Crescent Nebula
Cygnus Wall
Dumbbell

UAH's Department of Physics & Astronomy performs cutting-edge, internationally-recognized research that prepares students for scientific challenges in private industry, government labs, or academia.

Our Physics department features a complete range of opportunities to engage in world-class physics from the theoretical to the experimental, including astrophysics, space physics, optics, biophysics, engineering, and medicine. Physics also plays a vital role in the education of other science and engineering students and promotes the understanding and appreciation of physics through its general study courses.

cluster

The image on the left shows the galaxy group NGC 4839 falling into the Coma Galaxy cluster. The Chandra X-ray Observatory image on the right is a close up view of the NGC 4839 galaxy group and the extraordinary 1.5 million light-year long tail of gas being stripped behind it. This was studied by Dr. Stephen Walker and postdoctoral researchers Dr. Mohammad Mirakhor and Dr. James Runge.