Nerdvana • University of Arizona

The Near Earth Object Surveyor infrared telescope is moving toward its preliminary design phase, led by University of Arizona professor Amy Mainzer. NASA plans to launch the surveyor in 2026. (Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Arizona professor will lead NASA project to locate menacing objects near Earth

NASA has appointed a professor at the University of Arizona to lead the Near Earth Object Surveyor project.

The “Cigar Galaxy” – or M82 – contains areas of gas that fuel the formation of new stars. In 2024, a small telescope designed by the University of Arizona will be launched to study these gases and help astronomers better understand galaxies. (Photo courtesy of NASA)

UArizona to lead space telescope mission to learn how galaxies evolve, form stars

The University of Arizona was chosen to lead the 2024 NASA mission called Aspera. The mission will help researchers understand the flow of gas around galaxies.

Astronomers discover most distant quasar to date

UArizona astronomers search to answer how galaxies formed millions of years ago after discovering a distant quasar, powered by a black hole.

Ecologists studying the tropical rainforest biome in Biosphere 2 near Tucson say it’s very similar to being in natural rainforests, which absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen on a grand scale. (Photo courtesy of Chris Richards/University of Arizona)

Biosphere 2 study: Tropical forests may be more resilient to rising temperatures than predicted

Researchers discovered at Biosphere 2 near Tucson that tropical forests may be more resilient to warming temperatures than originally thought, but they are...

Final assembly in 2015 of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which launched in 2016. University of Arizona teams had been working on the project for more than a decade when it reached a near-Earth asteroid, Bennu, this week and executed a touch-and-go mission to briefly “tag” the surface, collect soil samples and head back to orbit. (Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin)

University of Arizona team cheers success of asteroid-contact mission

After years of work, $800 million and 200 million miles in space, it all came down to six seconds - the time OSIRIS-REx spent on the surface of near-Earth...

Montage of Jupiter images taken by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2007

As Jupiter dazzles in the night sky, new research suggests its moons are warming each other

A recent study at the University of Arizona helped researchers understand how “tidal heating” among Jupiter’s many moons is raising their temperatures.

A team of five agents in Riot Games’ competitive shooter game “Valorant,” a new release that some Arizona players say could be the next big thing in esports. (Image courtesy of Riot games)

The new FPS Valorant is a big esports hit in Arizona schools

Valorant, the new first-person shooter from Riot Games, has made a big splash among the esports scene in Arizona.

8 things to know about the novel coronavirus, wipes and ‘Dr. Germ’

Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona, aka “Dr. Germ,” discusses research on disinfectants’ power to kill the coronavirus.

CAL Berkeley reclaims championship in 2018 Fiesta Bowl Overwatch college finals

It was a weekend full of excitement as the Fiesta Bowl and Tespa hosted the 2018 collegiate Overwatch finals in Tempe.

Fiesta Bowl Overwatch Collegiate National Championship coming to Tempe on Feb. 17

Three teams from the University of California (Berkeley, San Diego, and Irvine, respectively) and one from the University of Toronto will battle it out at the...