ESA Space Science

Watch the replay of the livestream originally broadcast on 3 September as ESA/JAXA's BepiColombo mission took the first critical step towards arriving at Mercury.

After travelling through the inner Solar System together for eight years, BepiColombo's Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from the rest of the stacked spacecraft on 3 September 2026. This marks the beginning of one of the most complex planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.

Broadcast live from ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, the programme includes live views from the iconic Main Control Room, expert analysis, behind-the-scenes insights, and the first signal from the spacecraft following separation. 

Livestream schedule (CEST): 

13:45 – Livestream begins 
14:00 – MTM separation 
14:30 – Livestream pause 
15:30 – Livestream resumes 
15:53 – Earliest possible acquisition of signal and spacecraft status check 
16:00-16:45 – End of livestream  

This sprawling cosmic vista and subject of today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month comes from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC is the largest of the small galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. At just 160 000 light-years away, the LMC offers a close look at highly active stellar birthsites like the nebula shown here. This nebula is named LHA 120-N44, or N44 for short, and it’s located in the constellation Dorado.

The appearance of this photogenic nebula is dominated by two features: a vast central void and a shell of dense, dusty gas. The central void is a ‘superbubble’ spanning roughly 210 by 140 light-years. The glittering stars at the centre of the void are responsible for its creation; through their powerful stellar winds and explosive supernovae, these stars have expelled much of the gas from which they were born.

When the stars of N44’s central star cluster swept away this gas, the expelled gas formed a shell around the superbubble. New stars are forming in this compressed gas shell, making N44 an interesting target for researchers studying the process of star formation. In particular, astronomers have turned to this nebula as an ideal place to time this process from start to finish. Their goal is to understand how long it takes from the collapse of cold gas clouds into dense knots to the moment nuclear fusion ignites in the heart of a newborn star.

Researchers used Hubble to survey N44 and take a census of its stars, cataloguing nearly half a million stars within the cluster as well as interlopers drifting in front of it. Of the stars surveyed, nearly 30 000 are what astronomers call pre-main-sequence stars, which have yet to begin fusing hydrogen into helium in their cores. This treasure trove of baby stars was discoverable thanks to the high sensitivity and fine spatial resolution of Hubble’s instruments that can pick out faint objects in crowded clusters.

The gas shell surrounding the superbubble is energised by ultraviolet radiation from massive stars, causing it to glow and highlighting several distinct features. Each feature within the broader N44 star-forming complex was catalogued by astronomer Karl Henize in the 1950s. One feature is a smaller bubble, catalogued as N44F, that is located near the upper-right corner of this image. N44F is an interstellar bubble blown by the intense stellar winds of a single hot and massive star. As this previously released Hubble closeup shows, the star’s furious winds and radiation have sculpted the surrounding bubble and created pillars of dusty gas.

The data used to create this image come from an observing programme (#14689; PI: Gouliermis) that aimed to probe stars in the N44 complex that have not yet begun fusing hydrogen into heavier elements in their cores. These data help to determine how long the process of star formation takes, as well as what masses newborn stars typically have. Hubble's sensitive observations of the lowest-mass stars in this region open a new window onto star formation in regions that, like the LMC or the galaxies of the early Universe, are poor in elements heavier than helium.

[Image Description: A dense field of stars fills the image, surrounded by wispy clouds of gas and dust. Pale blue and grey nebulosity forms an intricate web across the scene, with darker clouds of dust concentrated towards the lower right. Numerous bright stars appear in shades of blue, white and orange.]

Recent observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a giant, evolving 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s south pole. This discovery marks the first time a large regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the planet’s southern hemisphere. The feature appears remarkably similar to Saturn’s famous hexagon at its northern pole, but is also distinctly different, suggesting scientists may be witnessing a new atmospheric phenomenon develop on the iconic gas giant.

Rewatch the European Space Agency's 31 August 2026 online press briefing on the latest developments of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, Europe's and Japan's first mission to Mercury.

This briefing focused on the complexities of the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), scheduled for 3 September 2026, a critical milestone marking the start of BepiColombo’s Mercury arrival phase. It also provided an overview of the operational challenges and milestones ahead, including Mercury orbit insertion in November 2026 and the separation of the two science orbiters (ESA's MPO and JAXA's Mio) in December 2026.

