News
The astronomer in your class room
“How many planets has she been to?”, the 8- and 9-year-old pupils asked their teacher. “Well, she’s a scientist, not an astronaut, and scientists generally stay on Earth,” the teacher replied. Despite the disappointment that I could not tell them about my adventures on other planets, the pupils of the Bernese primary school were very […]
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“Luck is an important factor – that is difficult to digest.”
Martin Turbet was a member of the NCCR PlanetS for three years and received a Marie Curie fellowship from the EU during this time. Now he was selected for a permanent position as a CNRS research scientist working in Paris. Here, he talks about his multidisciplinary research, the role of luck in academia and gives […]
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How Switzerland contributes to PLATO
ESA’s next-generation planet-hunting mission received the green light to continue with its development after the critical milestone review concluded successfully in January. Switzerland plays a key role in this special undertaking. How many rocky, Earth-like planets are there, out there vastness of the cosmos? How many orbit a star similar to our Sun? How many […]
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Editorial
As we seem to slowly emerge from all the restrictive measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we rediscover not only our offices but also the coffee-breaks and the smiles on the faces of our colleagues. Everyone is eager to dive again at full speed together with her/his colleagues into a busy but exciting research life. […]
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Extreme exoplanet has a complex and exotic atmosphere
An international team including researchers from the University of Bern and the University of Geneva as well as the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS analyzed the atmosphere of one of the most extreme known planets in great detail. The results from this hot, Jupiter-like planet that was first characterized with the help […]
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CHEOPS reveals a rugby ball-shaped exoplanet
With the help of the CHEOPS space telescope, an international team including researchers from the Universities of Bern and Geneva as well as the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, was able to detect the deformation of an exoplanet for the first time. Due to strong tidal forces, the appearance of the planet […]
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SAINT-EX discovers eccentric exoplanet
Led by the University of Bern, an international research team has discovered a sub-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star. The discovery was also made thanks to observations performed by the SAINT-EX observatory in Mexico. SAINT-EX is run by a consortium including the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern and […]
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How did the peculiar moons of Uranus form?
The peculiar characteristics of Uranus’ moons have been a topic of debate in astronomy for decades. Making use of state-of-the-art supercomputing and interdisciplinary expertise, researchers of the University of Zurich (UZH), who are part of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, propose a detailed answer in a new study. There is one […]
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Two-year launch anniversary of CHEOPS
After two years in orbit, the CHEOPS space telescope has exceeded expectations. By reliably revealing details of some of the most fascinating exoplanets, it has quickly become a key instrument for astronomers in Europe and has led to fruitful collaborations throughout the continent. CHEOPS is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and […]
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A planet beyond the realm of possibility
An international team of researchers with participation of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich has succeeded in capturing an image of a very special planet. No known planet orbits a hotter or more massive star system. Some astronomers even considered it impossible for planets to […]
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