Research and Publications Highlights

The latest press releases, research news and publications from CSH members.

2026/02/12

© ESA

CHEOPS detects a new planetary "disorder"

First the rocky planets, very close to their star, then the gas giants: this is the order in which scientists have hitherto conceived of the hierarchy of planets. A conception that corresponds to our Solar System but also to most of the planetary systems identified to date. However, the recent discovery of a new planet around the star LHS 1903 by the CHEOPS space telescope is now challenging this theory. The international team of astronomers behind the discovery includes scientists from the University of Bern and the University of Geneva who are also members of the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS.

2026/01/27

© NASA/JHUAPL/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Streaks on Mercury show: Mercury is not a "dead planet"

A new study led by CSH Fellow Dr. Valentin Bickel has discovered a large number of bright streaks, also known as "lineae", on Mercury, which are presumably caused by the outgassing of volatile material from the planet's interior. This indicates that Mercury is not a dead planet, as previously assumed, but might in fact be geologically active. The results provide important insights into the evolution of Mercury and its volatiles and will be further investigated by future space missions such as BepiColombo.

2026/01/12

Mars was half covered by an ocean

Using images from cameras on Mars orbiters, an international research team led by the University of Bern has discovered structures on Mars that are very similar to classic river deltas on Earth. These are traces of rivers that have deposited their sediments into an ocean. This shows that Mars was a "blue planet" around three billion years ago.

Archive - Research Highlights

2025

2025/12/16

© NASA

NASA's IMAP Mission Captures 'First Light'

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), launched September 24, 2025, has taken its "first light" observations, with all 10 instruments successfully recording their first measurements in space. The University of Bern is participating in this mission with two instruments developed at WP.

2025/12/10

© University of Bern, Design: Eric Zankl

University of Bern involved in mission to study the asteroid Apophis

At its Ministerial Council meeting, the European Space Agency (ESA) has approved the RAMSES mission. The joint mission by ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA will investigate the flyby of the asteroid "Apophis" by Earth in April 2029. The University of Bern is involved in the mission with the camera CHANCES. The camera will take high-resolution images to study possible changes in the composition and properties of Apophis' surface under the influence of Earth's gravitational pull.

2025/10/08

©CC by SA 3.0 IGO, ESA/TGO/CaSSIS for CaSSIS

Raging winds on Mars

On Mars, dust devils and winds reach speeds of up to 160 km/h and are therefore faster than previously assumed: This shows a study by an international research team led by the University of Bern. The researchers analyzed images taken by the Bernese Mars camera CaSSIS and the stereo camera HRSC with the help of machine learning. The study provides a valuable data basis for a better understanding of atmospheric dynamics, which is important for better climate models and future Mars missions.

2025/09/09

©NCCR PlanetS / Thibaut Roger

Artificial intelligence drives the discovery of new exoplanets

Researchers from NCCR PlanetS and CSH have developed an AI model capable of predicting the architecture of planetary systems and subsequently inferring the presence of yet-to-be-discovered planets. They use the so-called Transformer architecture which is the basis of the LLMs powering tools like ChatGPT.

2025/09/08

©NASA/Princeton/Patrick McPik

WP involved in NASA mission to explore the heliosphere

WP is participating in the NASA Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe mission (IMAP), which is due to be launched no earlier than 23.09.2025. IMAP is dedicated to exploring the outer limits of the heliosphere, the protective bubble of solar wind in which our solar system is located. The findings should revolutionize our understanding of interstellar space, space weather and the protective function of the heliosphere for Earth.

2025/07/23

Moon under bombardment

Where does the Moon's exosphere come from? A TU Wien study, which the University of Bern ist taking part in, and uses real lunar rock, reveals that the erosive effect of solar wind ions on the Moon has been vastly overestimated.

2025/06/20

©ESA/BepiColombo/MTM

Tidal forces from the Sun could have deformed cliffs on Mercury

A new study by researchers of the University of Bern shows that the hilly surface of Mercury could be influenced not only by the cooling and contraction of the planet, but also by the tidal forces of the Sun. Future analysis will draw on new data from the BepiColombo mission, which is currently on its way to Mercury. BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The University of Bern is involved with two instruments.

2025/05/19

Slope Streaks on Mars - not a sign of water after all?

A new study led by the University of Bern and Brown University in the U.S. casts doubt on one of the most tantalizing clues that water might be flowing on present-day Mars. Researchers analyzed a global database of 500,000 streaks that occur on Martian slopes, concluding they're likely caused by dry processes.

2025/05/14

Venus more tectonically alive than we thought

Several tectonic processes are occurring beneath the surface of Venus, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Bern’s Center for Space and Habitability and NASA. They found that many of the numerous “coronae” scattered over Venus’ globe are associated with gravity field perturbations.

