EPSS’s Emmanuel Masongsong’s Figure Published in Nature Physics
Image caption: An artist’s rendering of the magnetosphere in cross-section, with the sun and solar wind on the left and magnetic field lines emanating from the Earth in blue. The five THEMIS probes were well-positioned to directly observe one particular magnetic field line as it moved back and forth every six minutes. This magnetic field motion caused electrons (white dots) to stream along the field line and enter Earth’s north and south poles, brightening a specific region of the aurora. Credit: E. Masongsong, UCLA EPSS, NASA...
read moreiPLEX-MUST Fellows Program in Planetary Science
iPLEX-MUST Fellows Program in Planetary Science University Involvement Host Department: Institute for Planets and Exoplanets (iPLEX) Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences (EPSS) Contact: Prof. David Jewitt, Director of iPLEX, jewitt@ucla.edu Partnering University: Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) Contact: Prof. Kwing Chan Lam, Director Space Science Institute, klchan@must.edu.mo The iPLEX-MUST Fellows Program Visitors (graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty) from the Macau University of Science and...
read moreOctober 8th, 2016: International Observe the Moon Night
Please join us on the evening of Saturday 08 October, 2016 from 7 to 9 PM to participate and celebrate the 2016 edition of International Observe the Moon Night! We will have telescopes set up on the roof (9th floor) of UCLA’s Mathematical Sciences Building. It’s FREE, open to the public, and you’ll be able to observe the Moon (weather permitting). Please visit http://planets.ucla.edu/outreach/iotmn2016/ for more information and...
read moreThe Asteroid-Meteorite Connection Workshop at UCLA
The iPLEX-hosted Asteroid-Meteorite Connection Workshop occurred on 21 and 22 April 2016 and featured an international cast of scientists researching asteroids, meteorites and comets using several methods with the hope of achieving a more complete understanding of the formation and evolution of planetesimals in the early Solar System and extrasolar systems. Details regarding the final program of the workshop are available here:...
read moreUCLA Researcher Alan Rubin featured in New York Times article
Dr. Alan Rubin, a researcher at UCLA and meteorite identification expert, was interviewed for a recent article by the New York Times. The article and Alan discuss the discovery of several meteorites in Florida and the history of the parent asteroid they likely came from. To read the full article, click here:...
read moreUCLA Professor emeritus narrows space between astronomy, environmentalism
UCLA Astronomy Professor Emeritus Ben Zuckerman was recently featured in the Daily Bruin for his passion for environmentalism, conservation, and sustainability. Read more about Ben’s lifelong work here:...
read moreProfessor Ed Young named Fellow of two geochemical associations
Congratulations to Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Professor Ed Young who has been named a Fellow of the Geochemical Society and of the European Association of Geochemistry. The award is “bestowed upon outstanding scientists who have, over some years, made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry”. Ed will be honored at the Goldschmidt meeting in Yokohama this...
read morePlanets on Parade
Late January and early February have provided spectacular views of the planets in the early morning sky. It is the first time that the bright planets that can be seen with the naked eye have been simultaneously visible since 2005. In their outward order from the sun, the five bright planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They are visible because they are large and relatively close compared with other celestial objects like stars. Their surfaces and disks reflect sunlight and shine steadily, compared to the distant twinkling...
read moreBidding Farewell to UCLA Professor Mike Jura
It is with sadness that we report the passing of UCLA professor and distinguished astronomer, Michael Jura. A facet to the Department of Physics and Astronomy and an active member of iPLEX, Mike always encouraged the interdisciplinary blending of planetary science and astronomy. He made major contributions to the fields of theoretical and observational astronomy and was influential in the development of infrared astronomy and the Infrared Laboratory at UCLA, which now has instruments in many terrestrial and space telescopes. His presence will...
read moreUCLA scientists study the Moon-forming impact using oxygen isotopes
UCLA scientists Ed Young, Issaku Kohl, Paul Warren, and their collaborators are featured in Science today (January 29, 2016) with their paper “Oxygen isotopic evidence for vigorous mixing during the Moon-forming giant impact.” Using their new Panorama high-resolution mass spectrometer, which is housed at UCLA, the team has performed ultra-high precision oxygen isotope analyses of lunar samples. The compositions match those of Earth’s mantle rocks to within a few parts-per-million (in the Δ17O parameter), demonstrating that the Earth...
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