NectarCAM collaboration meeting
The NectarCAM collaboration meeting took place from February 2nd to 4th, 2026, in the IRAP conference room. This meeting brought together all the project stakeholders from 16 European laboratories responsible […]
News
Grains from asteroid Bennu analyzed at the University of Toulouse
At IRAP (CNRS, CNES, University of Toulouse), the AROMA molecular analyzer, a highly sensitive mass spectrometer employing a two-step laser desorption/laser ionization technique, enables the study of exceptional samples: grains […]
SPIRou: The second closest exoplanet in the habitable zone discovered just 11.4 light-years away
Just 11.4 light-years away, two exoplanets have been detected around a nearby star. One of them, Gl725Bc, is located in the habitable zone and is now the second closest potentially […]
Magnetic reconnection models validated by analysis of twenty years of measurements
By allowing plasmas to exchange their magnetic connection, the magnetic reconnection process enables the sudden release of magnetic energy in the form of accelerated particles and rapid, heated flows. For […]
All about the solar flare of January 18, 2026
An X1.9-class solar flare that occurred on January 18 at 18:09 UT (Figure 1) generated a very fast solar storm directed towards Earth, causing a geomagnetic storm that began on […]
First spectrum for the optical prototype of the VENSCPEC-U instrument for ESA’s ENVISION mission
December was an eventful month for the development of the VENSPEC-U imaging spectrometer (developed for the ENVISION mission by LATMOS, IRAP, LIRA, and IAA), with the first spectrum from the […]
Westerlund 1: a stellar nursery blows a wind of particles on a galactic scale
An international team of scientists led by Marianne Lemoine, Director of Research at LP2IB, with a contribution from IRAP, has just revealed, for the first time, a stream of particles […]
ESO signs agreement for MOSAIC instrument on the ELT
Today, ESO has signed an agreement with a large international consortium for the design and construction of the Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOSAIC), an instrument for ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Able […]
Electric discharges detected on Mars for the first time
Electric discharges have for the first time been recorded within the storms and whirlwinds of dust – known as dust devils – that sweep across the surface of Mars. Captured […]