The official UC Berkeley Astronomy Department page.
06/03/2026
Congratulations to Professor Alex Filippenko on being awarded 2026 Gruber Cosmology Prize!
Read full article here: https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/05/19/astrophysicist-alex-filippenko-awarded-gruber-cosmology-prize-for-work-on-supernovae/
Courtesy of Christopher Prentiss Michel
05/01/2026
Your summer journey through the stars starts here! 🪐
ASTRON 9 001: Cultural Astronomy
Session A: 5/26 – 7/2 (Online)
Schedule: TU/WE/TH | 11 AM – 12 PM
Class #: 12257
Scan the QR code to grab your spot!🚀
05/01/2026
In ‘Project Hail Mary,’ Ryan Gosling encounters aliens. How likely is that?
In a Q&A, UC Berkeley astronomer Gibor Basri reality-checks the recent sci-fi movie and talks about the chances of encountering life elsewhere in the galaxy.
Read the full story here: https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/04/09/in-project-hail-mary-ryan-gosling-encounters-aliens-how-likely-is-that/
In the movie Project Hail Mary, Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher who is sent into space to save the sun and humanity.
Courtesy of Amazon Studios
04/17/2026
Still thinking about that Summer Session course? 🔭
Spend your summer at UC Berkeley exploring ASTRON 9: Cultural Astronomy. From the ruins of Stonehenge and Machu Picchu to modern science fiction and fashion, discover how the stars have shaped human civilization. 🏛️✨
Format: 100% Online (Pre-recorded video lectures + Live Zoom discussions).
Fulfills: Physical Science, L&S Breadth.
Ready to see the cosmos through a cultural lens?
🚀 Join the journey! Scan the QR code in the image and register by 4/27/26.
04/04/2026
Explore the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the Universe! 🪐Enroll in UC Berkeley Astronomy 2026 Summer Sessions!
ASTRON 10 001: Introduction to General Astronomy
Session D: 7/6 – 8/14 (In-person)
Schedule: MO/TU/WE/TH | 11 AM - 1 PM
Class #: 12884
Scan the QR code to grab your spot!🚀
Meets Physical Science, L&S Breadth
04/04/2026
Intro to coding the cosmos with Python! 🪐Enroll in UC Berkeley Astronomy 2026 Summer Sessions!
ASTRON 9 002: Introduction to Python
Session D: 7/6 – 8/14 (Online)
Schedule: MO/TU/TH | 1 PM - 3:30 PM
Class #: 12961
Scan the QR code to grab your spot!🚀
Meets Physical Science, L&S Breadth
04/03/2026
Immerse yourself in astrophysics — from planets to cosmology! 🪐Enroll in UC Berkeley Astronomy 2026 Summer Sessions!
ASTRON 7AB 001: Introduction to Astrophysics: From Planets to Cosmology
Session D: 7/6 – 8/14 (In-person)
Schedule: TU/WE/TH/FR | 10 AM – 12 PM
Discussion #1: WE | 12 PM – 2 PM
Discussion #2: FR | 12 PM – 2 PM
Class #: 13067
Scan the QR code to grab your spot! 🚀
04/03/2026
Discover the mysteries and inner workings of our solar system! 🪐Enroll in UC Berkeley Astronomy 2026 Summer Sessions!
ASTRON W12 001: The Planets
Session C: 6/22 – 8/14 (Online)
Schedule: MO/TU/WE/TH/FR
Class #: 12507
Scan the QR code to grab your spot!🚀
Meets Physical Science, L&S Breadth
04/02/2026
Your summer journey through the stars starts here!🪐Enroll in UC Berkeley Astronomy 2026 Summer Sessions!
ASTRON 9 001: Cultural Astronomy
Session A: 5/26 – 7/2 (Online)
Schedule: TU/WE/TH | 11 AM – 12 PM
Class #: 12257
Scan the QR code to grab your spot!🚀
Meets Physical Science, L&S Breadth
04/01/2026
A UC Berkeley theorist proposed that highly magnetized, spinning neutron stars were the power source behind superluminous supernovae. A recent supernova provided the smoking gun.
Astronomers have for the first time seen the birth of a magnetar — a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star — and confirmed that it’s the power source behind some of the brightest exploding stars in the cosmos.
Read the full story here: https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/03/11/astronomers-capture-birth-of-a-magnetar-confirming-link-to-some-of-universes-brightest-exploding-stars/
Image Credit: Joseph Farah and Curtis McCully/Las Cumbres Observatory