2025/04/09

© University of Bern, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

Where to find the next Earth

A team from the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS has developed a machine learning model that predicts potential planetary systems with Earth-like planets. The model could significantly accelerate and thus revolutionize the future search for habitable planets in the universe.

2025/02/25

© Emirates Mars Mission, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre/UAE Space Agency

Why Mars could be red

An international research team led by the University of Bern and Brown University in the US state of Rhode Island may have solved the mystery of the reddish color of Mars. The team identified the water-rich iron mineral ferrihydrite as the main culprit of the characteristic reddish Martian dust. This discovery could not only explain the planet's color, but also point to a wetter, potentially habitable Martian past.

2025/02/25

© University of Bern, Photo: Peter Keresztes Schmidt

New findings in the search for life on Mars

Researchers from the University of Bern, in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene in Algeria, have made significant progress in astrobiology. In a recently published study, they were able to detect fossil microorganisms in Messinian gypsum, which is found in Algeria, using the Bernese mass spectrometer LIMS. This shows that LIMS could also be used to search for traces of life in similar deposits on Mars in the future.

2025/02/03

AI unveils: Meteoroid impacts cause Mars to shake

A study led by the University of Bern shows that impacts on Mars send seismic shockwaves farther and deeper than previously thought and many of the marsquakes recorded by the NASA InSight lander are caused by meteoroid impacts.

2025/01/15

© UNIGE, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

Not all Hot Jupiters orbit solo

Hot Jupiters are giant planets initially known to orbit alone close to their star. During their migration towards their star, these planets were thought to accrete or eject any other planets present. However, this paradigm has been overturned by recent observations, and the final blow could come from a new study led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE). A team including the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, the Universities of Bern (UNIBE) and Zurich (UZH) and several foreign universities has just announced the existence of a planetary system, WASP-132, with an unexpected architecture. It contains not only a Hot Jupiter but also an inner Super-Earth and an icy giant planet. These results are published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

2024

2024/12/17

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

Rockfall Loctions on Mars

A team lead by Bernese researchers has used a neural network to identify 1383 rockfall sites on Mars. More than half of these were previously unknown. The discovery is also relevant for future Mars missions.

2024/10/18

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

Researchers from the University of Bern involved in NASA mission

NASA's Europa Clipper was launched on October 14, 2024, on its mission to conduct a detailed study of Jupiter's moon Europa. It will determine if the icy moon currently has habitable conditions. Four researchers from the University of Bern are members of the scientific teams for the mission cameras, the Europa Imaging System (EIS), and the mass spectrometer MASPEX on board the spacecraft.

2024/10/01

© ESO/M. Kornmesser

A sub-Earth detected around our neighbouring star Barnard

A team of scientists including researchers from the University of Bern, the University of Geneva and the NCCR PlanetS used the ESPRESSO Spectrograph to discover a sub-Earth mass exoplanet orbiting Barnard's star, the second-closest star system to the Sun. This discovery helps to understand planetary formation around red dwarfs and provides insights into the diversity of planetary systems in our cosmic neighbourhood.

2024/08/08

Sometimes, salt deposits on Mars just seem to smile back at you

Last week, a new paper published in Nature's Scientific Data journal revelead never-seen-before data that helps us better understand the distribution of water in ancient Mars.

2024/07/30

(this image was created using AI)

Astronomers clarify how organic macromolecules are formed

An international team of researchers led by the University of Bern has used observation-based computer modelling to find an explanation for how macromolecules can form in a short time in disks of gas and dust around young stars. These findings could be crucial for understanding how habitability develops around different types of exoplanets and stars.

2024/06/27

© ESO/L. Calçada/spaceengine.org

The density difference of sub-Neptunes finally deciphered

The majority of stars in our galaxy are home to planets. The most abundant are the sub-Neptunes, planets between the size of Earth and Neptune. Calculating their density poses a problem for scientists: depending on the method used to measure their mass, two populations are highlighted, the dense and the less dense. Is this due to an observational bias or the physical existence of two distinct populations of sub-Neptunes? Recent work by the NCCR PlanetS, the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Bern (UNIBE) argues for the latter.

2024/06/10

© ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

First detection of frost on the Solar System's tallest volcanoes on Mars

For the first time, water frost has been detected on the colossal volcanoes on Mars, which are the largest in the Solar System. The international team led by the University of Bern used high-resolution color images from the Bernese Mars camera, CaSSIS, onboard the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft.

2024/06/05

© ESO/G. Vecchia

High-performance spectograph for giant telescope

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has started the design and construction of the ArmazoNes high Dispersion Echelle Spectrograph (ANDES) with an international consortium involving the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Bern (UNIBE), the two host institutions of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS. This spectrograph will be installed at the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in Chile. ANDES will enable amongst others, to probe the atmosphere of exoplanets looking for traces of life.

