| 24 Jun 2010 |  | | VLT detects first superstorm on exoplanet |
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| Astronomers have measured a superstorm for the first time in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, the well-studied 'hot Jupiter' HD209458b. The very high-precision observations of carbon monoxide gas show that it is streaming at enormous speed from the extremely hot day side to the cooler night side of the planet. The observations also allow another exciting 'first' — measuring the orbital speed of the exoplanet itself, providing a direct determination of its mass. | | More (in Dutch) |
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| 21 Jun 2010 |  | | Extreme gravity effects revealed by oxygen for the first time |
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| Astronomers from SRON and Utrecht University have found blurred oxygen signatures in the X-rays from a neutron star that 'eats' a white dwarf. For the first time the effects of extreme gravity are revealed by oxygen instead of iron atoms. | | More |
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| 20 Jun 2010 |  | | New directorate at space research institute SRON |
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SRON will have a new directorate effective July 1, 2010. Professor of Astronomy Rens Waters (University of Amsterdam) will become the Science Director on this date and he will also assume the position of General Director. In that capacity he also bears the final responsibility for the institute. Dr Roel Gathier, currently acting General Director of SRON, will become the Managing Director and Deputy General Director. | | More |
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| 31 May 2010 |  | | Most of the potentially hazardous asteroids not yet known |
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| A new web page offers an overview of known Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) which may have close encounters with the Earth in the next 200 years. NEAs present a clear and present danger to the world's population. Once every 200 years a medium-sized NEA (diameter 40-1000 m) hits the Earth and causes serious local damage. Once every 2 million years a NEA, comparable in size with the one which terminated the era of the dinosaurs, impacts and causes fatal global damage. | | More |
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