Twenty-seven years ago, at the University of Geneva, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz—now a professor at ETH—discovered the first extrasolar planet orbiting a sun-like star. Much has happened since that initial discovery: ...
Astronomy
Jan 3, 2023
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26
Ultra-hot Jupiters—named as such because of their physical similarities to the planet Jupiter—are exoplanets that orbit stars other than the sun with temperatures so high that the molecules in their atmospheres are completely ...
Space Exploration
Nov 10, 2021
0
21
SPIRou, the new planet-hunting spectropolarimeter developed for the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), has successfully recorded its first starlight. Ten years after it was first designed and following four intensive ...
Astronomy
May 29, 2018
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19
Enhancing astronomers' ability to peer ever more deeply into the cosmos may hinge on developing larger space-based telescopes. A new concept in space telescope design makes use of a modular structure and an assembly robot ...
Space Exploration
Jul 13, 2016
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47
On April 26, 2016, ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile hosted an event to mark the first light for the four powerful lasers that form a crucial part of the adaptive optics systems on ESO's Very Large Telescope. Attendees were ...
Astronomy
Apr 27, 2016
0
25
As an astronomer, I get a lot of requests for help. "I'd like to buy a telescope," the conversation usually goes. "Can you give me some tips on what to look for?"
Space Exploration
Feb 11, 2015
2
35
When you want to watch the sky, size really matters. The more light a telescope can collect, the more information we can get about stars, galaxies, quasars, or whatever the heck else we want to take a look at.
Space Exploration
Jan 15, 2015
3
26
(PhysOrg.com) -- The governing body of the European Southern Observatory, the ESO Council, has approved ESO’s budget for 2012. This includes preparatory work on the road to the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) ...
Space Exploration
Dec 9, 2011
4
0
For astronomers, it appears that not only does size really matter but so does an eye-opening location.
Astronomy
Feb 12, 2010
7
0
All over the world, some truly groundbreaking telescopes are being built that will usher in a new age of astronomy. Sites include the mountain of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Australia, South Africa, southwestern China, and the Atacama ...
Astronomy
Nov 5, 2018
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25
