News
Editorial
Dear Reader Time flies! Over 7 years have passed since PlanetS was established (2014) and yet we feel that the more research we do, the more questions emerge and the more exciting they are! And not only for us, everywhere the huge interest in the field keeps growing! It gives everybody, young and old, […]
Continue ReadingMonika Lendl and Clémence Fontanive at #NCCRWomen
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of women’s right to vote in Switzerland, the #NCCRWomen campaign introduces you to women from Swiss research institutes. NCCR PlanetS also participated in the campaign with two of its researchers: Monika Lendl and Clémence Fontanive. Clémence Fontanive is an astrophysicist and postdoc at the University of Bern. Clémence […]
Continue ReadingESA Voyage 2050 and NCCR PlanetS: it’s a match!
This year, the European Space Agency (ESA) chose the themes for its large-class science missions for the timeframe 2035-2050. Two of the three chosen themes are ones that the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS is actively involved in with promising projects. If you had a budget of 1 billion €, where […]
Continue ReadingWhere Predator and Pikachu learn about exoplanets
Fantasy Basel is Switzerland’s largest convention for comic culture, science fiction, cosplay and more. Around 45,000 visitors from near and far flocked to the big event to read the latest comics, meet their favourite artists – or to learn about exoplanets and space history at the NCCR PlanetS exhibition, which was part of the Swiss […]
Continue ReadingThe planet does not fall far from the star
A compositional link between planets and their respective host star has long been assumed in astronomy. For the first time now, a team of scientists, with the participation of researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS from the University of Zurich and the University of Bern, deliver empirical evidence to support […]
Continue ReadingDid Venus ever have oceans?
Today’s Venus, with its extreme greenhouse effect, could be considered Earth’s “evil twin”. Yet in its past, it may have been much more hospitable and possibly even had oceans of water. Researchers led by the University of Geneva and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS have simulated the ancient climate of Venus […]
Continue ReadingNotice to future entrepreneurs
There are still a few places available for a workshop for potential future entrepreneurs which will take place in November in virtual form.
Continue ReadingPlanets at Fantasy Basel 2021
PlanetS will be at the Fantasy Basel 2021! The event will take place from the Friday 8th until the Sunday 10th of October. Over 20 scientists from the NCCR PlanetS will attend the event to show you some physics experiments, a collection of meteorites or discuss science with you! In particular, we will have a […]
Continue ReadingThousands of visitors at Scientifica 21
A little girl looks fascinated at the screen and watches as a researcher floats around weightlessly in an airplane. Next to him, his experiment is running, which is supposed to provide data on the early phase of planetary system formation. “If you want to go into space later, you need a spacesuit,” the PlanetS scientist […]
Continue ReadingUnravelling the mystery of brown dwarfs
Brown dwarfs are astronomical objects with masses between those of planets and stars. The question of where exactly the limits of their mass lie remains a matter of debate, especially since their constitution is very similar to that of low-mass stars. So how do we know whether we are dealing with a brown dwarf or […]
Continue Reading