🚀 ExoHack – Episode IV: Groningen Edition Join us April 16–17, 2026 at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute (University of Groningen) for a two-day AI & exoplanet hackathon. Explore new worlds using data, AI, and collaborative coding. Register via the QR code on the poster!

🔭✨ Stargazing Days at the Blaauw Observatory! Join guided tours, planetarium shows, talks and — weather permitting — real telescope observations on 28 Feb. Free entry, space for everyone 🚀 www.rug.nl/about-ug/lat...

⚡️ How does lightning really work? Researchers @kapteynastro.bsky.social are using the LOFAR radio telescope to map lightning in 3D — with sub-metre precision. A great example of astronomy tech unlocking atmospheric science www.rug.nl/about-ug/lat...

@rug.nl joins the €1.5M NWO-funded GOOD platform project, together with TU Delft and partners. Great to see @kapteynastro.bsky.social researchers contributing to open-source orbital dynamics for satellite safety and space debris research. #OpenScience #Space www.rug.nl/fse/news/awa...

Why are so few planets suitable for life? Research including astronomers from @kapteynastro.bsky.social shows that a precise oxygen balance during planet formation is key to retaining life-essential elements — placing Earth in a rare chemical “Goldilocks zone.” Read more: www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat...

Prof. Inga Kamp, Director of the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, joins the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW). An honorary recognition by the Netherlands’ oldest academic society. Congratulations! Read more: www.rug.nl/about-ug/lat...

Ons mobiele planetarium deed Vlieland aan en was een groot succes. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

An international team of scientists, including astronomers from @kapteynastro.bsky.social, shows that (dark) matter around the Local Group is organised in a vast flat structure, with large voids above and below. This explains the motions of nearby galaxies. Read more: www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat...

🎉 Petra Awad wins the Jury Prize of the Van Swinderen Competition (KNG)! The Jury Prize is awarded for the best Dutch-language summary of a PhD thesis and recognises excellence in both research and science communication. Congratulations, Petra! 👏 #VanSwinderenPrize #KNG #PhD #Astronomy

At #RockyWorlds4 in Groningen, scientists explore rocky planets with radically different chemistries and atmospheres. With the LIFE mission, they aim to study exoplanets directly and look for unexpected signs of life — not aliens, but subtle atmospheric clues. Read more: www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat...

🚀 Een Europees team van astronomen – waaronder onderzoekers van @kapteynastro.bsky.social – heeft met WEAVE iets onverwachts ontdekt in de Ringnevel: een smalle ‘balk’ van sterk geïoniseerd ijzer. Lees meer: www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/ontde...

De bouw van het Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory is gestart in Chili. CTAO wordt het grootste en gevoeligste gammastraling-observatorium ter wereld. Nederland levert een belangrijke bijdrage aan de camera’s, met betrokkenheid van @kapteynastro.bsky.social www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/bouw-...

🌙 In Trouw pleiten onderzoekers van @kapteynastro.bsky.social en natuurorganisaties voor serieus beleid tegen lichtvervuiling. Nederland behoort tot de meest lichtvervuilde landen ter wereld, met grote gevolgen voor biodiversiteit, gezondheid en slaap. Lees meer: www.trouw.nl/opinie/opini...

🌍🎓 Internationale erkenning voor Gronings astrofysisch onderzoek Mariano Méndez ontvangt de Argentijnse RAICES-prijs voor het verbinden van jonge onderzoekers wereldwijd en het versterken van de wetenschap in Argentinië en daarbuiten. Lees meer: www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/maria...

Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, researchers — including astronomers from @kapteynastro.bsky.social at @rug.nl — found strong evidence for a thick atmosphere around the ultra-hot super-Earth TOI-561 b. 👉 www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat... #JamesWebb #Exoplanets #Astronomy

New research from @kapteynastro.bsky.social and @rug.nl suggests that TOI-561 b can retain an atmosphere thanks to a surprising interaction between magma and gas. Extreme weather, stormy skies — and planets that defy expectations. www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat... #Exoplanets #JWST #Astronomy #Science

Uit 1 miljoen sterrenstelsels blijkt: botsende stelsels wekken de helderste actieve zwarte gaten tot leven (Onderzoek van o.a. @sronspace.bsky.social & @kapteynastro.bsky.social). www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/botse... www.volkskrant.nl/wetenschap/e...