2024/05/20

NASA's JWST Cracks Case of Inflated Exoplanet

A warm Neptune's methane reveals core mass and vigorous atmospheric mixing. Further information in a paper published in Nature with Dr. Elspeth Lee, Ambizione & CSH/Bernoulli Fellow as a co-author.

2024/05/08

© NASA/ESA/CSA/Ralf Crawford (STScl)

Hints of a possible atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet

Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope may have detected an atmosphere surrounding a rocky exoplanet 41 light-years from Earth. Brice-Olivier Demory, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Bern was part of the international research team that just published the results in Nature.

2024/04/15

© University of Bern, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

How Pluto got its heart

The mystery of how Pluto got a giant heart-shaped feature on its surface has finally been solved by an international team of astrophysicists led by the University of Bern and members of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS. The team is the first to successfully reproduce the unusual shape with numerical simulations, attributing it to a giant and slow oblique-angle impact.

2024/03/04

© ESA

The University of Bern's journey to Comet Chury

The ESA space probe Rosetta began its journey to Comet Chury on March 2, 2004. On board: the ROSINA mass spectrometer from the University of Bern. On the 20th anniversary of the launch of the European Space Agency's Rosetta space mission, uniAKTUELL looks back on the most important milestones and research highlights of this space adventure, in which Bern was involved.

2024/02/26

© Sabina Raducan

DART impact might have reshaped Hera's target asteroid

ESA's Hera spacecraft for planetary defence is being prepared for a journey to the distant asteroid moon Dimorphos orbiting around its parent body Didymos. One of the first features Hera will look for is the crater left on Dimorphos by its predecessor mission DART, which impacted the asteroid to deflect its orbit.

2024/02/09

© Thomas Müller (MPIA)

Possible solution to an exoplanet mystery

Computer simulations by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and the University of Bern show that the migration of icy, so-called sub-Neptunes into the inner regions of their planetary systems can explain the ominous gap in the size distribution of exoplanets. With increasing proximity to the central star, vaporizing water ice forms an atmosphere that makes the planet appear larger than in its frozen state. At the same time, smaller rocky planets lose part of their original gas envelope over time, causing their measured radius to shrink.

2024/01/18

Moon rocks with unique dust found

A research team from the University of Münster, including CSH Fellow Valentin Bickel, has discovered for the first time meter-sized rocks on the surface of the moon that are covered in dust and presumably have unique properties - magnetic anomalies, for example. The findings help to understand the processes that form and change the lunar crust. The study has now been published in the "Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets".

2023

2023/11/29

© CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, Thibaut Roger/NCCR PlanetS

An astronomical waltz reveals a sextuplet of planets

An international collaboration between astronomers using the CHEOPS and TESS space satellites, including NCCR PlanetS members from the University of Bern and the University of Geneva, have found a key new system of six transiting planets orbiting a bright star in a harmonic rhythm. This rare property enabled the team to determine the planetary orbits which initially appeared as an unsolvable riddle.

2023/11/23

© University of Bern, Image: Ramon Lehmann; ESA/Rosetta NavCam

On the trail of cosmic ice

The Swiss government is providing CHF 1.3 million in funding for the development of a novel space instrument under the leadership of Nicolas Thomas. The aim is to use it in the future to investigate water ice beneath the surface of comets, planets, and moons.

2023/11/09

© University of Bern, Photo: Peter Keresztes Schmidt

Instrument from the University of Bern flies to the Moon

Following the success of the Bern solar wind sail on the Apollo Moon missions of the U.S. space agency NASA in the 1960s, the Physics Institute at the University of Bern is to return to the Moon as early as 2027 with the LIMS mass spectrometer as part of the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

2023/07/13

© Valentin Bickel

Robot Team to Explore the Moon

Swiss researchers are equipping legged robots with scientific instruments to search for minerals and resources on the Moon. One major strength of these robots is their ability to work as a team: even if one robot fails, the mission continues. In this UniAktuell article you will learn more about the participation of Valentin Bickel, Fellow at the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH), in the project and the ESA "Space Resources Challenge".

2023/06/08

© University of Bern, Photos: Thibaut Roger

Elusive planets play "hide and seek" with CHEOPS

With the help of the CHEOPS space telescope an international team of European astronomers managed to clearly identify the existence of four new exoplanets. The four mini-Neptunes are smaller and cooler, and more difficult to find than the so-called Hot Jupiter exoplanets which have been found in abundance. Two of the four resulting papers are led by researchers from the University of Bern and the University of Geneva, Dr. Solène Ulmer-Moll (BE/GE) and Dr. Hugh Osborn (BE), who are also members of the NCCR PlanetS.

2023/03/27

© ESA/NASA

The University of Bern is on board a mission to Jupiter

The European Space Agency ESA’s Juice space mission is scheduled to start its journey to Jupiter on April 13, 2023. Once arrived, one of the goals of Juice is to search for traces of life on three of Jupiter’s icy moons. The University of Bern is contributing the NIM mass spectrometer to the mission and is involved in two other instruments: the SWI Sub-millimeter Wave Instrument and the GALA Laser Altimeter.

