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Thu, Jan 29, 2026 12:59 PM All times are UTC

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Brad E Tucker

Astrophysicist/Cosmologist, Australian National University
I am an Astrophysicist/Cosmologist, and currently a Fellow at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mt Stromlo Observatory and Senior Lecturer at the National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at the Australian National University.

I have my hand in a variety of things, but the majority of my work involves exploding stars called supernova, and cosmology, the study of the universe. A certain type of supernova, called a type Ia, can be used as a standard candle that can trace our universe's history.

For this work, I am involved with a number of supernova surveys. I have been working on the ESSENCE Project, The CfA Supernova Search, The Carnegie Supernova Project and also using Mt Stromlo's new SkyMapper telescope. I am one of the leads of the Kepler Extra-Galactic Survey, KEGS, a Kepler Space Telescope Key Program, to understand why and how stars blow. I am leading a project to build a network of ultraviolet telescopes in the upper atmosphere which are being built at Mt Stromlo.

In addition to research, I frequently give talks to school groups and the general public about astronomy and have regular segments on various radio stations talking about astronomy news and events.

Among other things, I have developed a series of astronomy coins in conjunction with the Royal Australian Mint, consulted on science fiction movies, advised on astronomy-themed art projects, and have been featured in specials on the National Geographic Channel.

I am currently in the process of writing my first popular book and producing a Massive Open Online Course.

Space Science Series

Only 100 years ago the Milky Way was visible from central Paris. Here’s how we can get the night sky back

Aug 12, 2024 06:03 am UTC| Science

For the more than 100,000 years humans have been on Earth, we have looked up at night and seen the stars and our celestial home, the Milky Way galaxy. Cultures all around the world have stories and records incorporating...

Space Science Series

Why is the universe ripping itself apart? A new study of exploding stars shows dark energy may be more complicated than we thought

Jan 09, 2024 23:06 pm UTC| Science

What is the universe made of? This question has driven astronomers for hundreds of years. For the past quarter of a century, scientists have believed normal stuff like atoms and molecules that make up you, me, Earth,...

Economy

Copper Prices Hit Record Highs as Metals Rally Gains Momentum on Geopolitical Tensions

Copper prices surged to record levels on Thursday, extending a powerful rally across global metals markets as investors increased exposure to physical assets amid escalating geopolitical risks and ongoing supply concerns....

Indonesian Stocks Plunge as MSCI Downgrade Risk Sparks Investor Exodus

Indonesian stocks suffered a dramatic selloff on Thursday, putting the market on course for its largest two-day decline on record as fears of a potential downgrade to frontier market status rattled investors. The benchmark...

Asian Currencies Trade Flat as Dollar Retreats After Fed Decision

Asian currencies traded in a mostly flat-to-lower range on Thursday, while the U.S. dollar weakened after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and struck an optimistic tone on the U.S. economy. Currency...

Philippine Economy Slows in Late 2025, Raising Expectations of Further Rate Cuts

The Philippine economy posted weaker-than-expected growth in the final quarter of 2025, reinforcing concerns about slowing momentum and increasing speculation over further monetary policy easing by the central bank....

South Korea Industry Minister Heads to Washington Amid U.S. Tariff Hike Concerns

South Koreas Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan is set to visit Washington on Thursday to hold high-level talks with U.S. officials following President Donald Trumps announcement of plans to raise tariffs on South Korean...

Politics

Trump and Schumer Explore Deal on New Limits for Federal Immigration Agents

U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer reportedly took steps Wednesday night toward a potential agreement to negotiate new restrictions on federal immigration agents, according to a report by the...

Federal Reserve Faces Subpoena Delay Amid Investigation Into Chair Jerome Powell

The Federal Reserve has not yet complied with grand jury subpoenas tied to an ongoing criminal investigation involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, according to a report by CNBC citing a source familiar with the...

Trump Warns Minneapolis Mayor as Immigration Raids Continue Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that he was playing with fire by insisting local police would not enforce federal immigration laws, even as the White House sent mixed messages...

Starmer’s China Visit Signals New Era in UK–China Economic Relations

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday in a high-profile diplomatic engagement aimed at strengthening UKChina economic relations after years of strained ties....

Jerome Powell Attends Supreme Court Hearing on Trump Effort to Fire Fed Governor, Calling It Historic

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed on Wednesday that he personally attended last weeks Supreme Court arguments related to President Donald Trumps attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, underscoring...

Science

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...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Amazon Eye Massive OpenAI Investment Amid $100B Funding Push

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) are reportedly in discussions to invest as much as $60 billion combined into artificial intelligence powerhouse OpenAI, signaling a major...

Meta Stock Surges After Q4 2025 Earnings Beat and Strong Q1 2026 Revenue Outlook Despite Higher Capex

Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) shares jumped sharply in after-hours trading after the company delivered better-than-expected Q4 2025 earnings and issued a strong revenue forecast for the first quarter of 2026, easing...

Samsung Electronics Posts Record Q4 2025 Profit as AI Chip Demand Soars

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KS:005930) delivered record-breaking revenue and profit in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven largely by booming demand from the artificial intelligence industry for advanced memory chips. The...

Microsoft AI Spending Surge Sparks Investor Jitters Despite Solid Azure Growth

Microsoft rattled investors after reporting record artificial intelligence spending alongside slower-than-expected cloud growth, raising concerns about when its massive AI investments will meaningfully pay off. Following...

Advantest Shares Hit Record High on Strong AI-Driven Earnings and Nvidia Demand

Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) shares surged to a record high on Thursday after the Japanese semiconductor testing equipment maker posted strong fiscal third-quarter earnings and raised its full-year guidance, driven by robust...