Utrecht University and SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research have signed an agreement on cooperation in the fields of astrophysics and Earth and planetary science. The institues have been cooperating for years, but now tangible commitments have been made regarding joint research programmes. SRON will also contribute to the education activities of the Faculty of …
10 years XMM-Newton: a new view of the universe
ESA’s XMM-Newton, the most sensitive X-ray telescope ever launched, celebrates its tenth year in space on 10 December 2009. With the help of a hypersensitive reflection grating spectrometer developed by SRON, the telescope has dramatically changed our view of the most extreme parts of the universe. ESA’s XMM-Newton, the most sensitive X-ray telescope ever launched …
Distance to black hole no longer a secret
An international team of astronomers has accurately measured the distance from Earth to a black hole for the first time. Without needing to rely on mathematical models the astronomers came up with a distance of 7800 light years, much closer than had been assumed until now. The researchers achieved this breakthrough by measuring the radio …
Herschel spectroscopy: update
In november Herschel has been carrying out performance verification phase (PVP) observations using the PACS and SPIRE spectrometers. A Herschel update by ESA provides some fine examples of observational results for a variety of astronomical objects. Spectra from HIFI – fully operational again in january 2010 – have determined the presence of organic molecules in …
Herschel in TIME’s top ten
The Herschel space telescope ranks among the top ten of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2009, the magazine’s picks for the best new gadgets and breakthrough ideas of the year. The ‘Telescope for the Invisible Stars’ ranks 7th. ‘It’s no secret that space is cold,’ writes TIME in a comment on ESA’s Herschel space telescope. ‘But …
HIFI back in business early 2010
HIFI should be back in business soon! The international team that tackles the problems with the Dutch-led international space instrument is in full swing, adapting the operational procedures and internal software on the ground. These adaptations are made in order to prevent a recurrence of the unwanted voltage peak in the electronic system of HIFI, …
Consistent failure scenario for HIFI
The international team that investigates the problems with the Dutch space instrument HIFI on board the ESA space telescope Herschel has arrived at a complete and consistent failure scenario. A "chain of events" resulted in an overload in one of the power converters of the Local Oscillator Control Unit (LCU), which controls the signal artificially …
Space capsules in Utrecht
De tentoonstelling ‘Ruimtevaart in Nederland’ laat de bezoekers ervaren wat de ruimtevaart betekent voor ons dagelijks leven. Op initiatief van SRON en de Universiteit Utrecht is de rondreizende expositie tot en met 25 november te bezoeken bij de Universiteit Utrecht. ‘Ruimtevaart in Nederland’ bestaat uit drie ruimtecapsules met veel korte films over de Nederlandse ruimtevaart. …
SRON and JAXA agree on cooperation in space science
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have agreed on a long term cooperation in the field of space science. As a first step SRON will contribute to the ASTRO-H mission, the Japanese X-Ray astronomy mission to study large-scale structures of the Universe, extreme conditions of the Universe near …
Consistent failure scenario for HIFI
The international team that investigates the problems with the Dutch space instrument HIFI on board the ESA space telescope Herschel has arrived at a complete and consistent failure scenario. A “chain of events” resulted in an overload in one of the power converters of the Local Oscillator Control Unit (LCU), which controls the signal artificially …