2023/03/09

Artist’s impression of CHEOPS
© ESA / ATG medialab

CHEOPS mission extended

After more than three years in orbit, the mission of the CHEOPS space telescope has just been extended. Led by the University of Bern in collaboration with the University of Geneva, CHEOPS is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland. On March 7th, ESA’s Science Programme Committee has confirmed its continued operations to 2026 and an indicative extension to 2029, contingent upon ongoing commitments from national contributors and partners.

2023/02/14

© NCCR PlanetS, Illustration: Tobias Stierli

Four classes of planetary systems

Astronomers have long been aware that planetary systems are not necessarily structured like our solar system. Researchers from the Universities of Bern and Geneva, as well as from the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS, have now shown for the first time that there are in fact four types of planetary systems.

2023/01/23

© NASA/ESA/CSA/M. Zamani

James Webb Space Telescope identifies origins of icy building blocks of life

Interstellar molecular clouds are considered to be the birth sites of planetary systems. With the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, an international research team including the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS discovered the deepest and coldest ice ever detected in such a molecular cloud. The discovery provides astronomers with new insights into the icy components that could be incorporated into planets over time and eventually form the basis for life. CSH's Maria Drozdovskaya is co-author of the study.

2022

2022/11/30

© Martin Jutzi

Small asteroids are probably young

The impact experiment conducted on the asteroid Ryugu by the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission which took place two years ago resulted in an unexpectedly large crater. With the use of simulations, a team led by the University of Bern and the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS has recently succeeded in gaining new insights from the experiment regarding the formation and development of asteroids. These insights are also important for the DART mission of NASA.

2022/09/26

© NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

Defending the Earth with Help from Bern

NASA's DART space probe is scheduled to collide with an asteroid at 1:14 a.m. on Tuesday, September 27, in order to deflect it from its orbit. Researchers from the University of Bern are also involved in this endeavor.

2022/09/22

© ESO/G. Hüdepohl

How global warming affects astronomical observations

Astronomical observations from ground-based telescopes are sensitive to local atmospheric conditions. Anthropogenic climate change will negatively affect some of these conditions at observation sites around the globe, as a team of researchers led by the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS reports.

2022/09/12

© ESA/ATG medialab

A thousand days of CHEOPS

After a thousand days in orbit, the CHEOPS space telescope shows almost no signs of wear. Under these conditions, it could continue to reveal details of some of the most fascinating exoplanets for quite some time. CHEOPS is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland, under the aegis of the University of Bern in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

2022/09/07

© ESO/P. Horálek

Two new rocky worlds around an ultra-cool star

An international research team, with the participation of the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, discovered two "super-Earth" exoplanets. One is located at just the right distance from its star to potentially hold liquid water on its surface.

2022/08/25

© NASA/ESA/CSA/Joseph Olmsted

James Webb Space Telescope detects carbon dioxide in exoplanet atmosphere

The James Webb Space Telescope delivers a sensation right away with its first scientific result: for the first time, CO2 has been conclusively detected in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. Researchers from the University of Bern, the University of Geneva and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS are involved in the study.

2022/07/05

© University of Bern

Shedding light on comet Chury’s unexpected chemical complexity

A team of researchers led by the University of Bern has for the first time identified an unexpected richness of complex organic molecules at a comet. This was achieved thanks to the analysis of data collected during ESA’s Rosetta mission at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, also known as Chury. Delivered to the early Earth by impacting comets, these organics may have helped to kick-start carbon-based life as we know it.

2022/06/29

© NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

Bernese researchers simulate defense of the earth

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is the world’s first full-scale planetary defense test against potential asteroid impacts on Earth. Researchers of the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS now show that instead of leaving behind a relatively small crater, the impact of the DART spacecraft on its target could leave the asteroid near unrecognizable.

2022/06/27

© CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, Thibaut Roger/UniBE/UZH

Long-term liquid water also on non-Earth-like planets?

Liquid water is an important prerequisite for life to develop on a planet. As researchers from the University of Bern, the University of Zurich and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS report in a new study, liquid water could also exist for billions of years on planets that are very different from Earth. This calls our currently Earth-centred idea of potentially habitable planets into question.

2022/06/09

© University of Bern

Ground-breaking number of brown dwarfs discovered

Brown dwarfs, mysterious objects that straddle the line between stars and planets, are essential to our understanding of both stellar and planetary populations. However, only 40 brown dwarfs could be imaged around stars in almost three decades of searches. An international team led by researchers from the Open University and the University of Bern directly imaged a remarkable four new brown dwarfs thanks to a new innovative search method.