The briefing also provided an update on the mission’s status and explored the scientific opportunities that await as BepiColombo prepares to begin operations around Mercury. Journalists had the opportunity to ask questions following the presentations from three speakers:

• Prof. Geraint Jones, Lead Project Scientist, ESA
• Santa Martinez, Mission Manager, ESA
• Ignacio Tanco, Head of Inner Solar System Mission Operations, ESA

BepiColombo will be the most complex mission ever sent to Mercury. Its orbiters will be only the second and third to orbit the planet. Close to the Sun and more difficult for an orbiter to reach than Pluto, this small desert world is the least explored planet of the inner Solar System. Learning more about Mercury will shed light on the history of the entire Solar System.

The mission is a collaboration between ESA and JAXA, the latter providing the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio).

Click here for a set of explanatory infographics

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, at 07:26 EDT / 12:26 BST/ 13:26 CEST on 30 August 2026. With the successful launch, Roman began its mission to survey the sky in visible to near-infrared light to help reveal the nature of dark energy and dark matter. The telescope will also investigate the true diversity of exoplanets in our galaxy.

Roman is a NASA-led mission to which the European Space Agency (ESA) contributed star trackers, batteries, and detectors for the coronagraph instrument. ESA will also provide communications support through its deep-space ground station network, and enable data download using its new 35-metre antenna in New Norcia, Australia.

“I warmly congratulate our colleagues at NASA on the successful launch of Roman,” says Carole Mundell, ESA’s Director of Science. “ESA is proud to have provided essential hardware and to continue supporting Roman’s ambitious scientific goals. Together, we are opening new windows on the cosmos.”

Like ESA’s Euclid space telescope, Roman will enable astronomers to study the Universe in unprecedented detail. It is equipped with a primary mirror of 2.4 m and two instruments: the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) and a Coronagraph Instrument technology demonstration.

With its panoramic view of the sky, crisp infrared vision and quick re-orientation skills, Roman will perform fast and efficient surveys of a large area of the sky. By doing so, it will map clustering of galaxies over time and space and also study the light coming from thousands of distant type Ia supernovas which will help astronomers trace the expansion of the Universe.

“Roman should provide our clearest picture yet of whether dark energy is truly constant or whether it evolves over cosmic time – either outcome would have profound implications for our understanding of the Universe. I'm also excited by Roman's exoplanet census, which will discover thousands of new worlds, including cold planets and free-floating planets that have remained largely beyond our reach until now,” says Bethan James, ESA’s Roman Project Scientist. “Perhaps what excites me most is the unexpected. With its unprecedented combination of depth, area, and image quality, Roman has every opportunity to surprise us.”

After launch, Roman is on a steady course to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2), nearly 1.5 million km away from Earth. This location allows the telescope to have an unobstructed view of a wide area of the sky, almost 12%. Like ESA’s Euclid and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, Roman will move in a wider orbit around the L2 point – much larger than the Moon’s orbit around Earth.

In the next three months following launch, the Roman team will conduct a carefully orchestrated series of deployments, calibrations, and tests. Once the commissioning period is complete, the mission will begin its science operations, starting with the first science image release. Roman will spend at least five years scanning the infrared sky and is designed to work in space for another five years.

[Image description: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on board is seen transiting the Sun during launch from Launch Complex 39A, on Sunday 30 August 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US.]

Expedition Sound is a podcast series by the European Space Agency (ESA) in which you’re invited to explore the Universe through your ears. Guided by sonifications – the translation of data into sound – host Zsófi Szalavári travels from our Sun out into the depths of space to uncover what the space telescopes of ESA’s science missions teach us about the Universe.

After eight years, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is about to enter its Mercury Arrival Phase. On 3 September 2026, ESA’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from BepiColombo’s two science orbiters – the first major step in one of the most operationally challenging planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.  

The European Space Agency (ESA) will livestream the critical milestone from 13:45 CEST. Tune in and witness the first step of one of the most complex phases of the mission, live from ESA mission control.  

Join ESA's livestream on YouTube here!

The NASA-led Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on 30 August 2026 at 07:26 EDT / 12:26 BST / 13:26 CEST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.

With its wide field of view and advanced optical design, the Roman telescope will conduct detailed scans of the sky in visible to near-infrared light. In doing so, Roman will help reveal the nature of dark energy and dark matter and find new exoplanets.

