News
An astronomical waltz reveals a sextuplet of planets
An international collaboration between astronomers using the CHEOPS and TESS space satellites, including NCCR PlanetS members from the University of Bern and the University of Geneva, have found a key new system of six transiting planets orbiting a bright star in a harmonic rhythm. This rare property enabled the team to determine the planetary orbits […]
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250th anniversary of the Observatory of Geneva
The Observatory of Geneva has just celebrated its 250th anniversary. Now attached to the University of Geneva, it is one of the co-leading houses of the NCCR PlanetS with the University of Bern. Here’s a look back at the year’s festivities. A little history The Observatory of Geneva was founded in 1772. The astronomer Jacques-André […]
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An ammonia trail to exoplanets
With the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of researchers including members from the NCCR PlanetS at the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, ETH Zurich, measured ammonia in the atmosphere of a cold brown dwarf, showing that the isotopic abundance of ammonia can be used to study how giant gas planets […]
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Mystery of the Martian core solved
Mars’ liquid iron core is smaller and denser than previously thought. Not only is it smaller, but it is also surrounded by a layer of molten rock. This is what ETH Zurich researchers, including NCCR PlanetS project leader Paolo Sossi, conclude on the basis of seismic data from the InSight lander. For four years, NASA’s InSight […]
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Looking out of the bubble
An ambitious space mission could open the way to a better understanding of our heliosphere and of cosmic dust. NCCR PlanetS project leader Dr Veerle Sterken and her team recently published a paper in support of such an ambitious mission which was detailing potential science outcomes for the dust and heliospheric sciences, as well as […]
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A hellish childhood difficult to model.
A team of French and Swiss scientists, including astronomers from the University of Geneva and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, has published a study leading to rethink what we know about the first climate of the Earth, back when it was still covered in lava. The study, published in the journal […]
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Robot Team to Explore the Moon
Swiss researchers are equipping legged robots with scientific instruments to search for minerals and resources on the Moon. One major strength of these robots is their ability to work as a team: even if one robot fails, the mission continues. On the Moon, there are raw materials that humanity could one day mine and use. […]
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Elusive planets play “hide and seek” with CHEOPS
With the help of the CHEOPS space telescope an international team of European astronomers managed to clearly identify the existence of four new exoplanets. The four mini-Neptunes are smaller and cooler, and more difficult to find than the so-called Hot Jupiter exoplanets which have been found in abundance. Two of the four resulting papers are […]
Continue ReadingFour Exoplanets Postdoctoral Research Positions in Geneva
The exoplanet team[1] of the University of Geneva has an opening for 4 postdoctoral researchers to work on a range of topics related to exoplanet detection, characterization and theoretical modelling. These topics are: The detection and characterization of exoplanet systems through high-precision radial velocity measurements (2 positions) – contacts for information: Prof. François Bouchy (bouchy@unige.ch), […]
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Weather report: hot scorching storms of sand on exoplanet VHS 1256 b.
Ever had sand hot whip across your face? That’s a soothing experience compared to the volatile conditions discovered high in the atmosphere of planet VHS 1256 b. Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope proved that its clouds are made up of silicate particles, ranging from fine specks to small grains. Plus, its near-constant cloud cover is […]
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