2022/05/24

© University of Bern

The University of Bern flies to Jupiter

The JUICE space mission of the European Space Agency ESA is scheduled to fly to Jupiter in spring 2023 where it is to look for traces of life in three icy moons. The University of Bern is involved in this endeavor as well, amongst others with the NIM mass spectrometer, which is presented in a video.

2022/01/28

© Bibiana Prinoth

Extreme exoplanet has a complex and exotic atmosphere

An international team including researchers from the University of Bern and the University of Geneva as well as the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS analyzed the atmosphere of one of the most extreme known planets in great detail. The results from this hot, Jupiter-like planet that was first characterized with the help of the CHEOPS space telescope, may help astronomers understand the complexities of many other exoplanets – including Earth-like planets.

2022/01/11

© ESA

CHEOPS reveals a rugby ball-shaped exoplanet

With the help of the CHEOPS space telescope, an international team including researchers from the Universities of Bern and Geneva as well as the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS, was able to detect the deformation of an exoplanet for the first time. Due to strong tidal forces, the appearance of the planet WASP-103b resembles a rugby ball rather than a sphere.

2022/01/07

© Institute of Astronomy, UNAM / E. Cadena

Eccentric exoplanet discovered

Led by the University of Bern, an international research team has discovered a sub-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star. The discovery was also made thanks to observations performed by the SAINT-EX observatory in Mexico. SAINT-EX is run by a consortium including the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern and the National Center of Competence in Research NCCR PlanetS.

2021

2021/12/14

© ESA/ATG Medialab

Two-year launch anniversary of CHEOPS

After two years in orbit, the CHEOPS space telescope has exceeded expectations. By reliably revealing details of some of the most fascinating exoplanets, it has quickly become a key instrument for astronomers in Europe and has led to fruitful collaborations throughout the continent. CHEOPS is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland, under the aegis of the University of Bern in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

2021/11/25

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

Little danger of collision in planetary system TRAPPIST-1

Seven Earth-sized planets orbit the star TRAPPIST-1 in near-perfect harmony. An international study involving researchers from the University of Bern, the University of Geneva, and the University of Zurich now shows that these exoplanets were not affected by massive impacts and collisions with other celestial bodies during their formation.

2021/11/11

© UNIGE, Dave Hoefler

Discovering exoplanets using artificial intelligence

By implementing artificial intelligence techniques similar to those used in autonomous cars, a team from the UNIGE and the UniBE, in partnership with the company Disaitek, has discovered a new method for detecting exoplanets.

2021/10/14

© Tania Cunha (Planetário do Porto - Centro Ciência Viva & Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço)

The planet does not fall far from the star

A compositional link between planets and their respective host star has long been assumed in astronomy. For the first time now, a team of scientists, with the participation of researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS from the University of Bern and the University of Zürich, deliver empirical evidence to support the assumption – and partly contradict it at the same time.

2021/08/30

© Alessandro Della Bella

New Mathematical Solutions to An Old Problem in Astronomy

The Bernese theoretical astrophysicist Kevin Heng has achieved a rare feat: On paper, he has derived novel solutions to an old mathematical problem needed to calculate light reflections from planets and moons. Now, data can be interpreted in a simple way to understand planetary atmospheres, for example. The new formulae will likely be incorporated into future textbooks.

2021/06/28

© ESA

Unique exoplanet photobombs CHEOPS study of nearby star system

While studying two exoplanets in a bright nearby star system, the CHEOPS satellite has unexpectedly spotted the system’s third known planet crossing the face of the star. This transit reveals exciting details about a rare planet “with no known equivalent”, as the scientific team led by the Universities of Geneva and Bern, and members of the National Center of Competence in Research PlanetS, point out.

2021/06/18

© CSH

Scientists detect signatures of life remotely

It could be a milestone on the path to detecting life on other planets: Scientists under the leadership of the University of Bern and of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS detect a key molecular property of all living organisms from a helicopter flying several kilometers above ground. The measurement technology could also open up opportunities for remote sensing of the Earth.

2021/03/11

© University of Bern, Illustration: Jenny Leibundgut

How the habitability of exoplanets is influenced by their rocks

The weathering of silicate rocks plays an important role to keep the climate on Earth clement. Scientists led by the University of Bern and the Swiss national center of competence in research (NCCR) PlanetS, investigated the general principles of this process. Their results could influence how we interpret the signals from distant worlds – including such that may hint towards life.

2021/03/04

© University of Bern, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

Volcanoes might light up the night sky of this planet

Until now, researchers have found no evidence of global tectonic activity on planets outside our solar system. Under the leadership of the University of Bern and the National Center of Competence in Research NCCR PlanetS, scientists have now found that the material inside planet LHS 3844b flows from one hemisphere to the other and could be responsible for numerous volcanic eruptions on one side of the planet.

