To what extent does exoplanet Proxima b resemble our Earth? And is there some form of life present? Astronomers hope to find answers to these questions with the new European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). An NWO research grant of €18 million will allow a Dutch consortium to continue building instruments…

The alignment of the James Webb Space Telescope is complete. The space observatory is able to capture sharp, well-directed images with each of its four powerful scientific instruments on board. The MIRI instrument, on which Professor of Molecular Astrophysics Ewine van Dishoeck also worked, was the…

The 'deepest and sharpest' image of the Universe to date: the first photos from the new James Webb space telescope yesterday mesmerised astronomers and the public alike. Leiden Professor of Molecular Astrophysics, Ewine van Dishoeck, spoke to various media outlets about the first images, which include…

Festival

Lecture, European Union Seminar

Three Dutch-Belgian telescopes have started operating at the ESO La Silla Observatory in Chile. This so-called BlackGEM array will scan the southern sky to hunt for cosmic events that produce gravitational waves, such as mergers of neutron stars and black holes. Leiden astronomer Rudolf le Poole is…

The two instruments of ESA's space telescope Euclid have taken their first test images. The first images indicate that the space telescope will achieve the scientific goals for which it was designed - and possibly much more. Euclid will create a 3D map of a third of the sky, allowing scientists to study…

Five projects with researchers from Leiden University have received a grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to build or upgrade existing research facilities.

‘We want to say something very different from the norm. We are the radicals now.’ Tahir Abbas is lyric about the DRIVE project he will be leading from Leiden University in The Hague. This is a short introduction to the research that will be carried out in the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and the United…

A team led by Dr. Yannick Veilleux-Lepage (Institute of Security and Global Affairs) and Joris Larik (Leiden University College The Hague) have secured research funding from the Canadian Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces funded RWE-CAF Research Network.

Course, Summer School

No more lectures and exams for the Radio Astronomy course taught by Michiel Brentjens. The corona crisis is a moment of reflection that has changed his whole way of teaching. Instead of being in front of the class, he lets his students build a radio telescope with paint cans.

Although everybody always refers to Europe and the European Commission (EC) as if it is one funding agency, there are many Executive Agencies which execute different programmes for the Directorate Generals (DG) of the EC, the equivalent of ministries. This page will help you get access to the right…

Although everybody always refers to Europe and the European Commission (EC) as if it is one funding agency, there are many Executive Agencies which execute different programmes for the Directorate Generals (DG) of the EC, the equivalent of ministries. This page will help you get access to the right…

Although everybody always refers to Europe and the European Commission (EC) as if it is one funding agency, there are many Executive Agencies which execute different programmes for the Directorate Generals (DG) of the EC, the equivalent of ministries. This page will help you get access to the right…

Although everybody always refers to Europe and the European Commission (EC) as if it is one funding agency, there are many Executive Agencies which execute different programmes for the Directorate Generals (DG) of the EC, the equivalent of ministries. This page will help you get access to the right…

Although everybody always refers to Europe and the European Commission (EC) as if it is one funding agency, there are many Executive Agencies which execute different programmes for the Directorate Generals (DG) of the EC, the equivalent of ministries. This page will help you get access to the right…

Although everybody always refers to Europe and the European Commission (EC) as if it is one funding agency, there are many Executive Agencies which execute different programmes for the Directorate Generals (DG) of the EC, the equivalent of ministries. This page will help you get access to the right…

Although everybody always refers to Europe and the European Commission (EC) as if it is one funding agency, there are many Executive Agencies which execute different programmes for the Directorate Generals (DG) of the EC, the equivalent of ministries. This page will help you get access to the right…

Although everybody always refers to Europe and the European Commission (EC) as if it is one funding agency, there are many Executive Agencies which execute different programmes for the Directorate Generals (DG) of the EC, the equivalent of ministries. This page will help you get access to the right…

For over a year now, the James Webb Telescope has been sending stunning images that exceed astronomers’ expectations. The photos are fascinating to see, but what exactly are we looking at? Assistant professor Melissa McClure explains.

Lecture

Moving an electron microscope of 2000 kg is a delicate challenge. The highly sensitive instrument needed to be moved to a new measurement hall, but even a tiny bump could damage it. After a few nerve-racking weeks of preparing the move and reinstalment, the researchers finally have a verdict: the instrument…

Planets existing in other solar systems contain invaluable information about the origin of planets and life. PhD candidate Yapeng Zhang has studied their atmospheres by looking at their smallest parts: isotopes. With her research she hopes to discover what makes our own solar system unique.

Workshop

PhD defence

Law

A team of European astronomers has found a silicate-based weather system on a cloudy gas planet around the star WASP-107. It is the first time astronomers have found silicate clouds and rain. They also conclude that temperatures deeper in the atmosphere are rising rapidly. 'The presence of clouds has…

How do galaxies form? That is what astronomer Mariska Kriek will be researching in the coming years. She received an NWO Vici grant of 1.5 million euros to study galaxies in the early universe. ‘This research uses new and unprecedented observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These allow…

A professor from Leiden University has subjected various colleagues to intimidating and unacceptable behaviour for a longer period. These are the findings of an investigation carried out by the University’s independent Complaints Committee for Unacceptable Behaviour at the request of the Executive Board…

Facility

The European Commission has appointed Dr. Joris Larik, Assistant Professor of Comparative, EU and International Law at Leiden University College The Hague, to a new pool of individuals ‘suitable for appointment as arbitrator’ in the framework of the European Union’s bilateral trade agreements.

In Europe, citizens have a right of access to government information. The European Commission, however, has various methods to prevent this. For example, destroying all e-mails, invoking state security and protection of privacy, and not taking minutes. As a result, it is almost impossible to review…