Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences

Congratulations to our 2023 Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients!

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image r

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

The dimmer star at the center of this scene has been sending out rings of gas and dust for thousands of years in all directions, and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed for the first time that this star is cloaked in dust.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

We're counting down to the release of the Webb Telescope’s first full-color images!

Image Credit: NASA/STScI

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the distinct signature of water, along with evidence for clouds and haze, in the atmosphere surrounding a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a distant Sun-like star.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

This enormous mosaic is Webb’s largest image to date, covering about one-fifth of the Moon’s diameter. It contains over 150 million pixels and is constructed from almost 1,000 separate image files.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

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Astrophysical & Planetary Science Graduate Admissions 2022 Info Session

Thinking about pursuing a Ph.D. in astrophysics? Working on grad school apps? Want to learn more about the process and talk to current grad students?

Learn about fee waivers, the CU APS department, research opportunities, life in Colorado, and more!

View an information session recording here

The Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences is one of the few programs that combines both astrophysics and planetary science, providing a unified view of space sciences; the solar system and comparative planetology; stellar and galactic astronomy; and cosmology. Students are given hands-on experience with telescopes, optics, instrumentation, and computer image processing and modeling.

The department’s general astronomy track lends itself to a career in education, science journalism, science policy, information technology, science management, or technical work where a graduate degree is not required.
The more math-intensive astrophysics/physics track is intended for students who wish to do research and continue on to graduate work in astronomy or planetary sciences. This track also lends itself well to a career in technical work related to the field.
Our PhD program allows graduate students to practice teaching, assist in cutting-edge research, and begin to take part in the larger professional astrophysics community.

The APS department recognizes our scientific and educational missions are strengthened by contributions from diverse perspectives. We aim to promote a fair, inclusive, and supportive environment for all. As a member organization of the American Astronomical Society, our department adheres to their Code of Ethics and encourages all our faculty, students, and staff to do the same.
If you feel we have failed in this goal, or if there are any issues or areas of concern that the APS Executive Committee should be aware of, please use the Anonymous Issue Form.

If you have suggestions for the website, please fill out the Suggestions Form.

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Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences

Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences

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Astrophysical & Planetary Science Graduate Admissions 2022 Info Session

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Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences

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Astrophysical & Planetary Science Graduate Admissions 2022 Info Session

Department Events Calendar