Facilities and Initiatives
The Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics works closely with a large number of related research organizations and state-of-the-art facilities. Many are are located on campus, and others are administered by UCSC. These affiliated institutions are critical to our research and training goals. Links to the most prominent organizations are listed below:
Featured Facility:
Keck Observatory, Mauna Kea, HI
These twin 10-meter telescopes are the world’s largest telescopes and are jointly operated by the University of California, Caltech, and NASA. UC researchers receive 35% of the time. The Keck’s 36-segment mirror design originated at UC, and UC astronomers have built the majority of Keck instruments. Keck data are widely used by the majority of UCSC observational students and postdoctoral fellows.
Facilities & Initiatives
University of California Observatories (UCO):
UCO is multi-campus research unit of the University of California that manages UC participation in both the Keck and Lick Observatories. Headquarters are on the UCSC campus. UCO astronomers hold joint appointments as professors in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and conduct research and teach in the department. The UCO Instrument Laboratories are recognized world leaders in astronomical instrumentation, including optical design, fabrication, mechanical design, and instrument control software.
Lick Observatory, Mt. Hamilton, CA:
The Lick Observatory is owned and operated by the University of California, with headquarters at UCSC. Lick was the first mountain-top observatory, built in 1888 with the 36-inch refractor, then the world’s largest telescope. Current telescopes include the 3-meter Shane Reflector, the 1-meter Nickel Reflector, and the new 2.4- meter Automated Planet Finder, dedicated to finding extrasolar planetary systems (under construction). Lick is one of the world’s best sites for high-resolution spectroscopy and is a leader in developing adaptive optics.
UCSC’s Astrobiology program is a collaborative, interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to the study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. Work is ongoing to forge new research directions and create new interdisciplinary classes at the undergraduate level. By probing how life forms, identifying the markers of living worlds, and observing our local astronomical neighborhood, UCSC astrobiologists bring a 21st century approach to bear on an ancient question: are we alone in the universe?
The Other Worlds Laboratory (OWL) is a new research initiative at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) that builds on the university’s historic successes in the study of planets inside and outside the solar system. Within OWL, we seek to understand Earth’s place in the diversity of our solar system, use state-of-the-art techniques to find planets around other stars (“exoplanets”), understand how planets form, characterize their atmospheres, and understand if they are possible homes for life.
Laboratory for Adaptive Optics (LAO):
Located on the UCSC campus, the Laboratory for Adaptive Optics enables hands-on exploratory research in the development of adaptive optics technology that benefits future implementations of adaptive optics systems on astronomical telescopes. The LAO is managed jointly by the Center of Adaptive Optics and by UCO.
Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP):
SCIPP is an organized research unit within the University of California, specializing in experimental and theoretical particle physics and particle astrophysics. SCIPP builds experiments for particle accelerators, including the ATLAS detector at the LHC, and detectors for satellite observatories such as GLAST. It is also pursuing applications to other scientific fields, such as neurophysiology and biomedicine. SCIPP is a recognized leader in the development of custom readout electronics and silicon micro-strip sensors for state-of-the-art particle detection systems.