Roman will scan a large patch of the sky in visible to near-infrared light, with its wide field of view and advanced optical design. The mission will provide key insights that will help reveal the nature of dark energy and dark matter and find new exoplanets.

To achieve its science goals, Roman is equipped with a primary mirror of 2.4 m and two instruments: the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) and a Coronagraph Instrument technology demonstrator.

Roman is a NASA-led mission to which ESA contributes as a Mission of Opportunity, providing scientific expertise and guidance to maximise the mission's scientific return. ESA also provides essential hardware and communications support through its deep-space ground station network.

Find out more here.

ESA’s Mars Express takes us on another mesmerising flight, this time around one of the biggest craters on Mars. 

Despite measuring a huge 460 km across, Schiaparelli Crater seems to be relatively shallow. Perhaps it has been filled in over the last few billion years by sediment blown by the wind or deposited by water, by lava – or by a combination of all three. 

Schiaparelli Crater is named after Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835–1910). Although he studied Mercury and Venus, he is best known for his observations of the Red Planet. 

During the ‘Great Opposition’ of 1877, when Mars passed close to Earth, Schiaparelli mapped the planet, perceiving several straight dark lines across the red surface. He assumed that these were natural water-filled channels and used the equivalent Italian word, ‘canali’. 

However, other astronomers thought he meant canals, meaning artificial irrigation and transportation routes, which led to a few astronomers, and a large number of the general public, believing that they had been created by intelligent martians. 

Now we know that Schiaparelli’s ‘canali’ were illusions created by the comparatively poor telescopes of the time and there are no water-filled channels on Mars today. Nevertheless, we do believe that water was once present in this region of the planet, perhaps in the form of a lake. 

Schiaparelli Crater is also important in popular culture, being the final destination of astronaut Mark Watney in Andy Weir’s novel ‘The Martian’. 

Enjoy the flight, and be sure to turn up the volume for the full audio guide experience. 

Processing notes: 

This film was created using the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera Mars Chart (HMC-30) data, image mosaics made from multiple observations by the mission’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). The mosaic image, centred at 8°S/17°E, is combined with topography information from the digital terrain model to generate a three-dimensional landscape. 

For every second of the movie, 50 separate frames are rendered following a predefined camera path in the scene. The vertical exaggeration used for the animation is three-fold. Atmospheric effects, like clouds and haze, have been added to conceal the limits of the terrain model. The haze starts building up at a distance of 250 km. 

The HRSC camera on Mars Express is operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The systematic processing of the camera data took place at the DLR Institute for Space Research in Berlin-Adlershof. The working group of Planetary Science and Remote Sensing at Freie Universität Berlin used the data to create the film. 

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, grew to its current size in part by consuming smaller galaxies. Now, new data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the young Milky Way galaxy in the earliest phases of its evolution. This finding extends our knowledge of our galaxy’s history 1.8 billion years farther back in time than before.

We broadcast live from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Spain as a total solar eclipse crossed Europe on 12 August 2026. 

The path of totality swept across Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a small area of northeastern Portugal, while much of Europe experienced a partial eclipse. 

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the face of the Sun. 

The Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre is a world-class astronomical observatory located within the path of totality. During the broadcast, scientists, astronomers and special guests explored the science behind eclipses, the Sun and their wider relevance for space science and Earth. 

The broadcast was hosted by Dame Dr Maggie Aderin, award-winning space scientist and science communicator, and featured ESA's Director of Science Carole Mundell alongside other guests. 

It included live telescope views of the eclipse, expert commentary and interviews, insights into solar science and space weather, behind-the-scenes coverage from the observatory, and discussions on ESA’s activities linked to the eclipse. 

Learn more about ESA’s activities surrounding the 2026 eclipse, as well as those coming to Europe in 2027 and 2028. 

[English] Experience a musical simulation of the 12 August 2026 total solar eclipse as seen from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (Spain). Click here for information about ESA’s live broadcast from this observatory, or visit esa.int/solareclipse for an overview of all ESA eclipse activities & resources. 

This is a ‘musification’ – an artistic interpretation of a set of data. In this case, the eclipse determines when and how much of each sound is heard. The music is simply the way those data are presented.

