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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science
@science.esa.int
13K followers 640 following 530 posts
Keeping you posted on space science activities from the European Space Agency. Web: http://www.esa.int/science Privacy Notice: esa.int/connectwithus #astronomy #space #science
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 3h
Thanks for spreading the word!
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 22h
The nucleus is too small to be discernible from the much larger coma. The coma is brighter at the centre, and gets dimmer with distance from the nucleus.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 22h
Scientists are still analysing the data from both ExoMars and Mars Express, including combining short-exposure shots to see if they can spot the faint comet in Mars Express data.

Their work may help us understand what 3I/ATLAS is made of and how it behaves as it approaches the Sun.

Stay tuned.
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter image of comet 3I/ATLAS
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 22h
First images of comet #3I/ATLAS from Europe's Mars orbiters 😍

Observing the comet from 30 million km away, #ExoMars reveals the halo of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭🧪
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 23h
It would have been a swipe left from Comet Interceptor on both 😜

👈 2I/Borisov would have been too far from the Sun

👈 1I/'Oumuamua might have had a small chance in terms of distance, but it was very faint, small and with no perceivable activity. Most likely it would have been detected too late
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 23h
The calibrated HRSC images are all available in our Planetary Science Archive: psa.esa.int
If you are looking for the digital terrain models, check out this link: psaftp.esac.esa.int/legacy_datas...
Planetary Science Archive
psa.esa.int
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Reposted by ESA Space Science
operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 23h
Happy launch anniversary to ESA's Hera mission! 🎂🥳

One year ago ESA's first planetary defence mission was stranded on Earth, its launcher grounded, as a hurricane closed in on its launch site. What a difference a year makes! www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
Hera’s first year in space
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 1d
Stay tuned, little white dot coming to a screen near you very soon 😜

We've been working on:
↘️ downloading data
🧑‍💻 processing data
✍️ explaining data

#3I/ATLAS
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 1d
You can switch to English on the top right part of the webpage. The observations are coordinated by @obs-paris-psl.bsky.social
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 1d
On the night of 13-14 October, Jupiter's moon #Ganymede will pass in front of star HIP37442.

Observing this occultation pinpoints Ganymede's position even more precisely, helping our Juice mission reach its target.

Can you help?

Details from @obs-paris-psl.bsky.social 👉 bit.ly/4hcPguB
Illustration of the Juice spacecraft seen in space, at Jupiter. Text reads 'Juice needs you'.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 1d
Interested in research based on our archive data?

Then the ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme might be for you.

The next deadline for applications is 10 November 2025. Check out all the application details here 👉 www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esdc/vis... ☄️ 🧪 🔭
Illustration promoting the Archival Research Visitor Programme and the next deadline date of 10 November 2025. In the background, a model image of what our home galaxy, the Milky Way, might look like face-on: as viewed from above the disc of the galaxy, with its spiral arms and bulge in full view. In the centre of the galaxy, the bulge shines as a hazy oval, emitting a faint golden gleam. Starting at the central bulge, several glistening spiral arms coil outwards, creating a perfectly circle-shaped spiral. They give the impression of someone having sprinkled pastel purple glitter on the pitch-black background, in the shape of sparkling, curled-up snakes. Milky Way illustration by ESA/Gaia/DPAC, Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 2d
Hello, New Norcia 3 📡

When this new deep space antenna enters service in 2026, it will support our current science flagship missions, including Juice, Solar Orbiter, BepiColombo, and will be a critical enabler for upcoming missions including Plato, Envision and Ariel. 🔭
esa.int
European Space Agency @esa.int · 4d
We've expanded our capability to communicate with scientific, exploration and space safety missions across the Solar System with the inauguration of a new 35-m diameter antenna in Australia – the fourth in our Estrack deep-space tracking network.

www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup... @operations.esa.int
Floodlit in blue, the new ESA 35-metre deep space antenna – the fourth of its kind - will be joining the existing one at New Norcia station, Australia.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 2d
A galaxy with a starbursting centre 🌟

Around the heart of NGC 6951 is a a white-blue ring that churns out an impressive number of stars.

Using Hubble data, astronomers have found more than 80 potential star clusters within it!

Read more 👉 esahubble.org/images/potw2... 🔭
A spiral galaxy with large, open arms. A bar of yellow light, where old stars are gathered, crosses the middle of the disk. The very centre is a white point surrounded by a small, shining ring of star clusters. Thin lanes of dust swirl around this ring, reaching out to follow the spiral arms; also visible across the arms are red, glowing spots where stars are forming. To the right a star shines large and bright.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 5d
@obs-paris-psl.bsky.social is calling all amateur astronomers to help out!

