruiz and alumnus Scott Shaffer were selected by the California Academy of Sciences to join the ranks of Academy Fellows.
UCSC welcomes 41 outstanding new faculty members
October 4, 2022
With the start of the 2022-23 academic year, UC Santa Cruz welcomes 41 new senate faculty members. The research and creative scholarship and expertise brought to our campus by these new faculty colleagues will strengthen existing areas of work and open discovery opportunities.
Collaboration between engineering and astrophysics will develop cutting-edge spectrometers-on-a-chip
September 28, 2022
Two researchers have won an NSF grant that will allow them to pursue the emerging technology of spectrometers on a chip – tiny devices for separating and measuring light at ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths which can enable advances in astronomy when used as part of telescope instrumentation.
Astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz to give NSF Distinguished Lecture Oct. 6
September 19, 2022
The National Science Foundation has invited Ramirez-Ruiz to give a Distinguished Lecture sponsored by the NSF Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences and Education and Human Resources.
With Pivot Fellowship, astronomer J. Xavier Prochaska turns to oceanography
September 7, 2022
A new program from the Simons Foundation supports successful researchers who have a deep interest, curiosity, and drive to make contributions to a new discipline.
Pioneering radio astronomer Frank Drake dies at 92
September 2, 2022
Frank Drake, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics and an eminent radio astronomer known for his pioneering efforts in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), died September 2 at his home in Aptos.
NASA releases Webb telescope's first exoplanet image
September 1, 2022
UCSC astronomers led the analysis of the first exoplanet images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Astronomer Ariadna Murguia-Berthier wins 2022 Trumpler Award for Ph.D. thesis
August 31, 2022
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is honoring Murguia-Berthier for the research she completed as a graduate student in astronomy at UC Santa Cruz.
Astronomers witness star-slinging tug-of-war between merging galaxies
August 30, 2022
Observations of a newly-dormant galaxy indicate that it stopped forming stars not because it used up all of its gas but because most of its star-forming fuel was thrown out of the system as it merged with another galaxy.
JWST makes first unequivocal detection of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphere
August 25, 2022
UCSC astronomer Natalie Batalha leads a team that detected carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-39b using the James Webb Space Telescope.
Missing carbon monoxide in planetary disks was hiding in the ice
August 22, 2022
In planetary disks, carbon monoxide is lurking in large chunks of ice, solving the decade-old question, ‘Where is the CO?’
Lenses and Mirrors-Shadow the Scientists receives Heising-Simons Foundation grant
August 15, 2022
Kickstarted by UC Santa Cruz Astronomy and Astrophysics Professor Raja GuhaThakurta, Lenses and Mirrors–Shadow the Scientists brings cutting-edge scientific research to anybody’s computer screen.
Astrophysicist Bruce Macintosh appointed director of UC Observatories
August 12, 2022
UC President Michael Drake has appointed Bruce Macintosh director of UC Observatories, an astronomical research unit headquartered at UC Santa Cruz and serving nine UC campuses.
Center for Reimagining Leadership
July 26, 2022
Center for Reimagining Leadership has been established, effective July 1, 2022. Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, will be the faculty director of the center.
Measuring the universe with star-shattering explosions
July 22, 2022
An international team of scientists has analyzed archive data for powerful cosmic explosions from the deaths of stars and found a new way to measure distances in the distant universe.
Simulations reveal hydrodynamics of planetary engulfment by expanding star
June 13, 2022
A new study using hydrodynamical simulations reveals the forces acting on a planet when it is swallowed by an expanding star, as will eventually happen to the inner planets of our solar system when the sun becomes a red giant.
Amanda Quirk
May 31, 2022
Amanda Quirk's research on galaxy mergers showed evidence that the Andromeda galaxy had some kind of major galactic collision in the past 4 billion years, and survived—which has implications for our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
UCSC student wins second place at UC systemwide Grad Slam
May 12, 2022
Astronomy and astrophysics Ph.D. candidate Amanda Quirk came in second place in an elite group of ten competitors at the UC systemwide Grad Slam finale on May 6. She pulled off this feat after winning the UCSC Grad Slam in March.
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz chosen for prestigious Julio Cortázar Latin American Chair
May 3, 2022
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, has been selected to hold the Julio Cortázar Latin American Chair at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, for 2022.
Summer programs draw visitors to Lick Observatory for music and stargazing
April 28, 2022
Tickets are on sale now for the observatory's popular summer evening programs.
Risa Wechsler named 2022 Physical and Biological Sciences Distinguished Graduate Student Alumna
April 11, 2022
UC Santa Cruz alumna Risa Wechsler (Ph.D. Physics ’01) has played an instrumental role in groundbreaking research in the cosmology field, with pioneering galaxy structure and cosmic structure surveys, and more than 300 widely cited publications. Wechsler has also been committed to ensuring the growth of diversity and inclusion within the physics and astronomy community.
UC Santa Cruz hosts ‘Universe in Verse’ April 16 in the Quarry Amphitheater
April 5, 2022
The fifth annual Universe in Verse—a charitable celebration of science and nature through poetry and music, created and hosted by writer Maria Popova (Marginalian)—will be held in person at UC Santa Cruz in the Quarry Amphitheater on Saturday, April 16.
Postdoctoral fellowships support planetary science research
March 31, 2022
Brittany Miles and Paul Dalba have won 51 Pegasi b Fellowships to support their research on exoplanets and brown dwarfs.
Methane could be the first detectable indication of life beyond Earth
March 28, 2022
A new study assesses the planetary context in which the detection of methane in an exoplanet’s atmosphere could be considered a compelling sign of life.
Cannibal galaxies and devastating collisions
March 14, 2022
Amanda Quirk won the annual Grad Slam competition last week after compressing billions of years of galactic history into a humorous and insightful three-minute presentation. She won $3,000 and a chance to compete in the UC Grad Slam finals in May.
Black Lives Matter: A statement from our department
June 24, 2020
