First ever live observation of the rotation of a planetary nursery
The rotation of a protoplanetary disc (a disc where planets are being formed) has been observed directly for the very first time by mapping the emissions from the dust grains […]
News
Strange winds reveal strongest hints yet of magnetic activity in exoplanets
A team of astronomers has found the strongest evidence yet that some planets outside our Solar System may be magnetic. Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) […]
DELIVERY OF THE FLIGHT MODEL OF THE LEES INSTRUMENT FOR THE COMET INTERCEPTOR MISSION
The flight model (FM) of the Low-Energy Electron Spectrometer (LEES) instrument for which IRAP is responsible was delivered on May, 12 2026 to the Space Research Center (CBK) of the […]
Back to the Future: viewing Uranus through an ENA camera
The Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus in 1986 portrayed a magnetospheric system now viewed as the reference for an extreme, asymmetric magnetosphere in our solar system. Flying a typical ENA […]
How laboratory astrophysics can help us understanding the formation of stardust. The case of silicon carbide.
Silicon carbide is a major component of stellar dust. Experimental simulations using the Stardust machine (ICCM-Madrid) have shown that silicon carbide nanograins can form from carbon and silicon atoms, and […]
SVOM — More than 100 Gamma-ray bursts detected by ECLAIRs!
The SVOM (Space-based multi-band Variable Object Monitor) mission officially began its operational phase on April 23, 2025. The review panel for our first operational review (REVEX), held at the IAP […]
The Heterogeneity of the Martian Mantle Is Being Questioned
The structure and dynamics of the Martian mantle are still poorly understood. Recently, a team of researchers proposed that Mars’s mantle contains a large number of heterogeneities inherited from the […]
A blue aurora observed in our part of the world: a rare and revealing phenomenon
An international team comprising scientists from CNRS Terre & Univers and CNRS Physique observed an exceptional blue aurora at mid-latitudes, revealing unprecedented conditions of interaction between solar particles and the […]
The small moon Enceladus sculpts Saturn’s environment over record distances
An international scientific team, including scientists from IRAP and led by LPP, has revealed, using data from the Cassini mission, that the interaction between Saturn and its moon Enceladus is […]