Observatoire de Paris - PSL - Centre de recherche en astronomie et astrophysique

An unknown spectral signature detected on the surfaces of Titan and Pluto

Frederique Auffret — 2026-07-09T15:07:01Z

An international team led by two researchers from the Paris Observatory - PSL has identified a mysterious spectral signature on the surfaces of Titan and Pluto using observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Pre-published in *Astronomy & Astrophysics* on 1 July 2026, this discovery could lead to a better understanding of the chemistry in nitrogen- and methane-rich environments in the outer Solar System.

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Paris Observatory joins Asteroids2029, the global initiative for the United Nations International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence

FICHET Fabien — 2026-07-03T15:22:53Z

On the weekend of June 27, Damya Souami, Research Scientist at LIRA, represented Paris Observatory at an international meeting held in Luxembourg by the Asteroid Foundation. She met with representatives from 25 countries as well as envoys from ESA, JAXA, and NASA, gathered to prepare for the United Nations International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence.
This International Year, named Asteroids2029, builds on the exceptionally close approach of the asteroid Apophis in April (…)

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A system of at least six exoplanets revealed after ten years of observations

Frederique Auffret — 2026-07-03T15:05:59Z

An international team led by Salomé Grouffal (Aix-Marseille University and Grenoble Alpes University), including members of the LTE, spent ten years studying an exceptional planetary system comprising at least six planets with long orbital periods, the outermost of which reaches as far as Mars's orbit. Such a rare system offers a new window into understanding the diversity of planetary systems.

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UAI Doctoral Prize 2025: an international honour for Antonin Wargnier

Frederique Auffret — 2026-06-26T08:28:43Z

UAI PhD Prizes 2025: an international honour for Antonin Wargnier The UAI has announced the winners of its 2025 PhD Prizes, which are awarded annually to recognise the most outstanding research carried out around the world. The international body aims to emphasise the importance of supporting early-career researchers and to highlight the scientific excellence, commitment and perseverance required to advance our understanding of the Universe.

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The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, a messenger from the far reaches of our galaxy

Frederique Auffret — 2026-06-24T17:36:14Z

A major study of Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object identified to date. Using a combination of observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope and the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) radio telescope network, scientists were able to analyze its chemical composition in detail

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First light in the laboratory for the French AIRS instrument on the ARIEL mission

Frederique Auffret — 2026-06-22T15:44:43Z

Under testing since March 2026 at the Paris Observatory - PSL, the French AIRS spectrometer for the future ARIEL telescope has successfully reached a crucial milestone by providing an initial measurement that meets expectations using a cell containing methane gas.
Ariel is the M4 mission of ESA's “Cosmic Vision” program, scheduled for launch in 2032. It is a mission entirely dedicated to studying the atmospheres of exoplanets: over the course of four years, it will examine approximately (…)

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The Paris Observatory - PSL welcomes the selection of the Plasma Observatory mission by ESA

Frederique Auffret — 2026-06-16T16:29:19Z

The ESA Science Programme Committee has selected the Plasma Observatory mission, a future mission dedicated to the study of plasmas in Earth's magnetospheric systems, in which LIRA's teams are closely involved.

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France becomes a full member of the SKA Observatory

FICHET Fabien — 2026-06-04T12:10:46Z

France has officially become the 14th member state of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), the intergovernmental organisation building and operating the world's largest radio astronomy observatory.
[Read the official press release by the French Governement and SKAO]
The SKA Observatory will operate two complementary telescopes: SKA-Low in Australia, dedicated to low-frequency radio astronomy, and SKA-Mid in South Africa, observing at higher radio frequencies. Together, they (…)

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First ever live observation of the rotation of a planetary nursery

Frederique Auffret — 2026-06-01T16:17:26Z

An international team led by a CNRS researcher from the Paris Observatory - PSL at the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Research in Astrophysics has achieved a world first by directly observing the rotation of a protoplanetary disc using the emission from the dust grains that make it up. Shedding new light on the mechanisms at work during the formation of planetary systems, this study is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on 1st June 2026.
The rotation of a (…)

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SKAO: the French astrophysics community rallies behind the world's largest radio observatory

Frederique Auffret — 2026-05-28T16:08:35Z

From 19 to 21 May 2026, the French astrophysics community gathered at the Meudon campus of the Paris Observatory - PSL, for the conference ‘SKA: an observatory for the whole community', organised under the auspices of the INSU's Specialised Commission for Astronomy and Astrophysics (CSAA).
Nearly 200 colleagues of all ages – including both specialists and non-specialists in radio astronomy research, engineering and high-performance computing – have come together to pursue a shared goal: (…)

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