on my webpage! I am an experienced spacecraft analyst at the European Space Operations Centre via Telespazio Germany GmbH. Currently, I am the analyst for the X-ray astronomy mission XMM-Newton, but have worked as an analyst for almost all Earth Explorer spacecrafts previously. In the past I have worked as an astrophysicist studing accreting neutron stars and cosmological neutrino sources. For more details please have a look at the “About me” menu.
ESA Space Science News
Webb spots clues of black hole at heart of nearby galaxy M83
17/04/2025
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have discovered evidence that suggests the presence of a long-sought supermassive black hole at the heart of the nearby spiral galaxy Messier 83 (M83). This surprising finding, made possible by Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), reveals highly ionised neon gas that could be a telltale signature of an active galactic nucleus (AGN), a growing black hole at the center of a galaxy.
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Hubble offers a new view of Sombrero galaxy
16/04/2025
Sombrero Galaxy
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Hubble investigates a magnetar’s birthplace
15/04/2025
Researchers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have discovered that the magnetar SGR 0501+4516 was not born in a neighbouring supernova as previously thought. The birthplace of this object is now unknown, and SGR 0501+4516 is the likeliest candidate in our galaxy for a magnetar that was not born in a supernova. This discovery was made possible by Hubble’s sensitive instruments as well as highly accurate reference data from the European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft.
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Webb brings dying star's energetic display into full focus
14/04/2025
Planetary Nebula NGC 1514 (MIRI image)
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From boring to bursting: a giant black hole awakens
11/04/2025
The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton is playing a crucial role in investigating the longest and most energetic bursts of X-rays seen from a newly awakened black hole. Watching this strange behaviour unfold in real time offers a unique opportunity to learn more about these powerful events and the mysterious behaviour of massive black holes.
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Martian rock on the move
09/04/2025
This new snapshot from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express deftly captures the two distinct faces of Mars: ridged and rugged versus smooth and unmarked.
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Smile meets Maxwell
08/04/2025
We are one step closer to revealing how Earth responds to dangers from the Sun.
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Hubble spots stellar sculptors at work in a nearby galaxy
04/04/2025
This new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases NGC 346, a dazzling young star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
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Webb snaps photographs of Asteroid 2024 YR4
02/04/2025
This image shows Webb’s recent observation of the asteroid 2024 YR4 using both its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
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Gaia: Rewriting the story of the Milky Way
28/03/2025
For over a decade, ESA’s Gaia mission has mapped our galaxy with stunning precision—rewriting the story of the Milky Way.
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Farewell, Gaia! Spacecraft operations come to an end
27/03/2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) has powered down its Gaia spacecraft after more than a decade spent gathering data that are now being used to unravel the secrets of our home galaxy.On 27 March 2025, Gaia’s control team at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre carefully switched off the spacecraft’s subsystems and sent it into a ‘retirement orbit’ around the Sun.Though the spacecraft’s operations are now over, the scientific exploitation of Gaia’s data has just begun.
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Watch wind whirl from the Sun
26/03/2025
Aside from sunlight, the Sun sends out a gusty stream of particles called the solar wind.
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Euclid is back – 26 million galaxies and counting
19/03/2025
The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission has scouted out the three areas in the sky where it will eventually provide the deepest observations of its mission.
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Scientists spot tiny Sun jets driving fast and slow solar wind
05/02/2025
Back in 2023, we reported on Solar Orbiter’s discovery of tiny jets near the Sun’s south pole that could be powering the solar wind.
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ESA’s Gaia finds a mysterious planet and brown dwarf
04/02/2025
Using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, scientists have found a huge exoplanet and a brown dwarf.
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