An automated optics system developed in part by UNC Professor Nick Law brings clarity to astronomical observation. The robotic adaptive optics system (Robo-AO) has already been used to observe 715 of the star systems detected by the Kepler Space Mission. … Continued

A novel telescope proposed by UNC astronomer Nick Law will take images of the whole sky every two minutes to look for exoplanets transiting in front of their host stars, and other transient events. The project has been fully funded … Continued

Astronomers have identified what is quite possibly the coldest, faintest white dwarf star ever discovered. Its carbon has cooled to a point that it has crystallized, creating what is essentially a “diamond” in space that is roughly the size of … Continued

A few days ago, we teased that we have an exciting result to share with you. Here it is! On June 3rd, Chariklo — the largest object between Saturn and Uranus — passed in front of a relatively bright star. … Continued

The UNC Physics and Astronomy Department is doing its part to transform large lecture halls into smaller, more personal learning environments. Along with many other departments in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, P&A is providing students the opportunity … Continued

The Sanford Lab in Lead, South Dakota, will be featured in a category on the game show ‘Jeopardy!’ this Friday, 2/21/2014. The lab is the home of research related to the MAJORANA project. Click the link below for the full … Continued

The Graduate School has announced Laurel Burk, a postdoctoral research associate with UNC Physics and Astronomy, as the 2014 recipient of the Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award for Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering. The award recognizes exemplary scholarly work in doctoral … Continued

Chancellor Carol Folt announced the winners of the 2014 University Teaching Awards during halftime of the January 26 men’s basketball game. Professor Christian Iliadis was announced as the university’s nominee for the Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, … Continued

Assistant Professor Amy Oldenburg, Physics & Astronomy, has received an NSF CAREER award for her project titled “Imaging multi-scale viscoelastic properties of cancer-associated remodeling.” The project involves the development of a novel optical imaging instrument combining holography and optical coherence … Continued

UNC Physics Professors Otto Zhou and Jianping Lu, along with Radiation Oncology Professor Sha Chang, have developed a promising new therapy for cancer tumors that is based on carbon nanotube x-ray emitters developed in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. … Continued

UNC-Chapel Hill theoretical physicist Laura Mersini-Houghton gave a talk on pictures taken from the Planck satellite and what evidence they may yield for parallel universes at the 2013 How the Light Gets In Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. A video of … Continued

Deep in a former South Dakota gold mine, a team of scientists and students are attempting to unlock the secrets of neutrinos. Very little is known about these subatomic particles, and the research group’s findings could prove very important to … Continued