This musification is a collaboration ESA’s CESAR team and Rubén García Benito from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC). It uses nine parameters extracted from a Stellarium simulation of the total solar eclipse:

Arpeggio (the rapid succession of notes): Visible sunlight. Its rhythm, range (spanning almost four octaves), and volume are determined by the light itself; the chord follows the colour of the sky. It fades out as the Sun sets. (The data determine the behaviour; the scale and pattern are artistic choices.)

Pad (background chord): The colour of the light; the redder and warmer the light becomes, the darker the chord. (The colour is the data.)

Bass (sub): The weight of the darkness; deepest during totality. (Data-driven.)

Heartbeat: The tension, reflecting how quickly the light is falling; it comes to rest during totality. (Data: rate of change.)

Bells: The actual contacts C1, C2, maximum eclipse and C3 (there is no C4, as the Sun sets before the eclipse ends). (Sonification: marking a real moment in time.)

Shimmering sound during totality: The solar corona. (A musical element placed at the real event.)

Descending whoosh: The exact moment when the Sun disappears behind the horizon. (An icon of the event; not measured wind.)

Low night drone: The onset of night (entering when the Sun passes below the horizon). (Data: when it happens and to what extent.)

Stars (soft sparkling tones): The stars that become visible at night (but not during totality). (Data: when they appear and how many are visible.)

[Spanish] Vive una simulación musical del eclipse solar total del 12 de agosto de 2026 tal como se verá desde el Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (España). Visita esa.int/solareclipse para consultar un resumen de todas las actividades y recursos de la ESA relacionados con el eclipse.

Se trata de una musificación, es decir, una interpretación artística de un conjunto de datos. En este caso, el eclipse determina cuándo se escucha cada sonido y con qué intensidad. La música es simplemente la forma en que se presentan esos datos.

Esta musificación es fruto de una colaboración entre el equipo CESAR de la ESA y Rubén García Benito, del Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC). Utiliza nueve parámetros extraídos de una simulación del eclipse solar total realizada con Stellarium:

• Arpegio (rápida sucesión de notas): La luz solar visible. Su ritmo, extensión (que abarca casi cuatro octavas) y volumen están determinados por la propia luz; el acorde sigue el color del cielo. Se desvanece a medida que el Sol se pone. (Los datos determinan el comportamiento; la escala y el patrón son elecciones artísticas).
• Pad (acorde de fondo): El color de la luz. Cuanto más rojiza y cálida se vuelve la luz, más oscuro es el acorde. (El color es el dato).
• Grave (subgrave): El peso de la oscuridad, que alcanza su máxima intensidad durante la totalidad. (Basado en datos).
• Latido: La tensión, que refleja la rapidez con la que disminuye la luz; se calma durante la totalidad. (Dato: tasa de cambio).
• Campanas: Los contactos reales C1, C2, máximo eclipse y C3 (no hay C4 porque el Sol se pone antes de que termine el eclipse). (Sonificación: marca un instante real en el tiempo).
• Brillo suspendido durante la totalidad: La corona solar. (Elemento musical situado en el momento real del acontecimiento).
• Soplo descendente: El instante exacto en que el Sol desaparece tras el horizonte. (Un recurso sonoro que representa el evento; no se trata de viento medido).
• Zumbido (dron) nocturno grave: El inicio de la noche (cuando el Sol desciende por debajo del horizonte). (Datos: cuándo ocurre y en qué grado).
• Estrellas (suaves tonos centelleantes): Las estrellas que se hacen visibles durante la noche (pero no durante la totalidad). (Datos: cuándo aparecen y cuántas son visibles).

Observing across the starry 'plains' of space, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has taken images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope previously viewed this planetary nebula in 2000, imaging the lion face-shaped target in visible light and revealing features such as the “mane” of hazy, comet-shaped objects. Now Webb has captured a clearer, more detailed view of the Lion Nebula due to its high-resolution imaging.

At first glance the nebula’s overall structure in Webb’s infrared images, both with the NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), may look quite similar to Hubble's earlier visible-light view. However, Webb's infrared vision highlights features like compact clumps of dust and haze of ionised gas. It’s taken several thousand years for this collection of gas and dust to reach its current shape, and the nebula’s components continue to be altered.

The source of these constant changes and the reason for the Lion Nebula’s distinct appearance is located at the centre: the remains of a dying star. Though it looks like the button nose of the lion, the central white dwarf's energy is powering the intricate structures seen here.

