Brussels, 17 September 2026 – On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September 2026, the Space Pole in Uccle (the Royal Observatory of Belgium, Royal Meteorological Institute and Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy) opens its... Read more...
A team of astronomers led by the Royal Observatory of Belgium have found that a star called Sakurai’s Object has become 6 times hotter in the past 30 years, one of the fastest increases ever... Read more...
Since 31 August 2026, stamp collectors have been able to purchase at Bpost five stamps illustrating instruments linked to the Royal Observatory of Belgium. They were issued to mark the institute’s 200th anniversary. These stamps, presented... Read more...
The European Research Council (ERC) today announced the winners of its latest Starting Grant competition. Kaustubh Hakim, researcher at both the Royal Observatory of Belgium and KU Leuven, has been awarded a grant for the ExoGeochem... Read more...
On 12 August 2026, a total solar eclipse took place. While people had the chance to witness the totality of this event in Spain, Iceland and Greenland, eclipse watchers from Belgium witness the Moon covering... Read more...
Since June 2026, the Royal Observatory of Belgium has been publishing a series of podcasts entitled Sous les coupoles d’Uccle/Onder de koepels van Ukkel (Under the domes of Uccle in English). The podcasts are freely... Read more...
From July 3 to August 16, 2026, the Royal Palace is open to the public. This is an opportunity to explore the “Science and Culture” exhibition entitled Music, Sound & Imagination. In the Grand Gallery, visitors... Read more...
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission is extended until August 2028. This space mission, involving a significant Belgian contribution, is studying the lower layers of the Sun’s corona. The pair of satellites were originally... Read more...
8 June 2026 marks the 200th anniversary of the Royal Observatory of Belgium. To mark the occasion, the institute organises a wide range of activities, with events scheduled right through to 2027. These are regularly... Read more...
This Operational Directorate (OD1) contributes to the elaboration of reference systems and timescales, integrates Belgium in the international reference frames, and studies the interior, rotation, dynamics, and crustal deformation of the Earth and other terrestrial planets and moons of our solar system. Read more...
The main mission of this Operational Directorate (OD2) is studying seismic activity, its causes and its consequences in western Europe. In support of this scientific research and to provide the authorities, the media and the public with relevant information about the seismic activity in real time in our region, this operational direction develops and maintains a network of seismic monitoring in Belgium. Read more...
This Operational Directorate (OD3) conducts scientific research in astronomy, especially in the field of stellar physics and the study of objects of the solar system. Research themes include astrometry, stellar evolution and asteroseismologie. Read more...
This Operational Directorate (OD4) studies the outer layers and the atmosphere of the Sun, with a particular focus on solar activity and the influence it exerts on the Earth and its space environment (space weather). On the ground, the observations are obtained using the Uccle Solar Equatorial Table (USET). Read more...
