A mysterious object is being dragged into the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center
Research by UCLA and Keck Observatory scientists concluded that the object, X7, could be a debris cloud from a stellar collision.
space sciences
Results
UCLA-led study explains how one of Saturn’s moons ejects particles from oceans beneath its surface
“Enceladus is giving us free samples of what’s hidden deep below,” says Ashley Schoenfeld, a UCLA doctoral student.
Are we alone in the universe? UCLA astronomers enlist the public to find out
Anyone with a computer or smartphone can help scientists classify radio signals that could reveal existence of intelligent life elsewhere.
How a 3 cm glass sphere could help scientists understand space weather
A study by UCLA physicists overcame the effects of Earth’s gravity, simulating conditions on other planets and stars.
How was the solar system formed? The Ryugu asteroid is helping us learn
UCLA scientists have discovered that minerals were being produced through reactions with water more than 4.5 billion years ago.
Marsquake!
Seismic waves from the largest marsquake ever detected revealed possible past meteoroid impact.
Webb Space Telescope reveals birth of galaxies, how universe became transparent
Studies led by UCLA astrophysicists shed light on how hydrogen fog burned away after the Big Bang.
Space medicine: Future interplanetary travel will depend on it
UCLA’s Dr. Haig Aintablian, campus’s first space medicine fellow, will have a role in shaping the next generation of flight physicians.
Bye, ELFIN: As UCLA’s first student-built satellites meet their fiery demise, the science lives on
Two CubeSats monitoring space radiation since 2018 have returned to Earth as shooting stars, next generation is coming.
First underground radar images from Mars Perseverance rover reveal some surprises
The rover’s RIMFAX instrument, co-led by UCLA’s David Paige, has found unexpectedly tilted rock layers beneath the Jezero crater.
UCLA scientists discover places on the moon where it’s always ‘sweater weather’
People could potentially live and work in lunar pits and caves with steady temperatures in the 60s.
How UCLA’s Alvine Kamaha helped build the world’s most sensitive dark matter detector
Thanks to the physicist’s expertise, the LUX-ZEPLIN has begun its hunt for the universe’s most elusive particles.
Dead star’s cannibalism of its planetary system is most far-reaching ever witnessed
UCLA-led research on a white dwarf 86 light-years from Earth sheds light on the systemic chaos that occurs when a star dies.
Q&A: Space physicist Jacob Bortnik on the new UCLA SPACE Institute
The UCLA professor speaks about why even non-scientists should be intrigued by space research and how the new organization will foster scholarly collaboration.
4 billion-year-old relic from early solar system heading our way
The comet could be as large as 85 miles across but is not a threat, according to UCLA professor David Jewitt.
Ready for mission to International Space Station, alumna Jessica Watkins reflects on her journey so far
The astronaut, who earned a doctorate from UCLA in 2015, will be the first Black woman to complete a long-term mission on the ISS.
UCLA researchers discover source of super-fast ‘electron rain’
The rapid downpours, which can affect satellites and space travel, result from whistler waves affecting Earth’s magnetosphere, scientists say.
UCLA, JPL scientists observe mysterious death of a star emitting six rings
A red giant called V Hya is undergoing rapid evolution as it ends its life in a blaze of glory before shutting down energy production.
Doctors in space: UCLA fellowship prepares new generation of flight surgeons
Dr. Haig Aintablian, who recently completed his residency in emergency medicine at UCLA, is the program’s inaugural fellow.
UCLA astronomers discover more than 300 possible new exoplanets
The findings were made possible by an algorithm developed by UCLA postdoctoral scholar Jon Zink.
Thanks to UCLA graduate student, a lunar honor for explorer Matthew Henson
Jordan Bretzfelder, a UCLA doctoral student, proposed the idea while completing a summer internship at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.
Will it be safe for humans to fly to Mars?
Could the very timing of a mission help shield astronauts from dangerous radiation?
Exceptional undergraduate researchers recognized by UCLA Library
Award recipients’ projects are published on eScholarship, UC’s open-access research repository.
‘Surfing’ particles: Physicists solve a mystery surrounding aurora borealis
Scientists confirm that electrons responsible for the northern lights hitch a ride on electromagnetic waves streaming toward Earth at up to 45 million mph.
How long is a day on Venus? Scientists crack mysteries of our closest neighbor
Fifteen years of radar measurements by a UCLA-led team have provided critical data for understanding many of the planet’s fundamental properties.