LOFAR made a brilliant accidental discovery: a KLM Boeing 777 was emitting radio bursts from static discharges—not at the wicks, but around the engines and tail 🤯 Read more: www.rug.nl/fse/news/hig... Published in Nature Communications. #LOFAR #RUG #science #aviation #lightning

On 3 December, Laura Kreidberg gives this year’s Blaauw Lecture: “Copernicus Revisited: Is the Earth Special?” She’ll share the latest JWST discoveries on TRAPPIST-1, lava worlds, and Earth-sized exoplanets — offering new insight into how unique our planet might be. 🎟️ Info & tickets: sggroningen.nl

4MOST has seen first light! 🔭✨ This new telescope, which involves researcher from @kapteynastro.bsky.social, can observe thousands of stars and galaxies at once. A huge step toward uncovering the history of our Milky Way and the mystery of dark matter. Read more: www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/duize...

Een internationaal team van onderzoekers (met astonomen van @kapteynastro.bsky.social ) heeft een donker object ontdekt met een massa van ~1 miljoen zonnen 🌌 📄 Gepubliceerd in Nature Astronomy & MNRAS Lees meer: www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/astro... #astronomy #science #cosmos

An international team of astronomers – including researchers from @kapteynastro.bsky.social – discovered with #JWST that about 30% of the mysterious ‘Little Red Dots’ are not simple points of light but reveal clumpy, disturbed structures. Read more: www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/en/li...

🚀 Big congrats to Dr. Tim Lichtenberg from @kapteynastro.bsky.social and @rug.nl! He’s just secured an ERC Starting Grant for his research on exoplanets — a major boost for science and early-career leadership. Well done! 🙌 www.rug.nl/research/kap...

🚀 Congrats to Dr. Tim Lichtenberg (@rug.nl, Forming Worlds Lab) on winning the Europlanet Early Career Prize 2025! Awarded for his pioneering research into how planets form and evolve. Read more: www.rug.nl/research/kap...

Onderzoekers van @kapteynastro.bsky.social & UvA testen op Tenerife een hogesnelheidscamera voor de toekomstige Cherenkov Telescope Array. Zo vangen we flitsen van gammastraling uit extreme kosmische bronnen als superzware zwarte gaten en supernova’s. Lees meer: www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/neder...

🚀 Congrats to Dr. Quentin Changeat from @kapteynastro.bsky.social on receiving an #NWO #Veni grant! He’ll use data from #JWST & #Ariel to explore exoplanet atmospheres and uncover how distant worlds evolve. 🌌🪐 Read more: www.rug.nl/about-ug/lat...

10000 kids have now explored the universe through the Kapteyn Mobile Planetarium! 🌌 The lucky milestone visit happened at De Veenvlinder school in Eelde With a €10K boost from the Gratama Foundation, Science LinX will keep bringing the stars to schools across the region. www.rug.nl/research/kap...

🚀 Prof. Inga Kamp from @kapteynastro.bsky.social and @rug.nl receives an ERC Advanced Grant! With DISKS-ROCK, she’ll use the James Webb Telescope to study the origins of rocky planets 🌍🪐€2.5M for groundbreaking research! www.rug.nl/research/kap...

the Donkerte Lauwersoog master plan receives nearly €1 million from the #WaddenFund to tackle light pollution. Together with local businesses, @rug.nl, Port Lauwersoog and @kapteynastro.bsky.social the goal is to cut light emissions by 50% by 2027. www.rtvnoord.nl/natuur/13116...

🎉 The Pastoor Schmeits Prize 2025 has been awarded to Else Starkenburg (University of Groningen) for her groundbreaking work in galactic archaeology! 🌌 She developed a unique method to find the universe’s oldest, rarest stars. www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/pasto...

Meet our new scientific director! As of April 1st, Inga Kamp is the new scientific director of the Kapteyn Institute from @unigroningen.bsky.social. Inga succeeds Leon Koopmans who stepped down as scientfic director of the Kapteyn institute after 5 years. Read more: www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/inga-...

An international research team, including scientists from @kapteynastro.bsky.social @unigroningen.bsky.social, has analyzed data from 41 million #galaxies to estimate the distribution of matter in the #universe ,confirming a long-established model. Read more: news.rub.de/english/pres...

Today, ESA released its first batch of survey data taken by Euclid, including a preview of its deep fields. Astronomers from @kapteynastro.bsky.social from @unigroningen.bsky.social are involved in the Euclid mission. Read more: www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

In het Kapteyn Instituut (@kapteynastro.bsky.social) van Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (@unigroningen.bsky.social) wordt binnenkort een traantje gelaten. Na meer dan tien jaar komt er een eind aan het leven van Gaia, de ruimtetelescoop. www.rtvnoord.nl/natuur/12665...

The Fundamentals of the #Universe is a #research theme within @unigroningen.bsky.social. Its aim is to study the fundamental forces of #Nature and involves researchers from @kapteynastro.bsky.social, Van Swinderen Institute and Bernoulli Institute. Read more: www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat...