News

The Vanderlinden Prize awarded to Sebastien Le Maistre

Sébastien Le Maistre, researcher at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, will receive the Georges Vanderlinden Prize from the Royal Academy of Belgium (Science Class). This distinction, which will be awarded to him on Saturday December 14, rewards his years of research in data processing for Martian missions. [...]

Happy birthday PROBA2!!!

On November 2, the ESA satellite PROBA2 will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. Not too bad for this small Belgian spacecraft that was initially intended for a two-year mission! [...]

Launch of the Val-u-Sun citizen science project

Solar scientists from the Royal Observatory of Belgium launched the citizen science project Val-u-Sun. This project, open to everyone, allows citizens to help research by counting sunspots from their archive.  [...]

EUI and Solar Orbiter ready for launch!

Brussels, 18 October 2019 – Ever closer to the Sun! The instrument EUI (Extreme Ultraviolet Imager) is integrated into the Solar Orbiter satellite to be launched towards the Sun in February 2020. Today, Solar Orbiter can be seen for the last time before being shipped to Cape Canaveral, the launch site. [...]

European approach to space weather

A special report from international experts was released on October 10, 2019, to explain the challenges of space weather and to provide a set of recommendations against radiation hazards in space. David Berghmans, of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, is a co-author of the report. [...]

Astronomers show how supergiant stars repeatedly cool and heat up

An international team of professional and amateur astronomers, which includes Alex Lobel, astronomer at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, has determined in detail how the temperature of four yellow hypergiants increases from 4000 degrees to 8000 degrees and back again in a few decades. They publish their findings in the professional journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. [...]

Name Your Own Exoplanet! – The votes are open!

Choose from the four proposals selected to officially name an exoplanet and its host star.

Within the framework of its 100th anniversary commemorations, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is organising the IAU100 NameExoWorlds global competition that allows any country in the world to give a popular name to a selected exoplanet and its host star. Individuals, associations and schools are invited [...]

Astronomy Day at the Observatory on 21 September 2019

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Royal Observatory of Belgium opens its doors on September 21 for an Astronomy Day, organised by the Planetarium of Brussels, in collaboration with the FFAAB (Fédération Francophone des Astronomes Amateurs de Belgique) and the VVS (Vereniging Voor Sterrenkunde).

The program includes activities for young and old: visits [...]