🎄 Are your holiday decorations ready? Euclid has a cosmic garland to add: NGC 646. The large barred spiral galaxy appears close to a smaller galaxy to the left, but they’re actually about 45 million light-years apart 👉 https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/12/Euclid_s_galaxy_garland 🔭

Hubble has snapped a seemingly close pair of galaxies, Arp 4 – but looks can be deceiving! Find out why here 👉 https://esahubble.org/images/potw2551a/ 🔭

#ESAJuice is en route to Jupiter to investigate how life-friendly worlds form around gas giants. Part of this study implies better understanding Jupiter itself by looking into: ☁️ Jupiter's atmosphere 🧲 Its magnetic environment 💍 Its invisible rings Discover more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭

❄️ With the winter holidays around the corner, we’re unwrapping a cosmic gift early, Westerlund 2 🎁✨ This glittering star cluster is host to some of our Milky Way galaxy's hottest, brightest, and most massive stars 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... 🔭 🧪

In a historical milestone, Hubble has witnessed the catastrophic collision of asteroids in the nearby Fomalhaut planetary system 🪨💥  Observations also revealed that an object previously suspected to be a candidate planet was, in fact, a dust cloud.  🔭 🧪

🐣 Found: newborn stars and planets #ESAGaia & ALMA joined forces to study 31 baby star systems, finding hints of planets 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... The collage also shows our own Solar System for reference on the bottom right, as it is predicted to have looked at an age of 1 million years. 🔭 🧪

#XRISM joins the crew of telescopes observing comet 3I/ATLAS. The image shows X-rays coming from a region of around 400 000 km around the comet nucleus. These X-rays could be generated by the interaction of the solar wind with gases from the comet. Read more 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... 🔭

2025 was a landmark year for Europe in space 🚀 From celebrating 50 years of ESA to new missions and scientific breakthroughs, the year reaffirmed Europe’s leadership in science, exploration, climate action and innovation. 🎥 Watch our highlights video: youtu.be/obJbRWZ8f1Y?...

This latest image from Hubble gives us a view of a curious feature: a glowing cloud of gas streaming from the disc of NGC 4388! So, what caused it? Find out here 👉 esahubble.org/images/potw2... 🔭 🧪

Our XMM-Newton has observed comet 3I/ATLAS in X-ray light! When gas molecules streaming from a comet collide with the solar wind they produce X-rays, seen here as the red glow of 3I/ATLAS 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... Blue marks empty space with little X-rays. The black line is a detector gap 🔭 🧪

Join us for a behind the scenes look at the very moment when the Gaia spacecraft was switched off. On 27 March 2025, this emotionally charged milestone marked the end of operations, but not an end to the science coming from the Gaia data 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dduXM5FbpcY 🔭

🗞️The latest edition of the ESA Science Newsletter is out! Learn about: 🔴 Funding for our Space Science Programme 🔴 Upcoming: Proba-3 1st Guest Investigator Announcement of Opportunity 🔴 Upcoming: Einstein Probe Science Archive Access the edition & subscribe 👉 https://cosmos.esa.int/web/scinews ☄️

How will LISA capture gravitational waves? When two black holes orbit each other, heading for a collision, they shake the fabric of space-time. The ripples alter the distance between objects. LISA will use laser beams between 3️⃣ spacecraft that house free-floating cubes to detect these changes.

The ESAC Science Data Centre is *the* place where anyone can access observations from our space science missions. It has recently undergone a major network architecture upgrade to improve the resiliency & availability of our infrastructure. Ready to delve in? 👉 www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esdc

From a scorching closest approach to the Sun, to a flight past Venus for a gravity boost – 2025 has been quite a year for our #ESAJuice! Tune in to the latest episode of 'The journey of Juice' to go behind the scenes with the people working on the mission 👇 🔭 🧪

Check out our #ESAHighlights for 2025! From BepiColombo's sixth Mercury flyby to Euclid's first data release, and from photos of Mars to distant galaxies and stellar nurseries, it's been a full year for Science 👇

The historic raise for Science agreed at #CM25 secures the Programme € 3787 million for the next five years. Discover what we're planning to do with this increased budget, which is equivalent to about € 1.70 per European citizen per year 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭 🧪 @cmundell.esa.int

Webb breaks its own record by identifying the earliest supernova to date, a star that exploded when the Universe was only 730 million years old. To astronomers' surprise, this early supernova looks exactly like modern supernovae based on data gathered so far 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭🧪

🆕 XMM-Newton & XRISM observed an extraordinary blast from a supermassive black hole 💥 They spotted a bright X-ray flare erupting from the gigantic black hole lurking within NGC 3783. As it faded away, fast winds emerged, raging at speeds of 60 000 km per second 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭 🧪

Hubble has turned towards Ursa Major to capture this colourful image of Markarian 178, a dwarf galaxy containing a surprising number of rare stars ⭐ Read more 👉 https://esahubble.org/images/potw2549a/ 🔭

Hubble has turned towards Ursa Major to capture this colourful image of Markarian 178, a dwarf galaxy containing a surprising number of rare stars ⭐ Read more 👉 https://esahubble.org/images/potw2549a/ 🔭

Euclid, our #DarkUniverse 🕵️ detective, is hard at work creating a map of the large-scale structure of the Universe across space and time. What five mysteries is this detective trying to crack? Find out here 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭

Hubble went back to observe interstellar comet #3I/ATLAS on 30 November. At the time, the comet was about 286 million kilometres from Earth 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... Hubble tracked the comet as it moved across the sky. That's why background stars appear as streaks of light. 🔭 🧪

☄️ Our #ESAJuice team couldn't wait until February, when they will receive data on #3IATLAS from the mission's science instruments. So they downloaded just a quarter of an image from its navigation camera to get a surprise sneak preview. More info and annotations 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... 🔭 🧪

Join online our event on Accessibility and Inclusivity in Science on Friday 5 December, 10:30-13:00 CET. Hear from the scientists and astronomers who are rethinking space science studies and communication through inclusive approaches. Register here 👇 esait.webex.com/weblink/regi...

