|
19-12-11 |
31-10-11 |
Star gazing balloon mission selected by NASA for mission study
NASA has recently selected five Explorer Mission Program of Opportunity proposals for a Phase A-Concept Study. GUSSTO, which stands for Galactic/Xgalactic Ultra long duration balloon Spectroscopic Stratospheric THz Observatory, is one of two astrophysics missions selected. Of these two missions NASA plans to choose one for flight. This is exciting news for SRON and the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience of the TU Delft, who will provide the key detector technology for GUSSTO's 4.7 THz camera. |
|
|
27-10-11 |
20-10-11 |
HIFI discovers abundance of water round young star
Sterrenkundigen hebben met de Herschel-ruimtetelescoop voor het eerst koude waterdamp gevonden in een planeetvormende schijf rond een jonge ster. Deze ontdekking duidt erop dat deze schijf, die bezig is zich tot een planetenstelsel te ontwikkelen, grote hoeveelheden water bevat en dat planeten met oceanen, zoals de aarde, wel eens op veel meer plaatsen in het heelal zouden kunnen voorkomen. Het onderzoeksteam, onder leiding van de Leidse astronoom Michiel Hogerheijde, publiceert het resultaat morgen in Science. |
|
|
05-10-11 |
29-09-11 |
Space telescopes reveal secrets of turbulent black hole
Supermassive black holes at the hearts of active galaxies swallow large amounts of gas. During this feast they spill a lot of their 'food', which is discharged in turbulent outbursts. An international team of astronomers has revealed some striking features of such an outburst around a supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy. They found a very hot 'convertor' corona hovering above the black hole and cold gas 'bullets' in hotter diffuse gas, speeding outwards with velocities up to 700 km/s. |
|
14-09-11 |
Herschel paints new story of galaxy evolution
ESA’s Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that galaxies do not need to collide with each other to drive vigorous star birth. The finding overturns this long-held assumption and paints a more stately picture of how galaxies evolve. |
|
24-08-11 |
Lowlands University: A Star is Born
De lezing van Rens Waters op Lowlands University was een succes. Een bomvolle tent met festivalgangers luisterde geboeid naar Waters voordracht over de vorming van sterren en planeten, en de zoektocht naar water in stervormingsgebieden en ons eigen zonnestelsel. |
|
18-08-11 |
GOSAT-data now accurate enough for climate studies
Scientists from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research and the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) have developed a highly accurate method to derive concentrations of the greenhouse gases CO2 ‑­ and methane from observations of Japanese GOSAT satellite. GOSAT has been launched in January 2009 but till now the carbon dioxide and methane data lacked sufficient accuracy. The newly derived data have the accuracy to significantly improve our understanding of the sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the Earth atmosphere. |
|
01-08-11 |
Astronomers searching for oxygen can breathe more easily
ESA’s Herschel space observatory has found molecules of oxygen in a nearby star-forming cloud. This is the first undisputed detection of oxygen molecules in space. It concludes a long search but also leaves questions unanswered. The HIFI instrument, developed by SRON, was used for the observations. |
|
29-07-11 |
Enceladus rains water onto Saturn
ESA’s Herschel space observatory has shown that water expelled from the moon Enceladus forms a giant torus of water vapour around Saturn. The discovery solves a 14-year mystery by identifying the source of the water in Saturn’s upper atmosphere. These observations were made by Herschel’s HIFI instrument on 21 June, 8 July 2009 and June 24, 2010. |
|
15-07-11 |
Herschel: Enceladus feeds water torus around Saturn
Researcher Paul Hartogh and colleagues, presenting far-infrared observations from the space telescope Herschel (ESA), report the direct detection of a torus around Saturn consisting of water-dominated gases and ice particles that have escaped from the interior of its moon Enceladus. |
|
14-07-11 |
Roel Gathier elected vice-chairman Science Programme Committee ESA
SRON Managing Director Roel Gathier has been elected vice-chairman of the Science Programme Committee (SPC) of ESA. The SPC decides on the content of ESA's Science Programme. In this programme ESA develops missions for space research of "nearby" objects (Sun, Moon, Planets) and object to the edges of our Universe. |
|
|
01-07-11 |
31-05-11 |
Young star shooting water bullets
Observations with Herschel-HIFI of water in a young Sun-like star reveal high-velocity "bullets" moving at more than 200,000 km/h from the star. This can be compared to the velocity of a bullet from an AK47 rifle, which is 2500 km/h or 80 times slower. It is a surprise that water molecules are observed at this high velocity - they should have been destroyed in the shock where temperatures exceed 100,000 degrees. |
|
23-05-11 |
Astronomical conference: new views and 50 years Dutch space research
Vandaag is op Texel de 66ste Nederlandse Astronomen Conferentie (NAC) begonnen, dit jaar georganiseerd door SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research. De driedaagse conferentie presenteert de nieuwste sterrenkundige inzichten aan astronomen in Nederland. Daarnaast staat de NAC in het teken van de 50ste verjaardag van het Nederlandse ruimteonderzoek en de 90ste verjaardag van Kees de Jager, een van de grondleggers van het ruimteonderzoek. De grote verdiensten van De Jager als organisator en sterrenkundige worden belicht op een minisymposium op vrijdagmiddag 20 mei. SRON geeft dan ook een eerste preview van de website '50 years Dutch Space Research'. |
|
|
10-05-11 |
02-05-11 |
Rebel electrons determine fundamental limit for space detectors
Researchers from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research and Delft University of Technology (TUD) have stumbled across a fundamental limit for superconductors in space detectors and quantum computers. During their research on a superconducting aluminium film, the researchers observed a phenomenon that contradicts the prevailing theory: at temperatures just above absolute zero quite a large number of electrons in a superconductor still appear to behave as individual particles. For superconductors these rebel electrons are disastrous. They cause quantum computers to lose their coherency and radiation detectors to be less sensitive. The researchers published their findings on 29 April in Physical Review Letters. |
|
13-04-11 |
Herschel links star formation to sonic booms
ESA’s Herschel space observatory has revealed that nearby interstellar clouds contain networks of tangled gaseous filaments. Intriguingly, each filament is approximately the same width, hinting that they may result from interstellar sonic booms throughout our Galaxy. |
|
14-03-11 |
New SRON cryostat simulates space conditions
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research gaat met financiële steun van onderzoeksfinancier NWO een ruimtesimulator ontwikkelen. In de simulator - die de duisternis en de extreem lage temperaturen in het heelal nabootst - wil het ruimteonderzoeksinstituut zijn ruimte-instrumenten aan intensieve tests gaan onderwerpen. De eerste kandidaat is de infraroodspectrometer SAFARI, het toekomstige Europese zenuwcentrum van de Japanse ruimtetelescoop SPICA. |
|
