Congratulations to Dr. Michael Zeilnhofer, who successfully defended his dissertation entitled, A Global Analysis of Impact Craters on Ceres, and became our department’s first ever PhD graduate! Congratulation also to his mentor, Nadine Barlow.
Due to the coronavirus situation, Michael held his defense in a Zoom meeting. Thanks to the 50 or so people who attended his wonderful presentation!
Icy gas clouds found in deep space between stars are believed to be the birthplace of planets and solar systems. Scientists want to know what these clouds are made of, but so far, even the most powerful telescopes have not been able to provide a complete answer.
Mark Loeffler, associate professor in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Northern Arizona University, believes these clouds are rich in homonuclear molecules—molecules composed of… Read more
Two Northern Arizona University students have been named national Goldwater Scholars, making this the fourth year in a row NAU has been represented and the third year with multiple scholarship winners. This prestigious award provides scholarships to undergraduates who intend to pursue research in their chosen field of natural sciences, mathematics or engineering.
Third-year student Beau Prince, studying mathematics, physics and astronomy, and sophomore Breezy Brock, studying microbiology, were selected from 1,343 students… Read more
Along the adjacent hallway, students traversed through a scale model of the inner solar system, replicated with notecards hanging from the ceiling to show the distance between the planets. Erin Aadland, a doctoral candidate in NAU’s Astronomy and Planetary Science program who set up the model, said she was impressed by students’ knowledge of the solar system.
“It’s not all new information for them,” Aadland said. “I think they have a better understanding of the solar system than I ever… Read more
The United Arab Emirates used a novel approach to build the Hope spacecraft, which launches for the red planet this summer. [NAU’s Christopher Edwards is part of this team]
The Hope robotic probe in Colorado. The ruler of Dubai wanted to offer inspiration for youth in the wider Arab world. “That’s why he called the spacecraft Hope,” said Omran Sharaf, the mission’s project manager.
One sign that the New Horizons spacecraft is getting close to the distant planet of Pluto is the growing size of Will Grundy’s hotel room bill.
Grundy, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory, is leader of New Horizons’ surface composition team. With just weeks to go until the spacecraft makes its closest pass of the dwarf planet, Grundy and the rest of the mission team are setting up camp at the… Read more