News
The planetary scientist has one great wish
Christoph Mordasini deals with the formation and evolution of planets inside and outside our solar system. In an interview he explains why the University of Bern has been at the forefront of space research since an experiment on the moon. And he reveals the question to which he would very much like to have an […]
Continue Reading3 PhD positions – TAPS UniBe
We are seeking qualified candidates to fill three 4-year PhD positions in exoplanet science in the research group of Yann Alibert and Willy Benz (University of Bern). The PhD positions are part of the TAPS (Theoretical Astrophysics and Planetary Science) group of the University of Bern and frequent interactions are foreseen with the Center for […]
Continue ReadingLaborelektroniker/-in 80%
Als universitäres Forschungsinstitut sind wir an vorderster Front in der Weltraumforschung tätig. Die Kosmochemie-Gruppe (eine Zusammenarbeit der Abteilung Weltraumforschung und Planetologie und dem Institut für Geologie) ist hauptsächlich mit der Untersuchung von Meteoriten tätig, mit dem Fokus, die Prozesse zur Bildung des Sonnensystems besser verstehen zu können. Die Hauptexpertise der Gruppe liegt in der Messung […]
Continue Reading
Course of Project Management (PM) for PlanetS
The PM course successfully took place in Avril/May 2020. Initially proposed to PlanetS collaborators as a mixed online-onsite course but, due to the extraordinary Covid-19 situation, it was re-shapes to a 100% online. The main objective of the course was to give the basic PM methods to participants that can be applied in their current […]
Continue Reading
Planetary research in weightlessness
In a laboratory of a special kind, researchers from the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS were able to conduct experiments on planet formation on board the fourth Swiss parabolic flight campaign. It is a cool, cloudy morning at the military airfield in Dübendorf. The fourth Swiss parabolic flight campaign is about to launch […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
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 […]
Continue Reading