The bubble of ionised gas, which forms the lion’s face, is expanding over time and destroying dust that is in its path. Understanding the reason for why the swept-up gas has a complex structure of rings and shells, a common feature in planetary nebulae, is an ongoing endeavor.

The mane of the lion is the interior of a dust shell that is being illuminated by the white dwarf at the centre. The tufts of hair, which look like cometary tails of material, are compact clumps of dust that have survived the stellar core’s radiation and are protecting the material that lies behind them.

Webb’s imagery “freezes” this planetary nebula in time, though the star's death, and its tumultuous effects, go on. NGC 2392 will continue to undergo changes as its gas and dust migrate away from the stellar core. Astronomers estimate that the lion will eventually disperse in approximately 10,000 years — a relatively short period in astronomical terms.

[Image description: Planetary nebula NGC 2392, also called the Lion Nebula, against the black background of space. The nebula is in the centre, circular in shape, and looks like a male lion’s head. In the very centre is a small, pinkish-white circle with eight-point diffraction spikes, a white dwarf star. Surrounding the star are light purple-pink cavernous bubbles and shell-like rings. The bubbles and shells collectively form an oval with two small, wide arcs near the top, reminiscent of a lion’s face and its ears. What appears to be extended outward from the lion’s face is a thick ring of purple-blue material. The width of the ring is consistent throughout and resembles a mane.]

Links

• Release on esawebb.org
• Release on NASA website

This NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month takes us to a fantastical realm within our home galaxy, where piercing starlight and billowing winds sculpt dust clouds into inventive shapes. This scene is from the Carina Nebula, which lies just 7500 light-years away in the constellation Carina (the Keel).

Spanning roughly 260 light-years, the nebula is home to an incredible collection of objects, including the Cosmic Cliffs revealed in the first-ever Webb image release. The Carina Nebula is also the nearest high-mass star-forming region that allows astronomers to study the full range of star formation. This nebula houses some of the most massive stars in our galaxy as well as tens of thousands of protostars, offering a valuable opportunity to understand how stars shape their neighbourhoods.

The feature highlighted in today’s image, aptly called the Treasure Chest, looks right at home in this celestial sculpture garden. The Treasure Chest is what’s known as a cometary globule. A cometary globule is an isolated cloud of gas and dust with a dense, dark head and a sweeping tail. These clouds often somewhat resemble comets, but the Treasure Chest looks distinctly like a wooden chest with its lid wide open.

However, this chest doesn’t contain jewels or gold coins, but instead a compact cluster of young stars. These stars are responsible for the otherworldly glow coming from within the Treasure Chest, revealed by Webb’s sensitive Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). Researchers estimate that the Treasure Chest’s cluster contains about 70 stars, the most massive of which is a rare O-type star roughly 19 times as massive as the Sun.

The star cluster is likely around 1.3 million years old, though earlier estimates found it to be as young as just 100 000 years old. Because of its youth, the cluster is still deeply embedded within the dusty clouds of the Treasure Chest. The individual stars in the cluster are wrapped up in dust as well; astronomers have found evidence that many of these stars are surrounded by circumstellar discs. Over time, the brilliant starlight from these young stars will dissipate the surrounding cloud and reveal the entire cluster.

The key to the Treasure Chest’s sculptural shape lies outside this image: just 39 light-years to the northwest, as measured on the sky, sits Eta Carinae, the most luminous object in the entire Carina Nebula. Eta Carinae is a star system containing at least two stars, one of which is 100 times as massive as the Sun. This star alone is about 5 million times as luminous as the Sun. Adding to this intense radiation is the nearby star cluster Trumpler 16, which also contains several extremely hot massive stars.

With Webb, astronomers have carried out an observing programme (#5408; PI: Reiter) dedicated to studying how young stars in the Carina Nebula collect gas from their surroundings and expel it through outflows.

[Image Description: A region of space filled with bright stars and clouds of gas. In the centre, the densest clouds form the shape of a chest with its lid open. The chest appears to glow from within. At its base it breaks apart into long pillars of thick gas. Many of the gas clouds in the background are dark orange globules, while others form large, pale hazes. A few brightly shining stars lie in the foreground, the biggest and brightest in front of the chest’s lid.]

• Release on esawebb.org