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UC Irvine ranked first among U.S. universities under 50 years old – and fifth worldwide – in a report released today by Times Higher Education. It’s...
A dim, lightweight galaxy on the outskirts of the Milky Way may be the smallest in the known universe, astronomers say.
Ask the Experts
James Bullock
Q:
How big is the Milky Way galaxy?
A:
The disk of stars that make up the Milky Way is so large that if it were shrunk down to the size of the Pacific Ocean, the solar system -- from the Sun out to Neptune -- would be the size of a maple leaf. Now imagine a bee standing on that leaf....
Diane Pataki
Q:
How is climate change affecting Southern California?
A:
Temperatures will probably rise, and because our water supply relies on snow, we may face more severe water shortages. It's hard to say whether the current drought is caused by climate change. Nevertheless, we need to prepare for more frequent...
Suzanne Blum
Q:
How do chemists use glowing molecules?
A:
Chemists previously used glowing molecules to provide information about chemical reactions that involve billions of molecules. A change in color or brightness of a group of molecules may indicate that a reaction has occurred. What we're doing...
Aaron Barth
Q:
What types of black holes exist?
A:
Two main categories of black holes have been observed. Stellar-mass black holes are the remnants of individual stars that originally were many times more massive than the sun. We can detect them when they're in binary systems, with another star...
