Astrophysics
30 May 2013
Steven Balbus, Savilian Professor of Astronomy, awarded 2013 Shaw Prize
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/square_image/public/SteveB.jpg?itok=Lyr_AzN3)
Steven Balbus, Savilian Professor of Astronomy, and John Hawley (University of Virginia, USA), have been jointly awarded the 2013 Shaw Prize "for their discovery and study of the magnetorotational instability, and for demonstrating that this instability leads to turbulence and is a viable mechanism for angular momentum transport in astrophysical accretion disks." The Shaw Prize is widely considered to be among the highest honours in astronomy. Further details can be found at http://www.shawprize.org
8 May 2013
"Space Warps:" Engage!
Hintze Lecture - 'Dissecting galaxies using Hubble Space Telescope'
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/content_halfwidth/public/imagefield_default_images/events.jpg?itok=ddCTyoaw)
delivered by
Professor Julianne Dalcanton (University of Washington)
Vanessa Ferraro-Wood
vfw@astro.ox.ac.uk
Tel: 01865 273302
Halley Lecture 2013: Building stars, planets and the ingredients for life between the stars
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/content_halfwidth/public/HalleyThumb.jpg?itok=xHfuLR9S)
delivered by
Professor Dr E F van Dishoeck
(Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, the Netherlands and Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany)
Vanessa Ferraro-Wood;
vfw@astro.ox.ac.uk
Tel: 01865 273302
25 March 2013
New view of Universe from Planck
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/square_image/public/16619_Planck_CMB.jpg?itok=szKVuUp8)
Europe's Planck satellite has compiled the most detailed map ever of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The map gives a picture of how the Universe looked just 380,000 years after the Big Bang, and shows the seeds of cosmic structure.
The team behind the mission, including scientists from Oxford, report results giving a more accurate recipe for the composition of the Universe and the relative amounts of dark matter and dark energy, and bolsters evidence for inflation in the early Universe.
Inaugural Lecture - 'Turning in the Widening Gyre: Accretion Processes in the Universe'
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/content_halfwidth/public/InauguralThumb-SB_Poster_0.jpg?itok=JiiRtJNX)
delivered by
Professor Steven Balbus
Savilian Professor of Astronomy
The 9th Dennis Sciama Memorial Lecture
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/content_halfwidth/public/9th%20Dennis%20Sciama%20Lecture_1st%20Mar%202013.jpg?itok=cqqZVmZH)
Lorenz, Gödel and Penrose: New perspective on determinism and unpredictability - from climate prediction to fundamental physics
21 February 2013
Stargazing podcast series available now
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/square_image/public/mza_7339328062661784942_170x170-75.jpg?itok=m5Y8ww9-)
Have you had a look at 'What's Hot' on the front page of iTunesU? You would have seen that the Stargazing podcast series is listed there.
For a complete list of free podcasts, check here.
8 February 2013
The Steve Rawlings Memorial Fund
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/square_image/public/rawlings1.jpg?itok=GoSwzkDu)
Message from Roger Davies, Philip Wetton Professor of Astrophysics, University of Oxford
Dear all,
The 11th January this year marked the first anniversary of Steve Rawlings’ death. It has been a very difficult twelve months – Steve was a much loved colleague and is greatly missed as both a person and a phenomenal astrophysicist.
4 February 2013
New Blogs section
![](https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/square_image/public/PHYSICS%20BLOGS.jpg?itok=Ff7qI-Nd)
A new section available
A new section with blogs has been made available, and a few new blogs have been started already: Astro, Funding news, OSMOSIS Research Cruise and Alumni are already up.
To visit, go to the top menu at the home page -> MORE -> BLOGS