2021/01/25

© ESO

CHEOPS finds unique planetary system

The CHEOPS space telescope detects six planets orbiting the star TOI-178. Five of the planets are in a harmonic rhythm despite very different compositions – a novelty. CHEOPS is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland, under the aegis of the University of Bern in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

2021/01/22

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

TRAPPIST-1's 7 Rocky Planets May Be Made of Similar Stuff

The TRAPPIST-1 star is home to the largest batch of roughly Earth-size planets ever found outside our solar system. An international study involving researchers from the Universities of Bern, Geneva and Zurich now shows that the exoplanets have remarkably similar densities, which provides clues about their composition.

2020

2020/12/17

© ESA/S. Corvaja

One-year launch anniversary of CHEOPS

In its first year in orbit, the CHEOPS space telescope has already revealed details of one of the most extreme exoplanets and showed its maneuverability by evading space debris. CHEOPS is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland, under the aegis of the University of Bern in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

2020/12/16

© University of Bern, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

A pair of lonely planet-like objects born like stars

An international research team led by the University of Bern has discovered an exotic binary system composed of two young planet-like objects, orbiting around each other from a very large distance. Although these objects look like giant exoplanets, they formed in the same way as stars, proving that the mechanisms driving star formation can produce rogue worlds in unusual systems deprived of a Sun.

2020/10/15

© Institute of Astronomy, UNAM / E. Cadena

Two planets around a red dwarf

The “SAINT-EX” Observatory, led by scientists from the National Centre of Competence in Research NCCR PlanetS of the University of Bern and the University of Geneva, has detected two exoplanets orbiting the star TOI-1266. The Mexico-based telescope thus demonstrates its high precision and takes an important step in the quest of finding potentially habitable worlds.

2020/10/14

© ESA/ATG medialab

Venus flyby on the way to Mercury

The space probe BepiColombo, which is on its way to Mercury, will fly past Venus on October 15, 2020 – one of the deceleration maneuvers to bring the probe into orbit in front of Mercury. BepiColombo has instruments on board which were designed and built at the Physics Institute of the University of Bern. Data is now being collected on Venus on the way to Mercury using other instruments that the Bern researchers are involved in.

2020/10/08

© NASA, ESA, G. Bacon (STSci)

Vaporised metal in the air of an exoplanet

An international team of researchers led by the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS of the University of Bern and the University of Geneva studied the atmosphere of the ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-121b. In it, they found a number of gaseous metals. The results are a next step in the search for potentially habitable worlds.

2020/09/28

© ESA/ATG medialab

First study with CHEOPS data describes one of the most extreme planets in the universe

CHEOPS keeps its promise: Observations with the space telescope reveal details of the exoplanet WASP-189b – one of the most extreme planets known. CHEOPS is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland, under the aegis of the University of Bern in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

2020/09/21

© ESA/ATG medialab

Comet Chury's ultraviolet aurora

On Earth, auroras, also called northern lights, have always fascinated people. An international consortium involving the University of Bern has now discovered such auroras in the ultraviolet wavelength range at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Chury for short. This phenomenon was detected thanks to the analysis of data from the European Space Agency ESA's Rosetta mission.

2020/08/28

© University of Bern, AIUB

Space debris observed for the first time during the day

Researchers at the University of Bern are the first in the world to succeed in determining the distance to a space debris object using a geodetic laser in daylight. The distance was determined on June 24, 2020 at the Swiss Optical Ground Station and Geodynamics Observatory Zimmerwald. The number of measurements can be multiplied thanks to the new possibility of observing space debris during the day. As a result, possible collisions with satellites can be detected at an early stage and evasive maneuvers can be initiated.

2020/08/19

© University of Bern, Image: Vera Knöpfel

The most sensitive instrument in the search for life in space comes from Bern

Researchers at the University of Bern have developed the highly sensitive ORIGIN instrument, which can provide proof of the smallest amounts of traces of life, for future space missions. Space agencies such as NASA have already expressed interest in testing ORIGIN for future missions. The instrument may be used on missions to the ice moons of Europa (Jupiter) and Enceladus (Saturn), for example.

2020/07/01

© University of Warwick/Mark Garlick

First exposed planetary core discovered

Researchers led by the University of Warwick have discovered the first exposed core of an exoplanet, which provides an unprecedented glimpse inside the interior of a planet. Christoph Mordasini from the University of Bern is leading the theoretical interpretation of this discovery.

2020/06/03

© NASA, Univ. Arizona/JAXA, Univ. Tokyo

Origin of two "cosmic diamonds" explained

Bennu and Ryugu are two near-Earth asteroids with a diamond-like shape, the origin of which has long been a mystery. Now, simulations of collisions, in which Martin Jutzi from the University of Bern was involved, show how this unusual shape came about. The results could also help to better understand the processes involved in the formation of the Earth.

