In the News

Jesse Han Receives 2026 Trumpler Award

Jesse Han is the recipient of the 2026 Robert J. Trumpler Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the top thesis prize for astrophysics in North America.

World’s biggest dark matter detector spots a single weird particle

It’s far too early to declare a discovery, physicists with the LZ detector say.

Scientists spot a possible dark matter signal

A world-leading dark matter detector observed a rare particle interaction that may represent dark matter, the invisible substance comprising most of the universe’s mass.

NASA's Roman Telescope Could Unravel the Mysteries of Dark Energy and Dark Matter

Learn more about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and how it could uncover some of the mysteries surrounding dark matter and dark energy.

Scientists hunt for dark matter deep underground

A SLAC-led experiment more than a mile beneath a Canadian mine has begun collecting early scientific data ahead of a full-sensitivity search next year.

'We weren't really looking for' it: Astronomers accidentally discover 2 supernovas that exploded from a single star system in cosmic first

Astronomers have identified a supernova remnant beside the well-known Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443), and evidence suggests both are the wreckage of two stars that once orbited each other before exploding separately.

From biology to astrophysics, AI expands the boundaries of discovery

AI is helping scientists model human cells, decode the universe, and accelerate discovery across nearly every field. Here are some key innovations from across campus.

Telescope with Bay Area roots becomes part of project to scan the universe

An ambitious project to scan the universe has ties to the Bay Area.

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins capturing a ‘movie’ of the cosmos

Rubin’s 10-Year Legacy Survey of Space and Time will scan the night skies to create a time-lapse record of the Universe.

Researchers uncover evidence for sibling supernovas

Physicists have identified possible remnants of two exploded stars, or supernovas, that were once paired before they each blew up. The discovery was made in part by using data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope.

Vera C. Rubin Observatory days away from launching decade-long sky survey

After years of construction and months of testing, the Chilean mountaintop telescope is nearly ready to begin the most ambitious astronomical survey ever attempted.

Patricia Rose Burchat Wins the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award

The Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award recognizes distinctive contributions to undergraduate education and the quality of student life.

How the Rubin Observatory maps the universe every night

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory will run the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) and build a 10-year time lapse of the entire Southern sky. Find out what goes into unlocking the cosmic data.

Rubin Observatory launches real-time alerts for night sky monitoring

NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory’s rapid monitoring of supernovae, asteroids, and other astronomical events marks a historic milestone in astrophysics.

SLAC experts explore dark energy and cosmic mysteries

Cosmologists Josh Frieman and Risa Wechsler reflect on the Dark Energy Survey, sharing how it’s paving the way for future research at the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

A New Era Begins: First Images from the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)

The Kavli Foundation News

The universe, decoded

A new Stanford center is uniting astronomers and data scientists to decipher the cosmos—and reinvent the future of discovery.

Stanford-led team shares honor for ‘revolutionizing’ study of high-energy cosmic phenomena

The European Physical Society awarded a top prize to the teams behind the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, studying pulsars, supermassive black holes, neutron stars, etc.