Department of Physics and Astronomy News
Physics and astronomy are two of the most basic and fundamental sciences. Physics is the study of matter, energy, motion, and force. Its concepts help us understand how the universe behaves. Astronomy studies the universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere, including celestial objects and the formation and development of the universe.
Current Physics and Astronomy News
A collection of local, national, and international news stories highlighting the people and programs of UNLV.
Researchers from the College of Sciences showcase the artistic side of science by featuring their most captivating research images.
Physicist Ashkan Salamat one of just 46 university professors nationwide – and the first from UNLV – selected for competitive award, which is now in its 10th year.
Physics professor Michael Pravica's work on useful hard X-ray photochemistry could reveal novel materials — and possibly an explanation for the origin of life on Earth.
Two dense, city-sized stars collided in a galaxy far, far away; the resulting X-rays give UNLV’s Bing Zhang and international team of astronomers a new way to spot when it happens and a rare glimpse into how neutron stars form.
From UNLV Magazine spring 2019 issue.
Physics and Astronomy In The News
A professor at UNLV is presenting data obtained from a NASA space mission in the form of music.
Outer space might be silent, but if planets could sing their tunes could tell us a lot about how they formed. At least that’s the theory of UNLV researcher and astrophysicist Jason Steffen, who turned data on thousands of distant worlds into chord progressions that may indicate how they have changed since their births.
In 1619, German astronomer Johannes Kepler published his Harmonices Mundi (Harmony of the World), a text that investigated how mathematics could help the planets of the solar system create celestial music based on their orbital resonances.
We might need to rethink our understanding of water, both on Earth and other planets. New experiments with water ice at high pressures has revealed unexpected behaviour, which could upend our assumptions about the makeup of icy exoplanets.
We might need to rethink our understanding of water, both on Earth and other planets. New experiments with water ice at high pressures has revealed unexpected behaviour, which could upend our assumptions about the makeup of icy exoplanets.
Jason Steffen, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, has more than 7,000 Twitch followers and uses the platform to practice future lectures.