2020/05/05

© NASA/B. Ingalls

Evidence of active tectonic system on the Moon

It is believed that the Moon has been dead for a long time. However, researchers have now discovered mountain ridges scattered with freshly exposed boulders. According to the researchers, these ridges could be evidence of seismic activity on the Moon that began 4.3 billion years ago and may still be ongoing today. Adomas Valantinas, a doctoral student at the University of Bern, led the research during his stay as a visiting scientist at Brown University.

2020/04/16

© ESA/ATG medialab

CHEOPS space telescope ready for scientific operation

CHEOPS has reached its next milestone: Following extensive tests in Earth's orbit, some of which the mission team was forced to carry out from home due to the coronavirus crisis, the space telescope has been declared ready for science. CHEOPS stands for “CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite”, and has the purpose of investigating known exoplanets to determine, among other things, whether they have conditions that are hospitable to life.

2020/03/12

© ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

Puzzle about nitrogen solved thanks to cometary analogues

One of the basic building blocks of life is nitrogen. An international consortium was able to detect ammonium salt containing nitrogen on the cometary surface of Chury thanks to a method using analogues for comet material. The method on which the study on the detection of ammonium salt is based was developed at the University of Bern.

2020/02/07

© ESA/Airbus/CHEOPS Mission Consortium

CHEOPS space telescope takes its first pictures

Next milestone in the commissioning of CHEOPS: After the successful opening of the space telescope cover on January 29, 2020, CHEOPS has now taken its first images of the sky. CHEOPS is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Switzerland, led by the University of Bern, in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

2020/01/29

© ESA/ATG medialab

Cover of CHEOPS Space Telescope Open

Decisive moment for the CHEOPS space telescope: The cover was opened as intended on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at 7:38 am. CHEOPS is now being tested for precision and the first images are being produced. CHEOPS is a joint mission of ESA and Switzerland, led by the University of Bern, in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

2020/01/24

© ESA/ATG medialab

Opening of the CHEOPS cover delayed by a few days

The cover of the CHEOPS space telescope was scheduled to be opened on Monday, January 27, 2020. The date is being pushed back by a few days because several tests are being repeated.

2020/01/20

© ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

The salt of the comet

Under the leadership of astrophysicist Kathrin Altwegg, Bernese researchers have found an explanation for why very little nitrogen could previously be accounted for in the nebulous covering of comets: the building block for life predominantly occurs in the form of ammonium salts, the occurrence of which could not previously be measured. The salts may be a further indication that comet impacts may have made life on Earth possible in the first place.

2020/01/15

© ALMA/ESO/ESA

Interstellar journey of life's building block phosphorus unveiled

Phosphorus, present in our DNA and cell membranes, is an essential element for life. But how it became available on the early Earth when life appeared here about 4 billion years ago is something of a mystery. For the first time, astronomers – among them researchers from the University of Bern – have now been able to show that molecules with phosphorus are formed in star-forming regions and probably came to Earth with comets.

2019

2019/12/18

© ESA/ATG medialab

CHEOPS successfully launched – the search for a "twin Earth" begins!

CHEOPS is a mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), in which Switzerland plays a leading role. Following its successful launch and the usual tests in orbit, the satellite will begin its approximately four-year mission at the end of March 2020. Scientists around the world eagerly await the data on exoplanets that will be collected, underscoring the significant contribution of the Swiss research community to this mission.

2019/12/05

© ESA/M. Pédoussaut

Swiss space telescope CHEOPS: Rocket launch set for 17 December 2019

The space telescope CHEOPS is scheduled to begin its journey into space on Tuesday, December 17th on board a Soyuz rocket from the European Space Agency (ESA) in Kourou, French Guiana. CHEOPS is a joint mission of ESA and Switzerland, led by the University of Bern, in collaboration with the University of Geneva.

2019/10/09

© University of Bern, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

Liquifying a rocky exoplanet

A hot, molten Earth would be around 5% larger than its solid counterpart. This is the result of a study led by researchers at the University of Bern. The difference between molten and solid rocky planets is important for the search of Earth-like worlds beyond our Solar System and the understanding of Earth itself.

2019/09/26

© CARMENES/RenderArea/J. Bollaín/C. Gallego

A planet that should not exist

Astronomers detected a giant planet orbiting a small star. The planet has much more mass than theoretical models predict. While this surprising discovery was made by a Spanish-German team at an observatory in southern Spain, researchers at the University of Bern studied how the mysterious exoplanet might have formed.

2019/09/16

© ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS

Bernese camera shows strange craters and dune fields on Mars

The Bernese Mars camera CaSSIS on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) space probe of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian space agency Roscosmos has delivered new, impressive images of Mars. These provide evidence of gas eruptions in dune fields, climate change, and dry avalanches on Mars.

2019/08/29

© University of Bern, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

Hints of a volcanically active exomoon

A rocky extrasolar moon (exomoon) with bubbling lava may orbit a planet 550 light-years away from us. This is suggested by an international team of researchers led by the University of Bern on the basis of theoretical predictions matching observations. The “exo-Io” would appear to be an extreme version of Jupiter’s moon Io.