You will need both a good telescope 🔭 and a CCD camera to be able to observe this occultation.

If we've caught your attention, head over to this website for more details: https://f.mtr.cool/rbtnogwoum 3/3
Illustration of the Juice spacecraft seen in space, at Jupiter. Text reads 'Juice needs you'.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 5d
On the night of 13 to 14 October, Jupiter's moon #Ganymede will pass in front of star HIP37442.

We know this star's position very well thanks to #ESAGaia 🙏

🔭 Observations of this event will pinpoint Ganymede's position even more precisely. 

More observations, better ephemerides. 2/3
Sky map on 14 October over France. Credit: Laboratoire Temps Espace (LTE)
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 5d
🔭 Get your gear ready, we need you for the Juice mission!

To properly reach the Jupiter system in July 2031, #ESAJuice relies on ephemerides - predicted positions of celestial objects at specific times. 

Better ephemerides, better planning, better results. This is where you come in. 1/3
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 5d
😍
science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 5d
If you're wondering whether Comet Interceptor & #3I/ATLAS would have been a match, the answer is no 💔

The comet would have been too far for the spacecraft's parking location. The flyby would have been too fast due to the comet's orbit, taking it away from Earth and straight out of our Solar System.
Infographic showing the path of comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to enter our Solar System. It displays the orbits of Earth, Mars and the Juice spacecraft around the Sun, along with key dates and events as comet 3I/ATLAS travels through the inner Solar System in 2025. Coloured and numbered dots mark important observation points by telescopes and spacecraft.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 5d
Waiting for a comet in space ☄️

Targeting launch in 2029, #CometInterceptor will be parked in space, waiting for an as-yet-undiscovered comet to come by.

Discover more about this ESA-led mission in collaboration with JAXA 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭
Illustration showing the main Comet Interceptor spacecraft and the two probes observing a comet from multiple directions at the same time.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 6d
Fly over Xanthe Terra with #MarsExpress 🛰️

🔴 Travel along a valley carved out some 3.5 billion years ago
🔴 Pass by impact craters
🔴 Go over lowlands once flattened by floodwaters

Enjoy the flight, and turn up the volume 🔊
www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

🔭 #planetsci
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 6d
It wouldn't be unheard of 😀 Check out the mocktails done for Juice! The winner was dedicated to Jupiter's moon Europa in this case: www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
Inspiring mocktail menu served up by Space Juice winners
An impressive 70 mocktail recipes representing a wide range of flavours of ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission were submitted to the Agency’s #SpaceJuice competition  in January.
www.esa.int
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 7d
All eyes on #3I/ATLAS ☄️

Our Mars Express & ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter will observe the comet around its closest approach to Mars on 3 October 2025, when 3I/ATLAS will be around 30 million km from the red planet.

Stay tuned and follow esa.int/3IATLAS 🔭🧪
Infographic showing the path of comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to enter our Solar System. It displays the orbits of Earth, Mars and the Juice spacecraft around the Sun, along with key dates and events as comet 3I/ATLAS travels through the inner Solar System in 2025. Coloured and numbered dots mark important observation points by telescopes and spacecraft.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 7d
The discovery further strengthens the case for a new dedicated ESA mission to orbit and land on Enceladus 🛰️

As Enceladus ticks all the boxes to be a habitable environment that could support life, such a mission would offer Europe a front seat in Solar System science.
Infographic describing ESA's under-study mission to Enceladus
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 7d
🆕 The discovery of new complex organic molecules at Saturn's #Enceladus enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable 🪐

On Earth, these molecules are involved in chemical reaction chains that lead to the more complex molecules essential for life.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭 🧪 ☄️
Scientific illustration showing a cross-section of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. It features three labelled layers: An ice shell at the top, with visible cracks releasing jets of water vapour into space; an ocean in the middle, depicted as a large body of water beneath the ice; a rocky core at the bottom, shown emitting heat that may drive the jets. In the background, Saturn and its rings are visible in space.
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science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 7d
This collage features eight gravitational lensing candidates out of more than 400 identified by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.

Read more 👉 esawebb.org/images/potm2... 🔭
A collage of eight Webb images of gravitational lensing are shown. Each of the images show various distorted galaxies in the centre of each frame, including arcs and circular shapes.
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