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Chris Impey

University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona
Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He has over 180 refereed publications on observational cosmology, galaxies, and quasars, and his research has been supported by $20 million in NASA and NSF grants. He has won eleven teaching awards, and has taught three massive open online classes with over 180,000 enrolled. Impey is a past Vice President of the American Astronomical Society and he has been an NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Carnegie Council’s Arizona Professor of the Year, and most recently, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. He’s written over 70 popular articles on cosmology and astrobiology, two introductory textbooks, a novel called Shadow World, and eight popular science books: The Living Cosmos, How It Ends, Talking About Life, How It Began, Dreams of Other Worlds, Humble Before the Void, Beyond: The Future of Space Travel, and Einstein’s Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes.

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

Apr 26, 2024 01:33 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Space Science Series

Exploding stars are rare but emit torrents of radiation − if one happened close enough to Earth, it could threaten life on the planet

Apr 01, 2024 11:05 am UTC| Science

Stars like the Sun are remarkably constant. They vary in brightness by only 0.1% over years and decades, thanks to the fusion of hydrogen into helium that powers them. This process will keep the Sun shining steadily for...

Orbital resonance − the striking gravitational dance done by planets with aligning orbits

Feb 05, 2024 07:17 am UTC| Science

Planets orbit their parent stars while separated by enormous distances in our solar system, planets are like grains of sand in a region the size of a football field. The time that planets take to orbit their suns have no...

Space Science Series

Why isn't there any sound in space? An astronomer explains why in space no one can hear you scream

Dec 05, 2023 05:40 am UTC| Science

In space, no one can hear you scream. You may have heard this saying. Its the tagline from the famous 1979 science fiction movie Alien. Its a scary thought, but is it true? The simple answer is yes, no one can hear you...

Space Science Series

NASA report finds no evidence that UFOs are extraterrestrial

Sep 18, 2023 05:52 am UTC| Science

NASAs independent study team released its highly anticipated report on UFOs on Sept. 14, 2023. In part to move beyond the stigma often attached to UFOs, where military pilots fear ridicule or job sanctions if they...

Space junk in Earth orbit and on the Moon will increase with future missions − but nobody's in charge of cleaning it up

Sep 01, 2023 01:38 am UTC| Science

Theres a lot of trash on the Moon right now including nearly 100 bags of human waste and with countries around the globe traveling to the Moon, theres going to be a lot more, both on the lunar surface and in Earths...

Economy

MOEX Russia Index Hits 3-Month High as Energy Stocks Lead Gains

Russian stocks closed mixed on Saturday, with the MOEX Russia Index finishing flat but reaching a new three-month high. Despite ending the session unchanged at 0.00%, investor sentiment remained supported by strong...

Germany and China Reaffirm Open Trade and Strategic Partnership in Landmark Beijing Visit

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz concluded a pivotal visit to Beijing this week, signaling Germanys continued commitment to open markets and strong economic ties with China. As the first foreign leader to visit China in...

U.S. Stocks Close Lower as Hot PPI Data, Nvidia Slide Weigh on Wall Street

U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday, capping the worst monthly performance for Wall Street since March last year, as hotter-than-expected producer inflation data and continued weakness in technology stocks pressured investor...

Gold Prices Rally in February as Geopolitical Risks and Economic Uncertainty Boost Safe-Haven Demand

Gold prices surged on Friday, positioning the precious metal for strong February gains as investors sought safe-haven assets amid rising geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. Spot gold climbed 1.5% to $5,261.81...

Dominican Republic Unveils Massive Rare Earth Deposits to Boost High-Tech and Energy Sectors

The Dominican Republic has announced the discovery of significant rare earth deposits that could position the Caribbean nation as a key future supplier of critical minerals for high-tech industries. President Luis Abinader...

Politics

Russia Signals Openness to U.S. Security Guarantees for Ukraine at Geneva Peace Talks

Russia has indicated it would accept a U.S.-backed proposal for Ukraines post-war security guarantees during recent peace talks in Geneva, according to a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The...

Trump Launches Operation Epic Fury: U.S. Strikes on Iran Mark High-Risk Shift in Middle East

President Donald Trump authorized a sweeping U.S. military operation against Iran after receiving intelligence briefings that warned of potential American casualties while highlighting a possible geopolitical shift in...

U.S.-Israel Strike on Iran Escalates Middle East Conflict, Trump Claims Khamenei Killed

The United States and Israel have launched coordinated military strikes on Iran, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social that Irans Supreme Leader, Ayatollah...

Netanyahu Suggests Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei May Have Been Killed in Israeli-U.S. Strikes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that there are many signs indicating Irans Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may have been killed in recent Israeli-U.S. airstrikes on Iran. The statement comes...

Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Killed in Israeli, U.S. Strikes: Reuters

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly been killed in joint Israeli and U.S. strikes, according to a senior Israeli official who spoke to Reuters on Saturday. The reported death of Khamenei marks a...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

OpenAI Pentagon AI Contract Adds Safeguards Amid Anthropic Dispute

OpenAI has confirmed that its newly signed contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) includes expanded safeguards designed to tightly regulate how artificial intelligence is deployed on classified government...

Trump Orders Federal Agencies to Halt Use of Anthropic AI Technology

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has directed every federal agency to immediately stop using artificial intelligence technology developed by Anthropic, escalating tensions between the federal government...

Federal Judge Blocks Virginia Social Media Age Verification Law Over First Amendment Concerns

A federal judge has temporarily blocked Virginia from enforcing a new social media law designed to protect children from online addiction, ruling that it likely violates First Amendment rights. The decision marks a...

Nintendo Share Sale: MUFG and Bank of Kyoto to Sell Stakes in Strategic Unwinding

Nintendo is reportedly preparing a major unwinding of strategic cross-shareholdings that could see MUFG Bank and the Bank of Kyoto sell significant stakes in the iconic Super Mario maker. According to sources familiar with...

Hyundai Motor Group to Invest $6.26 Billion in AI Data Center, Robotics and Renewable Energy Projects in South Korea

Hyundai Motor Group has signed a landmark agreement with the South Korean government to invest approximately 9 trillion won ($6.26 billion) in major industrial and technology projects along the countrys western coast....