UCO Mission

The University of California Observatories (UCO) is a Multi-Campus Research Unit of the University of California, with headquarters at the UC Santa Cruz campus. UCO operates on behalf of the astronomers at all ten UC campuses and is comprised of extensive technical facilities, a business office, telescope and support facilities at the Lick Observatory on Mt Hamilton and a staff of astronomers. View full UCO Mission Statement.

UCO Operates

• Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, conducting both research and public programs
• UCO Technical Labs, located at UCSC, designing and fabricating state-of-the-art instrumentation for observatories throughout the world

UCO Collaborates

• As managing partner of W.M. Keck Observatory
• On large-scale multi-institutional projects such as the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)

UCO News & Events

President Obama Meets with US 2010 Kavli Prize Laureates to recognize and honor their seminal contributions to astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. UCSC professor Jerry Nelson was awarded a 2010 Kavli Prize for astrophysics. [More]

KraftFest July 12 - 14, in honor of Robert P. (Bob) Kraft and his pioneering research. This meeting will bring together scientists probing the formation of the Galactic Halo, through the investigation of properties of stars in globular clusters, galactic dSph galaxies, and galactic tidal streams. [More]

Tickets for Lick Observatory's Music of the Spheres Concert Series On Sale! Enjoy an evening on Mt. Hamilton with concert, talk about current research, and viewing through the telescopes. [More]

Potentially Habitable Exoplanets Discovered in Gliese 581 Planetary System: A planet-hunting team led by astronomers at UCSC and the Carnegie Institution of Washington has discovered the first potentially earth-like exoplanet.

"This is the first really solid discovery of a potentially habitable planet," said Steven Vogt. "The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common." [More]

[View NSF Video of Announcement]

UCO Newsletter from Director Mike Bolte

Awards & Accolades

UCB professor Marc Davis one of four Honored with Gruber Prize for Cosmology, for computer simulations that identified and launched the search for "dark matter" more than 20 years ago. Davis led the project. [More]

UCSC professor Sandra Faber was awarded the AAS 2011 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship, for a lifetime of seminal contributions to the knowledge of galaxy evolution and dynamics and dark matter, and for leading the construction of astronomical instrumentation and mentoring future leading astronomers. [More]

UCSC astrophysicist Mark Krumholz has won a CAREER Award from NSF, in support of his work studying star formation and his outreach project teaching science classes to prisoners. CAREER grants are awarded to junior faculty who demonstrate potential for exceptional lifetime achievement in integrated research and education. [More]

UCB professor Alex Filippenko received a 2010 Richard H. Emmons Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), honoring his excellence in the teaching of college-level introductory astronomy for non-science majors. Students have voted Filippenko UCB's "Best Professor" six times. [More]

UCSC professor Jerry Nelson was awarded a 2010 Kavli Prize by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters. The Kavli Prize honors outstanding and creative scientific research, in particular, Nelson's contributions to building advanced telescopes, enabling researchers to see deeper into space and further back in time. [More]

UCSC astrophysicist Jonathan Fortney was awarded the 2010 Urey Prize by the American Astronomical Society Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS). The Urey Prize recognizes outstanding and achievements in planetary science by a young scientist. In addition to receiving the Prize, Fortney is invited to give a lecture at the October DPS meeting. [More]

UCB professor Geoff Marcy was elected to the American Academy's 2010 Class of Fellow and Honorary Members. One of the US's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies, the American Academy supports interdisciplinary long-term research to solve complex and emerging problems by utilizing the unique talents of its constituent members. [More]

UCSC professor Garth Illingworth was awarded honorary Doctor of Science Degree by UWA. Illingworth chairs a committee that advises Congress on implementation of the astronomy community's science program. [More]

UCSC astrophysicist Jonathan Fortney has received a Sloan Research Fellowship, in recognition of distinguished performance and unique potential to contribute to his field. Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded to support research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. [More]

UCSB Physicist Tommaso Treu was awarded 2010 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize by AAS, honoring his insightful work on galaxy formation and evolution, including the coupled evolution of luminous and dark matter and black holes. [More]

More Awards & Accolades