Physics and Astronomy Department
| Title | Authored on | Link to edit Content | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Join Western’s Academy for Lifelong Learning for an Exploration of Mars in February | 2017-01-11 | ||
| Inside the Search for Life on ‘Nearby’ Proxima b | Aurorae aside, Proxima b’s severe space weather doesn’t create the prettiest of pictures, at least to human eyes. “We’ve seen 10 huge flares over the span of a few weeks time,” said Matthews. “We estimate the star has flares which we would consider major… |
2016-11-23 | |
| This Earth-like planet orbits the Sun’s nearest neighbor every 11 days | Jim Davenport, a postdoctoral fellow at Western Washington University, believes Proxima b’s biggest obstacle to Earth-like conditions is likely to be Proxima Centauri’s continual flares, which can be ten times more energetic than any ever observed on our Sun. Harsh x-rays and ultraviolet… |
2016-08-24 | |
| Earth-like planet discovered | BELLINGHAM – About four light years away from our planet sits Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system, and orbiting it is its just-discovered companion, a small Earth-like planet that, for now at least, holds the unassuming name of Proxima b. At this distance, Proxima b is… |
2016-08-24 | |
| SPIE Optics + Photonics technologies drive changes from daily life to our view of the universe | Astrophysics' new LIGO-enabled paradigm for exploring the universe, the latest findings of the Mars rovers, and bioinspired robotics are just a few topics in optical engineering to be featured at SPIE Optics + Photonics in August. More than 3,000 reports on the latest in research and… |
2016-05-24 | |
| Mars 2020 mission: Students survey rover landing sites | Meeting weekly this semester for the Astronomy 6500 seminar, Cornell undergraduate and graduate students are conducting research – with six other universities – to help NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory determine a rover landing site for the Mars 2020 mission. The course is a hybrid… |
2016-05-05 | |
| Former Sen. Harriet Spanel of Bellingham dies | Harriet Spanel, who served Whatcom County for more than two decades as a state legislator, has died. She was 77. “We have lost an incredible leader and a dear friend,” said Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, who succeeded Spanel as senator representing the 40th District, in a press… |
2016-02-03 | |
| Inaugural winners of Diversity and Social Justice Grants announced | 2016-01-25 | ||
| WWU Department of Physics and Astronomy Honored by The American Physical Society’s Committee on Education | 2015-10-20 | ||
| ‘Evening of Light’ to feature Mars exploration, genius of lasers | What is it like to explore Mars? What do the latest discoveries from the Red Planet tell us about our own past on Earth -- or our future? Find out in person next month at Western Washington University, via a talk by professor Melissa Rice, one of 400 scientists worldwide to help pilot… |
2015-09-29 |