Category: Science

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XMM-Newton sees comet 3I/ATLAS in X-ray light

In its 50th anniversary year, European Space Agency (ESA) Member States have recommitted to space science. A historic budget increase for the Science Programme of 3.5% per year through to 2028, in addition to inflation, will enable some of the most ambitious missions ever, and bolster European leadership in space science. 

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed the source of a super-bright flash of light known as a gamma-ray burst, generated by an exploding massive star when the Universe was only 730 million years old. For the first time for such a remote event, the telescope provided a detection of the supernova’s host galaxy. Webb’s quick-turnaround observations verified data taken by telescopes around the world that had been following the gamma-ray burst since it onset, which occurred in mid-March.

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The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reobserved interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on 30 November with its Wide Field Camera 3 instrument. At the time, the comet was about 286 million km from Earth. Hubble tracked the comet as it moved across the sky. As a result, background stars appear as streaks of light.

Hubble previously observed 3I/ATLAS in July, shortly after its discovery, and a number of observatories have since studied the comet as well. Observations are expected to continue for several more months as 3I/ATLAS heads out of the solar system.

For the latest updates and FAQs related to comet 3I/ATLAS, see esa.int/3IATLAS.

[Image description: A bright white point sits at the centre of the image, surrounded by a large, soft blue glow that fades gradually into a dark background. Thin, faint streaks appear diagonally across the image, suggesting motion or stars in the distance. The overall effect is of a luminous object in space, radiating light against a deep, dark backdrop.]

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Comet 3I/ATLAS shows activity in Juice navigation camera teaser

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Webb observes a dance of dwarf galaxies

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Meet Envision. Europe’s next mission to Venus. Planned for launch in 2031.

Envision will study Venus from its core to its upper atmosphere to reveal more about the planet’s history, geological activity, and climate. It will help us understand why Earth’s closest neighbour – in distance as well as in physical characteristics – has evolved into such a hostile planet.

A mission like Envision takes years of planning, involving much teamwork between scientists and engineers. It’s as much a human as a technical endeavour. This video provides a peek behind the scenes at this process.

This short episode is the introduction to a new series called ‘Envision this’, which will follow the development of the mission. Keep an eye on our dedicated Envision website for future episodes.

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Smile is a brand-new space mission currently in the making. It will study how Earth responds to the solar wind and solar storms.

At the European Space Agency’s technical heart in the Netherlands, engineers have taken Smile through the final steps of testing and past its qualification and flight acceptance review – confirming that it is ready for launch in spring 2026.

This video let’s viewers peek into the testing and review process. It is the fourth episode in a series of short videos, and includes interviews with David Agnolon (ESA Smile Project Manager), Xia Jiayi (CAS Thermal Engineer), Ana Carillo Pérez (Airbus AIT Electrical and Functional Lead Engineer), Adriana González Castro (ESA Smile Project Controller), Li Jing (CAS Smile Project Manager) and Carole Mundell (ESA Director of Science).

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Smile is due to launch on a European Vega-C rocket in spring 2026. Follow the latest mission news via esa.int/smile.

Access the related broadcast quality video material 

Access the other episodes of ‘Let’s Smile’

Testing, testing, testing – Let’s Smile (episode 3)

Completing the spacecraft – Let’s Smile (episode 2)

Introducing the Smile mission – Let’s Smile (episode 1)

Smile’s other half arrives – Let’s Smile (action snippet)

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has revealed a colourful array of massive stars and glowing cosmic dust in the Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) molecular cloud, the most massive and active star-forming region in our Milky Way galaxy.

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Mars’s atmospheric mille-feuille

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Scientists created the most accurate three-dimensional map of star-formation regions in our Milky Way galaxy, based on data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope. This map will teach us more about these obscure cloudy areas, and the hot young stars that shape them.

It is notoriously difficult to map and study regions in space where stars form because they are usually hidden from view by thick clouds of gas and dust, whose distances cannot be directly measured.

Gaia can’t see these clouds directly, but it can measure stellar positions and the so-called ‘extinction’ of stars. This means it can see how much light from stars is blocked by dust. From this, scientists can create 3D maps showing where the dust is, and use those maps to figure out how much ionised hydrogen gas is present – a telltale sign of star formation.

The new 3D map of star-forming regions in the Milky Way is based on Gaia observations of 44 million ‘ordinary’ stars and 87 O-type stars. The map extends to a distance of 4000 light-years from us, with the Sun at the centre.

Read more.

Click here to download the animation flying around Gaia’s 3D map.

Click here to download the animation flying through Gaia’s 3D map.

Click here to download the animation showing the location of Gaia’s 3D map in the Milky Way.

The European Space Agency (ESA) reacted promptly to the discovery of comet 3I/ATLAS on 1 July 2025. Soon after they were alerted to its existence by automated detection systems, ESA astronomers began using ground-based telescopes in Hawaii, Chile, and Australia to monitor its progress.

Since then, the comet has been observed by space telescopes close to Earth, including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.

In the coming months, ESA will turn interplanetary voyagers such as Mars Express, ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) in the direction of the comet to make further observations from excellent vantage points.

Follow the links below for more information.