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| Confirmation of Extrasolar Planet |
| An international team of astronomers reports today confirmation of the discovery of a giant planet, approximately five times the mass of Jupiter, that is gravitationally bound to a young brown dwarf. This puts an end to a year long discussion on the nature of this object, which started with the detection of a red object close to the brown dwarf. |
| Date: 10 May 2005 |
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| Space infrared astronomy comes of age |
| It is 20 years ago this year that Europe, in collaboration with the United States, launched the first infrared observatory into space. Its infrared powers revealed a secret universe that, to this day, continues to fascinate. The more astronomers look, the better the picture gets... |
| Date: 16 Apr 2003 |
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| Vital signs of life on distant worlds |
| Detecting Earth-sized planets is hard enough but how does an astrobiologist decide which of them are inhabited? Scientists are now working to understand what signals life might give off into space, so that when they do detect Earth-like planets they know what to look for. |
| Date: 16 Jan 2003 |
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| Scientists are invited to join the Terrestrial Exoplanet Science Advisory Team |
| ESA is to convene a Terrestrial Exoplanet Science Advisory Team (TE-SAT). |
| Date: 18 Dec 2002 |
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| ESA PR 74-2002 From Darwin to Internet at the speed of light |
| Internet traffic jams may become history if ESA succeeds in developing the technology to see nearby Earth-sized planets. Why? Looking at new ways to detect planets, instead of bulky mirrors and lenses in space, ESA is thinking of building miniaturised optical systems that fit onto a microchip. Such 'integrated optics' would also allow Earthly computer networks to use high-speed routing of data streams. |
| Date: 26 Nov 2002 |
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| 'Towards Other Earths' conference |
| From 22 to 25 April 2003 world-wide experts in planet finding will gather in Heidelberg, Germany for the 'Towards Other Earths' conference.
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| Date: 05 Nov 2002 |
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| Space is big, but not big enough |
| According to Douglas Adams, in his famous book The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, space is big. However, it seems near-Earth space is not big enough. In December 2001, the Space Shuttle pushed the International Space Station away from a discarded Russian rocket booster that was due to pass uncomfortably close. Space litter is a growing problem but smarter satellite design may help in the future. |
| Date: 26 Sep 2002 |
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| ESA paves the way for an avalanche of new extrasolar planet discoveries |
| An interview with Didier Queloz, one of the world's most successful planet hunters.
The last five days have witnessed the unprecedented announcement of 25 new planet discoveries. These discoveries are split almost evenly between European and American astronomers. Didier Queloz and his colleagues at the Observatoire de Genève, Switzerland, have found a dozen of the new planets. Their discoveries include the most tantalising one yet: a planet that closely resembles Jupiter in our own Solar System. The find brings astronomers another step closer to detecting an Earth-like world. |
| Date: 18 Jun 2002 |
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| ESA to test the smartest technique for detecting extrasolar planets from the ground |
| To see a dim planet around a bright star is like looking for a candle flame next to a searchlight. To solve this problem, scientists have developed the concept of nulling interferometry, one of the smartest methods to date in the search for extrasolar planets. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) are pooling their expertise to build a new
instrument to test this innovative technique from the ground before ESA applies it in space. |
| Date: 26 Mar 2002 |
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| Life, the universe and everything discussed in Frascati |
| Three important lines of discovery have been fuelling the growing belief that we are not, after all, alone in the universe. Many organic molecules have been discovered in space, suggesting that the building blocks of life are widespread; planets have been found orbiting other stars, raising the possibility that some may harbour life; and living organisms have been found alive and well in habitats on Earth so hostile that survival on Mars, or even other Solar System bodies, seems quite feasible. |
| Date: 28 May 2001 |
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| First European Workshop on Exo/Astrobiology |
| From 21 to 23 May, the first European Workshop on Exo/Astrobiology will be taking place at ESA/ESRIN, the European Space Agency establishment in Italy (Frascati, near Rome).
The workshop is being organised jointly by the European Exobiology Network and the European Space Agency.
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| Date: 16 May 2001 |
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| Realplayer Video of Darwin deployment simulation |
| A video clip of a simulation showing how the
Darwin interferometer would arrive at L2, inside the Ariane 5 fairing, and then
be progressively deployed into a fully operational interferometer. Various
phases of setup operations are illustrated, including release of the free-flyers
and sunshield deployment. The observational operations include free-flyer
positioning manoeuvres, baseline expansion and rotation of the complete array. |
| Date: 24 Oct 2000 |
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