2019/07/29

© ESA/ATG medialab

CHEOPS passes final test before launch

The CHEOPS space telescope has successfully passed the final test for its launch on a Soyuz rocket from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. CHEOPS is a joint mission between ESA and Switzerland, led by the University of Bern. It will support the search for potentially habitable planets.

2019/05/08

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

Rare-Earth metals in the atmosphere of a glowing-hot exoplanet

KELT-9 b is the hottest exoplanet known to date. In the summer of 2018, a joint team of astronomers from the universities of Bern and Geneva found signatures of gaseous iron and titanium in its atmosphere. Now these researchers have also been able to detect traces of vaporized sodium, magnesium, chromium, and the rare-Earth metals scandium and yttrium.

2019/03/29

© ESA/ATG medialab

Penultimate stop before journey for CHEOPS space telescope

The CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) space telescope was presented to the media in Madrid today for the last time before being shipped to the Kourou spaceport. From there, CHEOPS will embark on its journey into space in fall 2019. A success story for Switzerland as a research location – and for the University of Bern. A look back and a look ahead.

2019/03/14

© ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS

Bernese Mars camera CaSSIS returns spectacular images

Three years ago, on 14 March 2016, the Bernese Mars camera CaSSIS started its journey to Mars with the "ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter" spacecraft. The camera system developed at the University of Bern has been observing Mars from its primary science orbit since April 2018 and provides high-resolution, colour images of the surface. On 2 March 2019, CaSSIS also delivered its first image of InSight, NASA's lander on Mars.

2018 - 2016

2018/10/17

© ESA

Journey to Mercury with Involvement from Bern

On Saturday 20 October 2018, at 03:45 a.m. CET, the BepiColombo space probe is to set off on its journey to Mercury from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. On board the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s joint space probe are instruments which were designed and built at the Physics Institute of the University of Bern: the laser altimeter BELA – the largest and most sensitive instrument of the mission – and the innovative mass spectrometer STROFIO.

2018/09/28

© ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

Two Years after Rosetta

On September 30, 2016, the active phase of the ESA’s Rosetta mission came to an end with the controlled crash landing of the probe on the surface of the comet Chury. Due to the key experiment of the University of Bern, ROSINA, more information regarding the origin of our solar system was acquired. However, over 2 million data records are still awaiting evaluation.

2018/08/27

© NASA/JPL/UArizona

Jupiter had growth disorders

Researchers of the Universities of Bern and Zürich and of ETH Zürich show how Jupiter was formed. Data collected from meteorites had indicated that the growth of the giant planet had been delayed for two million years. Now the researchers have found an explanation: Collisions with kilometer-sized blocks generated high energy, which meant that in this phase hardly any accretion of gas could take place and the planet could only grow slowly.

2018/08/15

© Denis Bajram

Iron and titanium discovered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet

For the first time, researchers of the universities of Bern and Geneva have proven the presence of iron and titanium in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. The existence of these elements in gas form was theoretically predicted by a team led by the Bernese astronomer Kevin Heng and has now been confirmed by Geneva-based astronomers.

2018/06/25

© University of Bern

Where Medical Technology and Astrophysics Meet

At the University of Bern, astrophysicists of the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) teamed up with medical technology researchers to develop a new method to analyse spectra of atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system. The unusual collaboration applied an artificial intelligence tool to study the chemistry of exoplanetary atmospheres.

2018/02/05

What the TRAPPIST-1 planets could look like

State-of-the-art mass measurements of the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets

Led by CSH senior researcher Dr. Simon Grimm, researchers at the University of Bern obtained the most accurate estimates of the masses of the seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting the TRAPPIST-1 red dwarf star. Dr. Grimm performed state-of-the-art calculations that combined N-body dynamics with a genetic algorithm to analyze transit timing variations (TTVs) of the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets.

2018/01/18

Release of Report on Ultraviolet Direct Imager

Former CSH visitor Dr. Ian Parry led the proposal to ESA of a new idea for a direct imager of habitable exoplanets in the ultraviolet range of wavelengths.

2017/02/22

Seven terrestrial exoplanets around a nearby star

Seven terrestrial exoplanets around a nearby star

An international team of astronomers, including Marko Seskovic and Prof. Dr. Brice-Olivier Demory of the CSH, has discovered a compact analogue of our inner solar system about 40 light-years away with the data collected from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.

2016/09/30

Rosettas Landeplatz
© Photo: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team

Rosetta’s momentous end

Rosetta’s mission is over: After the last signal at 13:20, the spacecraft was crash-landed on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, with the ROSINA instrument from Bern taking measurements right until the very end. At the University of Bern, hundreds of people watched with interest as they followed the end of one of the most successful missions of the European Space Agency (ESA) live.