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Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science
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The universe is awaiting your exploration

The Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Northern Arizona University offers various bachelor’s degrees, and a doctoral degree.

The department has a small, family feeling. At NAU, your instructors will know you by name; they are easily accessible, and they genuinely care about student success. Lecture courses are taught almost exclusively by full-time faculty. Both undergraduate and graduate students are routinely and deeply involved in faculty research.

The sense of community I felt while at NAU is something I very much miss.

– recent graduate who is now a PhD candidate

Our Classroom is the Cosmos!
Join us: we’re looking for a few good students!

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Statement

The Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (DAPS) strives to build a diverse and inclusive community at Northern Arizona University. We value collaborations between individuals of diverse backgrounds, identities, appearances, and beliefs, such as, but not limited to, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, faiths, abilities, socio-economic statuses, family histories, education levels, documentation statuses, body shapes, veteran statuses, and intersections therein. The field of astronomy and planetary science must continue to make progress on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to establish a more just community. Faculty, students, researchers, and staff within DAPS strive to be strong advocates for education and action on diversity related topics. Through these efforts, the DAPS community aspires to be a leader in creating a more inclusive environment for all scientists in our field and we invite both members of our community and external to DAPS to hold the department accountable to these ideals.

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MarsCuriosity-IresonHill Planetary Surface Processes
Astrophysical Ices Lab Lab Studies of Planetary Materials
OortCloud 2012VP113tile Observational Planetary Science
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DAPS in the News

For a complete listing of all news articles, please visit our News page.

Searching for ‘ground truth’ on Mars with NASA’s Curiosity Rover

Posted by Author on Source on March 23, 2022

Even before he joined NAU’s Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science in 2016, Christopher Edwards was already a participating scientist on the MSL team, funded through a grant of $470,000. In addition to funding his research, the grant enabled him to build the Mars Rover Operations and Analysis Laboratory on NAU’s Flagstaff campus, where faculty researchers and students use sophisticated equipment to help command the day-to-day activities of the rover. See the article here!

Hey, let’s talk about Pluto!

Posted by Author on Source on February 15, 2022

Shae Raposa is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Astronomy & Planetary Science; she studies volatile materials on Pluto and other outer solar system bodies. In honor of Pluto’s birthday, The NAU Review asked her to share her favorite facts about this mysterious celestial body and discuss her research. See the article here!

Local Graduate Student Studies Near-Earth Asteroids

Posted by Author on Source on January 18, 2022

NAU astronomy undergrad Claire Gibson wrote a nice article for the Flagstaff Festival of Science web page about PhD student Lucas McClure Read it here.

Planetary astronomer Cristina Thomas named 2022 Emerging Scholar for trailblazing research and mentorship

Posted by Author on Source on January 03, 2022

Assistant professor Cristina Thomas of Northern Arizona University has been named an Emerging Scholar by the leading education magazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in its Jan. 20 issue. The publication annually recognizes an interdisciplinary group of early-career minority scholars who represent the best of U.S. academia. Read more here
Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science
Location
Room 209 Building 19
Physical Sciences
527 S. Beaver St.
Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-6010
Mailing Address
NAU Box 6010
Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-6010
Email
astro@nau.edu
Phone
928-523-2661
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