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Department of Physics and Astronomy News
The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers comprehensive programs on two of the most basic and fundamental sciences–physics and astronomy. 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
News highlights featuring UNLV students and staff who made (refreshing) waves in the headlines.
![Artist rendering of NASA Swift Satellite](/sites/default/files/styles/768_width/public/media/image/2024-05/swift_view_01_comp_NASA%20copy_small2.png?itok=i0PDd_Sz)
Two studies pair observational data with machine learning models to increase precision in distance estimates for GRBs.
President Keith E. Whitfield honors six graduates who have shown exemplary commitment to both the community and their studies.
News highlights starring UNLV students and faculty who made local and national headlines.
![AI rendering of binary planets orbiting eachother](/sites/default/files/styles/768_width/public/media/image/2024-04/BinaryPlanets.jpg?itok=CAonPOfF)
Study in Nature Astronomy theorizes that dense stellar clusters may eject pairs of giant planets, which remain gravitationally bound to one another.
A collection of news stories and highlights featuring UNLV students and faculty.
Physics and Astronomy In The News
The real reason airlines still board planes from front to back despite it causing huge aisle queues has been revealed. Passengers have long found boarding one of the most tiresome parts of flying - but an astrophysicist thinks there's a better way.
Supermassive black holes at the hearts of active galaxies may be churning out a lot of the universe’s high-energy neutrinos.
The worst part about flying isn't the flight itself. It's not even airport security. What's always a pain is boarding the aircraft. There's something utterly chaotic about the process, from the jumbles of people crowding the gate to the shuffling down the aisle before being blocked by someone in front of you attempting to put their bag in the overhead bin (which they'll often do the wrong way). There must be a better way, so why do airlines board front to back?
![Mashable](/sites/default/files/styles/100_width_25_height/public/news_source/logo/mashable.png?itok=4lxrMgGS)
The skies can be clear, blue, and tranquil. "And all of a sudden, boom, you hit it," Dan Bubb, a former airline pilot and now an aviation historian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Mashable.
![Mashable](/sites/default/files/styles/100_width_25_height/public/news_source/logo/mashable.png?itok=4lxrMgGS)
The skies can be clear, blue, and tranquil. "And all of a sudden, boom, you hit it," Dan Bubb, a former airline pilot and now an aviation historian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Mashable.
The dawn of artificial intelligence (AI) has ushered in a transformative era, promising to reshape every facet of our lives. Now, AI has moved off-world, helping NASA scientists unlock the secrets of the cosmos, including the location of gamma ray bursts (GRBs).
Physics and Astronomy Experts
![Headshot of Ashkan Salamat](/sites/default/files/styles/100_width/public/experts/highres/Salamat_NC.jpg?itok=th93fmIC)
![Jason Steffen's Portrait photo](/sites/default/files/styles/100_width/public/media/image/2022-08/D74153_005%20Jason%20Steffen.jpeg?itok=76WVl1tU)
![Bing Zhang headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/100_width/public/expert-images/D74156-003-Bing-Zhang_1.jpg?itok=ZwcOEAG1)