News

OSIRIS-REx mission team wins 2022 Swigert Award for Space Exploration

Wednesday

The award recognizes the team behind the mission's successful collection of a pristine asteroid sample for laying "the groundwork for forging the next generation of scientists, astronomers, geologists and more."

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Artist's conception of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collecting a sample from the asteroid Bennu.

New treasure trove of globular clusters holds clues about galaxy evolution

Jan. 11, 2022

Using observations of the nearby elliptical galaxy Centaurus A, a team of astronomers found an unprecedented number of possible globular clusters – old, dense groups of thousands of stars that all formed at the same time.

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The galaxy Centaurus A

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Successfully Begins its Journey to Space

Dec. 25, 2021

University of Arizona astronomers will help NASA's James Webb Space Telescope peer deeper into the universe than any telescope in history. Webb successfully launched on Christmas Day.

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Rocket Launch

Astronomers Detect Signature of Magnetic Field on an Exoplanet

Dec. 20, 2021

Researchers have identified the first signature of a magnetic field surrounding a planet outside of our solar system. Earth's magnetic field acts as a shield against energetic particles from the sun known as the solar wind. Magnetic fields could play similar roles on other planets.

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Artist’s impression of exoplanet HAT-P-11b

Here's How to See Comet Leonard, According to the UArizona Researcher Who Discovered It

Dec. 13, 2021

The brightest comet of the year, named after the UArizona researcher who discovered it, is paying one last visit to Earth's neighborhood before leaving the solar system forever.

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Gregory Leonard with the Catalina Sky Survey's 1.5-meter (60-inch) telescope on Mount Lemmon

Scouting Ancient Supermassive Black Holes

Dec. 8, 2021

A team led by UArizona astronomers will use NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to examine three of the most distant active supermassive black holes known, as well as their host galaxies.

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Artist's impression of a quasar

Near-Earth Asteroid Might be a Lost Fragment of the Moon

Nov. 11, 2021

The near-Earth asteroid Kamo`oalewa might actually be a fragment of our moon, according to a team of astronomers led by the University of Arizona. Kamo`oalewa is a quasi-satellite – a type of near-Earth asteroid that orbits the sun but remains relatively close to Earth.

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The Earth, the asteroid Kamo`oalewa and the moon

Astronomers Discover Massive Galaxy 'Shipyard' in the Distant Universe

Oct. 27, 2021

Astronomers have discovered a structure thought to be a "protocluster" of galaxies on its way to developing into a galaxy supercluster. The discovery was made possible, in part, by the UArizona-managed Large Binocular Telescope.

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Several instruments joined forces to produce this image of the G237 protocluster, identifying its galaxies in different colors representing different wavelengths of observations.

Astronomers Provide 'Field Guide' to Exoplanets Known as Hot Jupiters

Oct. 21, 2021

By combining Hubble Space Telescope observations with theoretical models, a team of astronomers has gained insights into the chemical and physical makeup of a variety of exoplanets known as hot Jupiters.

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artist’s impression of a hot Jupiter planet

UArizona Astronomers to Help NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Peer into Space's Past

Oct. 12, 2021

NASA's new flagship space observatory has arrived in French Guinea, where it will be readied for launch on Dec. 18. UArizona astronomers Marcia and George Rieke played key roles in designing and building the telescope's infrared "eyes," which will peer deeper into the cosmos than ever before. 

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Artist conception of the James Webb Space Telescope.