ELT METIS Instrument Passes Design Milestone

METIS, the powerful imager and spectrograph for the European Southern Observatory’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), has passed its Preliminary Design Review.   METIS, short for Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph, will make full use of the giant main mirror of the telescope to study a wide range of science topics, from objects in our Solar System […]

Editorial

As measures are taken to slowly return to normal life, the amount of damage caused by the Covid-19 on people’s life and economy is starting to show. Help is needed everywhere and is being provided as best as possible by the authorities, but anxiety remains as to how tomorrow will be.   This uncertainty about […]

ESPRESSO confirms the existence of an exo-Earth 4 light-years away

An international team of experts, including researchers from the NCCR PlanetS, has confirmed the existence of the Proxima b extrasolar planet using measurements from the Swiss-built ESPRESSO spectrograph. The existence of a planet the size of Earth around the closest star in the solar system, Proxima Centauri, has been confirmed by an international team of scientists […]

How we might search for life in the future

The “LIFE” mission, proposed by PlanetS researchers, could help answer questions about the habitability of our cosmic environment by employing a direct approach. When looking up at the sky at night, sooner or later the inevitable question arises: “Are we alone?” So far, science has not found the answer, even though it has been certain […]

Origin of two “cosmic diamonds” clarified

“Bennu” and “Ryugu” are two near-Earth asteroids with a diamond-like shape, the origin of which has long been a mystery. Now simulations of asteroid break-ups show how the special shape came about. The results could also help to better understand the processes involved in the formation of the Earth. Around four and a half billion […]

Venture Kick : CHF 5,000,000 to kick Swiss startups to global markets The philanthropic initiative Venture Kick provides up to CHF 150,000 in seed funding to Swiss startups. In addition, it offers a well-structured entrepreneurial path towards building a winning business. Startups pitch to expert juries at three stages to obtain funding, gaining direct feedback, […]

Otherworldly winds

A group of scientists led by the NCCR-PlanetS and the University of Geneva, investigated wind patterns of an exoplanet with extreme conditions. Their insights may also help us understand the atmospheres of other worlds. Including our own. Imagine you were looking down upon the Earth from space. Your task would be to discern the general […]

Why Earth is the Blue Planet

An international team of scientists, with participation of PlanetS and ETH Zurich, investigated the origin of water on Earth. Their results suggest that it has been here all along. Is the abundance of water on Earth special?  The exploration of other rocky planets and their discovered lack of surface water indicates that it is indeed. […]

Six planets (almost) in rythm

An international team lead by researchers of PlanetS and the University of Geneva has discovered a six-planets system. Almost visible to the naked eye in the Draco constellation, the star HD 158259 has been observed for the last seven years by astronomers using the SOPHIE spectrograph. This instrument, installed at the Haute-Provence Observatory in the […]

CHEOPS space telescope ready for scientific operation

CHEOPS has reached its next milestone: Following extensive tests in Earth’s orbit, some of which the mission team was forced to carry out from home due to the coronavirus crisis, the space telescope has been declared ready for science. CHEOPS stands for “CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite”, and has the purpose of investigating known exoplanets to determine, […]