Drink coffee and learn about space

They say that the most important substance in the universe is water. Because you need water to brew coffee. And some people like a shot of coffee cream with it. Anyone who is a coffee connoisseur and space fan will be doubly delighted in the coming weeks. Since a few days now, one of Switzerland’s […]

Members of PlanetS rewarded

Pierre Bratschi, Chantal Taçoy and Piero Pontelandolfo receive the “Making a Difference” prize awarded by Geneva Tourism and the Convention Centre Office. In September 2019, the NCCR PlanetS organized, on the fringe of the EPSC-DPS Congress on exoplanets, an exhibition on the Plaine de Plainpalais in the center of the town presenting to the public […]

CHEOPS space telescope takes its first pictures

Next milestone in the commissioning of CHEOPS: After the successful opening of the space telescope cover on January 29, 2020, CHEOPS has now taken its first images of the sky. CHEOPS is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland, led by the University of Bern, in collaboration with the University of […]

Cheops launch preparations

Last Wednesday, the CHEOPS team could successfully open the lid of the space telescope. How CHEOPS’ fantastic journey on board a Soyuz rocket began is shown in this time-lapse video!

European space research & innovation and Euresearch

Why Uranus and Neptune are different

The two outermost giant planets of the Solar system have similar masses but there are also striking differences. Researchers of the NCCR PlanetS at the University of Zurich have found an explanation for this long-standing unsolved mystery: Two different giant impacts could have had completely separate effects. Uranus and Neptune are the outermost planets of the Solar […]

PlanetS General Assembly 2020

134 members and associates gathered from 27 to 29 January 2020 in Montreux to present and discuss their research projects, establish contacts between the different institutions in Bern, Geneva and Zürich, and talk about new ideas at the annual NCCR PlanetS General Assembly. With loud, enthusiastic applause the PlanetS scientists acknowledged the news on the […]

Cover of CHEOPS Space Telescope Open

Decisive moment for the CHEOPS space telescope: The cover was opened as intended on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at 7:38 am. CHEOPS is now being tested for precision and the first images are being produced. CHEOPS is a joint mission of ESA and Switzerland, led by the University of Bern, in collaboration with the University […]

Opening of the CHEOPS cover delayed by a few days

The cover of the CHEOPS space telescope was scheduled to be opened on Monday, January 27, 2020. The date is being pushed back by a few days because several tests are being repeated. The CHEOPS space telescope has been orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 700 kilometers since its launch on December 18, 2019. […]