The University of Bern flies to Jupiter

The JUICE space mission of the European Space Agency ESA is scheduled to fly to Jupiter in spring 2023 where it is to look for traces of life in three icy moons. The University of Bern is involved in this endeavor as well, amongst others with the NIM mass spectrometer, which is presented in a […]

“You have to be patient and persistent.”

The discovery of the first planet outside our solar system in 1995 gave an enormous boost to planetary research and the search for Earth-like planets. With the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, which brings together researchers from the Universities of Bern, Geneva and Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland is at the forefront […]

The man with the instruments in space

Nicolas Thomas wants to understand Mars, comets and the icy moons of Jupiter. To do so, he builds instruments that fly through space on of board space probes. By Brigit Bucher When asked how he came up with the idea of becoming an astrophysicist, the answer comes lightning-fast: “Quite clearly: because of the first moon […]

Editorial

Ground-breaking number of brown dwarf companions discovered

Brown dwarfs, mysterious objects that straddle the line between stars and planets, are essential to our understanding of both stellar and planetary populations. However, only 40 brown dwarfs could be imaged around stars in almost three decades of searches. An international team led by researchers from the Open University and the University of Bern directly […]

“Science is even more fascinating than sci-fi”

This year’s Fantasy Basel concluded with a record: 62’000 visitors came to the mega event at the Messehalle Basel. Many also stopped by the exhibition of the Swiss Space Museum, in which the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS participated. There, they had the chance to marvel at a rich exhibition, try out […]

The chaotic early phase of the solar system

An international team of researchers led by the ETH Zurich and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS have reconstructed the early history of several asteroids more precisely than ever before. Their results indicate that the early solar system was more chaotic than previously thought, featuring many catastrophic collisions. Before the Earth and […]

Junior Research Assembly (JURA) 2022

The latest Junior Research Assembly (JURA) took place from the 4th to the 6th of April. Young researchers from the four universities that are part of NCCR PlanetS were invited to this 3-day event hosted at Hotel Meielisalp in Leissigen. There was a lot of motivation to participate from all universities, with an impressive number […]

CaSSIS Book

The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) is a visual imaging system that was built by the University of Bern with support from several institutions in Europe and the US. The NCCR contributed to CaSSIS in the early phases and was very important in supporting its genesis. The camera was launched from Baikonur onboard […]

InsiderS Editorial

Dear NCCR PlanetS members and associates, It has been a while since the last issue of the internal newsletter and much has happened in the mean time. This was evident at the first in-person General Assembly in two years, where many new faces could be seen. The 4-day event was a very rewarding event for […]