Aug. 29. 2019
With new Ph.D. programs, a new research center, a new college and expanded faculty, all in the last three years, new departments weren’t far behind.
This summer, the Department of Physics and Astronomy split into the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences (APS) and the Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science (APMS). APMS is in the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences, while APS stays in the College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural… Read more
NAU astrophysicist leads international team in ‘unprecedented’ discovery of unique infrared light signature on Neptune’s moon Triton
July 29, 2019
Triton orbits Neptune, the eighth planet from the Sun, some 2.7 billion miles from Earth—at the cold outer fringe of the Solar System’s major planet zone. Surface temperatures hover near absolute zero, so low that common compounds we know as gases on Earth freeze into ices. Triton’s atmosphere, which is 70,000 times less dense… Read more
Keeping Earth safe from impact: NAU astronomer worked with international team to conduct global planetary defense exercise
June 25, 2019
Scientists have discovered nearly all “extinction-scale” near-Earth objects, or NEOs (asteroids larger than one kilometer in diameter) and determined they pose no risk of impact in the near future. But there are still thousands of smaller NEOs that pose a potential danger.
NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) coordinates the detection of potentially hazardous objects, characterization of those objects and response planning in the event of… Read more
NAU repeats its record with three Goldwater Scholars
April 30, 2019
For the second year in a row, three Northern Arizona University students have been named national Goldwater Scholars.
Christopher Keefe, a sophomore studying computer science and biology; Kyle Ghaby, a junior in chemistry and biomedical science; and Megan Gialluca, a sophomore studying physics and astronomy, received this recognition, which is the most prestigious award in the U.S. for undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“Congratulations to the students and their mentors, who exemplify the Lumberjack… Read more
Collaborating on two major NASA projects, NAU astrobiologist joins in hunt for life outside our solar system
Feb. 25, 2019
When 51 Pegasi b was the first planet orbiting a Sun-like star discovered outside our solar system in 1995, the question of whether life exists in other corners of our galaxy shifted from, “Do exoplanets exist?” to “How do we recognize whether an exoplanet can support life?”
Since then, NASA’s Kepler mission and ground-based surveys of exoplanets have revealed some profound findings: Earth-sized, potentially habitable worlds around other stars in our galaxy are extremely common—in fact, scientists theorize… Read more
Rest in Peace, Mars Exploration Rover-B, AKA Opportunity: Jan. 25, 2004-Feb. 13, 2019
Feb. 14, 2019
Farewell, Opportunity. This six-wheeled solar-powered rover approximately the size of a golf cart has been immobile and unable to respond to radio signals since it entered a power-saving contingency mode during a sun-blocking dust storm on Mars during the summer of 2018. After more than a half year of effort to re-establish communications with Opportunity, NASA declared on Wednesday that Opportunity’s mission has come to an official end. Opportunity began exploring the flat plains of… Read more