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities #IDPwD. ESA keeps moving forward the conversation to break down barriers and make space and science accessible to all. #EveryoneIncluded #AccessibleWorld

Happy 10th launch anniversary, LISA Pathfinder! 🥳 For the first time ever, this mission tested in space the technology needed to detect gravitational waves, which paved the way to LISA 🤜 🤛 Planned to launch in 2035, LISA will be first gravitational wave detector in space 👉 esa.int/lisa 🔭

Our #MarsExpress spots a strange shape on Mars, formed as a space rock collided with the planet's dusty surface. It's known as a 'butterfly crater' but we see a walnut, an insect, the Eye of Sauron, or perhaps a moth... what do you think? More info and images 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭 🧪

🌞🛰️Sun-watcher SOHO turns 30! 🎂 "SOHO has overcome nail-biting challenges to become one of the longest-operating space missions of all time" – Prof. @cmundell.esa.int , ESA Director of Science 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭🧪

Astronomers have used Webb to trace out the history of the dance between the dwarf galaxies NGC 4490 and NGC 4485! 💃 Discover their history 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... 🔭

A mission like #Envision takes years of planning and a huge amount of teamwork between scientists and engineers. It's a process we want to share with you through a new series that follows the development of the mission. Here's a teaser of what's to come 👇 🔭 🧪

A remarkable Ministerial Council for @esa.int & @science.esa.int. Record €22.1 bn overall & historic budget for Science.Thanks to our member states for this vote of confidence & to our DG @josefaschbacher.esa.int for putting frontier science & technology at the heart of European leadership in space

Hubble has returned to a previous target, capturing new data and providing astronomers with a deeper view into the stormy spiral galaxy NGC 1792! 🌀 Read more 👉 https://esahubble.org/images/potw2548a/ 🔭

DYK? 16 years' worth of pictures of the week are available on our Hubble website, a testament to the incredible treasures that this NASA/ESA telescope has uncovered for us all. Enjoy them here 👉 https://esahubble.org/images/potw/ 🔭

For over a decade, #ESAGaia mapped our galaxy with stunning precision, rewriting the story of the Milky Way 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... While Gaia no longer collects new data, its scientific mission is far from over! Upcoming are the Gaia Data Release 4 and the final legacy catalogue. 🔭

22.1 billion euros subscribed. A record. A first. And a clear message that Europe is serious about space and that @esa.int is the agency it trusts to deliver. A historic Ministerial. A united Europe. A stronger ESA. www.esa.int/About_Us/Cor...

The #CM25 historic increase of 3.5% per year beyond inflation for Science will enable some of the most imaginative missions in our history and bolster European scientific leadership. First step: deliver the #CosmicVision missions such as LISA & NewAthena. The next great leap is #Voyage2050 🔭 🧪

🔴 LIVE NOW: Follow our #CM25 Press Conference livestream by the Hosting Minister, Chair and the ESA Director General, on #ESAWebTV 👉 📺 watch.esa.int/two

We expect our #CM25 Press Conference livestream to now begin at 12:30 GMT13:30 CET. Thank you for bearing with us during this slight delay!

Watch live: #CM25 Press Conference by the Hosting Minister, Chair and the ESA Director General, today on #ESAWebTV from 12.00 GMT/13.00 CET. 👉 📺 watch.esa.int

Ministers and high-level representatives from across Europe and from Canada kicked-off @esa.int’s Council at Ministerial level in Bremen yesterday to define the Agency’s budget and programmatic priorities for the coming 3 years–decisions that will shape Europe’s role in space for the decade ahead.

Our Ministerial Council starts today. Watch the first session live from 12.30 GMT/13.30 CET to know everything about ESA's future roadmap and budget. #CM25 📺 watch.esa.int More details 👉 www.esa.int/About_Us/Min...

What's at stake for the Directorate of Science at ESA's Ministerial Council? And what do decisions taken there mean for European citizens? Prof. @cmundell.esa.int explains 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Kl... 🔭 🧪 #CM25

Europe holds a distinct advantage in space. Through ESA, Europe can act swiftly and decisively to grow its leadership, resilience and autonomy. #CM25 www.linkedin.com/pulse/all-un...

On 26 and 27 November, our Ministerial Council will take place in Bremen, Germany. Key decisions will be made about the ESA activities in the coming years. Our Director General @josefaschbacher.esa.int explains why this is an important moment for Europe 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4IR... 🔭 🧪 #CM25

We have set five goals to achieve by 2040. And one of them is to Explore and Discover. Discover how our science missions are pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and what our plans for the future are 👉 www.esa.int/About_Us/Min... #CM25 🔭 🧪

Over the coming days, the decisions taken in this room will define Europe’s trajectory for decades to come. How will we demonstrate the leadership our citizens expect from us? Will we transform the immense potential of space into real benefits for our economies and our people? Watch this space #CM25

In March 2025, we published Strategy 2040, ESA's long-term goals. This week, at the Ministerial Council, vital decisions on funding will be made to implement that strategy. Follow along to discover where Europe is heading next when it comes to space 👉 www.esa.int/About_Us/Min... 🔭 🧪 #CM25

ESA’s Science Programme is the backbone of European space science. We deliver pioneering missions that enable: ✨ discoveries 🤝 collaboration 💡 innovation 🤩 inspiration impacting ESA across directorates 👉 science.esa.int Curious how the Science Programme works? This 🧵 is for you 🔭 #CM25 1/