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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

China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices

Chinas central bank has continued to strengthen its gold reserves, extending its buying streak to a 15th consecutive month in January, according to the latest data released by the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC). The move...

Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal

President Donald Trump has signed a landmark executive order removing the 25% penalty tariff on Indian goods, signaling a major shift in U.S.India trade relations and global geopolitical alignment. The move functions as...

Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order that could impose tariffs of up to 25% on countries that continue to do business with Iran, marking a significant escalation in Washingtons pressure campaign...

U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains

The United States and India have taken a significant step toward a long-anticipated bilateral trade agreement by releasing an interim trade framework aimed at lowering tariffs, reshaping energy ties, and strengthening...

Dow Hits 50,000 as U.S. Stocks Stage Strong Rebound Amid AI Volatility

U.S. stocks surged on Friday, posting their strongest session since May 2025, as investors regained confidence following a turbulent week marked by sharp losses in technology shares and uncertainty around the artificial...

Politics

Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a 33-year-old Ohio man accused of threatening to kill U.S. Vice President JD Vance during the vice presidents visit to the Ohio region in January, according to the...

New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients

New York has officially joined a growing number of U.S. states allowing medical aid in dying after Governor Kathy Hochul signed landmark legislation into law on Friday. The new New York medical aid in dying law permits...

Trump Says “Very Good Talks” Underway on Russia-Ukraine War as Peace Efforts Continue

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that very good talks are ongoing regarding Russias war in Ukraine, signaling potential movement in long-running diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Speaking briefly to...

China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit

China has issued a strong warning to the United States, signaling that any additional arms sales to Taiwan could seriously jeopardize U.S. President Donald Trumps planned visit to China in April. According to a report...

Trump Allows Commercial Fishing in Protected New England Waters

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation permitting commercial fishing in a previously restricted marine protected area off the coast of New England, a move that has sparked renewed debate over ocean...

Science

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...

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...

Technology

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang reaffirmed his bullish stance on artificial intelligence, calling the massive capital expenditure flowing into AI infrastructure both appropriate and necessary as the industry...

Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) delivered a mixed but closely watched earnings report, beating Wall Street expectations on revenue while unveiling a massive long-term investment plan that unsettled investors. The e-commerce and...

Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch

Major PC manufacturers including HP, Dell, Acer, and Asus are reportedly exploring the option of sourcing memory chips from Chinese semiconductor companies for the first time, as a prolonged global supply crunch continues...

OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering

OpenAI is significantly accelerating its enterprise AI strategy by hiring hundreds of new employees for its technical consulting division, according to a report by The Information, citing a person familiar with the...

SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off

SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) shares tumbled sharply on Thursday, tracking a steep decline in Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:ARM) after the UK-based chip designer reported weaker-than-expected earnings for the December quarter....