From May 11 to 13, NAC 2026 brings the astronomy community together in Egmond aan Zee, hosted by SRON and KNA-RNAS.
Science and connection come together, from plenaries to posters and social events.
indico.kna-rnas.nl/event/2/
Want to build superconducting detectors for the next generation of space missions? We’re looking for a mid-career pro (HBO+) with cleanroom experience and a background in Physics or Chemistry.
Apply here: werkenbijsron.nl/vacatures/rd...
We’re hiring a Product Assurance Manager.
Do you ensure quality in every detail, from risk assessment to PMP selection? Join SRON and contribute to reliable space missions.
Apply here: werkenbijsron.nl/en/vacancies...
An astronomical event!
From May 11 to 13, the Netherlands Astronomy Conference 2026, organised by SRON, brings researchers together to share insights and discuss the latest developments in space science.
indico.kna-rnas.nl (search NAC 2026)
Wil jij bijdragen aan ruimteonderzoek?
Bij SRON zijn we op zoek naar een Adviseur Gezondheid, Veiligheid en Milieu in Leiden. Draag bij aan een veilige werkomgeving voor 250 internationale collega’s.
INTEGRAL: An integral part of high-energy astrophysics.
Launched in 2002, INTEGRAL mapped the high-energy sky for over two decades, revealing gamma-ray bursts, supernovae and matter falling into black holes.
SRON contributed to the mission’s scientific analysis.
Learn more at sron.nl
On 26 March 2025, SRON introduced a new logo, corporate identity and revamped website. From that moment on, SRON stands for the Space Research Organisation Netherlands. In this video, we look back at highlights from the past year as we continue bringing science to space.
Public outreach connects science with society. KNA-RNAS invites nominations for the Willem de Graaff Prize 2026 in astronomy and space research.
Know someone who deserves this recognition? Submit before March 31, 2026: degraaffprijs@kna-rnas.nl
Measuring Aerosols from Space
Aerosols influence how much sunlight Earth reflects or absorbs and how clouds form. Their role in climate remains one of the larger uncertainties.
Want to learn more? Visit sron.nl
Researchers from MPIfR-Bonn, @sronspace.bsky.social and TUDelft made their first observation with the AMKID instrument on the APEX telescope in Chile. With over 17,000 pixels, AMKID captures far-infrared light from some of the earliest galaxies. Published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Pieternel Levelt, KNMI, TU Delft and the TROPOMI team receive the #SnelliusMedal for their observations of gases and aerosols in the atmosphere. The award also recognises colleagues from KNMI, TNO, SRON and Airbus Netherlands.
For the future #NewAthena mission, the #XIFU instrument uses detectors cooled close to absolute zero (−273°C) to detect X-ray photons. Researchers at SRON developed a new method to calibrate thermometers at these ultra-low temperatures, improving measurement accuracy.
Women shaping space research ✨
On International Women’s Day, we highlight the work of our women colleagues at SRON. They contribute to missions tracking methane for climate action, studying rocky exoplanets and analysing X-ray spectra from black holes and galaxy clusters.
On 3 and 4 March, Amsterdam Space Symposium brought together leaders from across the space sector to discuss security and climate. Our colleague Aaldert van Amerongen spoke about turning atmospheric satellite data into real world impact.
Thank you for the inspiring discussions in Amsterdam.
Will you help advance the X-IFU for ESA’s L-class NewAthena mission?
SRON is hiring an experimental physicist in Leiden to work on cutting-edge X-ray detector technology for space. Contribute to a flagship mission and help shape the science of the hot universe.
werkenbijsron.nl/en/vacancies...
Applications for Summer School Alpbach are open until 8 March. From 14–23 July, students from ESA Member States will develop a space mission concept in Alpbach. Theme: High-energy processes in planetary systems.
Astronomer Akira Endo, working at TU Delft with SRON, is developing a method to create a 3D map of the early Universe using a chip with eighty far-infrared spectrometers. By measuring redshift, it reveals galaxy distances. Endo has received an NWO Vici grant for this research.
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹.
This cryostat cools detectors from room temperature to below 100 millikelvin, enabling tests of devices such as Transition Edge Sensors and their SQUID readout electronics used in space instrumentation. Precision cooling is essential for space detector development.
This week, a JAXA delegation visited SRON in Leiden. Since signing an MoU last year, we have been working together on detecting greenhouse gases using GOSAT, TROPOMI and TANGO, from algorithm development to data calibration and improvement.
XRISM has mapped gas turbulence inside the Perseus galaxy cluster for the first time. Faster flows appear at the centre and outskirts, suggesting the central supermassive black hole helps keep the gas hot and prevents new stars from forming. Results published in Nature.
In a recent episode of NTR Focus, SRON explains how methane emissions are monitored from space using Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI and TANGO. Methane causes about one third of global warming, and satellites reveal major emission hotspots worldwide.
Watch via NPO Start: npo.nl/start/afspel...
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
At SRON, collaboration drives our work. We team up with partners including @esa.int and many research institutes to develop space instruments, analyse satellite data and support missions like TROPOMI, PACE, XRISM, PLATO and TANGO.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
SRON is advancing Kinetic Inductance Detector (KID) technology for two NASA mission candidates: PRIMA, a space observatory, and POEMM, a balloon mission flown from Antarctica.
Together, they will probe the cold clouds where stars and planets form.
𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵.
Blue Monday can feel heavy when we look at rising temperatures and extreme weather. SRON turns concern into action by developing satellite technology that monitors greenhouse gases, aerosols and climate impacts from space. Understanding Earth brings motivation change.
Yesterday, SRON hosted the Clear Air Consortium symposium on clouds and aerosols. Over sixty scientists discussed new results from the PACE and EarthCARE satellites. ClearAir unites SRON, TNO, KNMI and TU Delft to advance satellite-based atmospheric research.
PLATO has completed vibration tests at ESA’s ESTEC centre in Noordwijk ahead of its rocket launch this year. Earlier, SRON tested 11 of its 26 cameras under extreme space conditions. With a wide field of view, PLATO will study hundreds of thousands of stars to search for planets in the Milky Way.
Are there planets like Earth, orbiting stars like our Sun? From 2026, ESA’s PLATO telescope will search for answers by observing hundreds of thousands of stars. At SRON, we tested PLATO’s cameras and developed data analysis methods to help reveal how planetary systems form and how unique Earth is.
𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙞𝙚𝙨. Researchers from SRON and TU Delft, Jochem Baselmans and Shahab Dabironezare, designed a shape that turns aluminium into a black absorber of far infrared light, advancing Kinetic Inductance Detectors for NASA’s candidate mission PRIMA.
In 𝘏𝘦𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘨𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥, SRON scientist Otto Hasekamp explains how aerosols can cool and warm the planet by reflecting or absorbing sunlight. With SPEXone, launched in 2024, his team measures aerosols and clouds from space. Results suggest aerosol warming may be overestimated in climate models.
Near a black hole, gravity bends light by stretching spacetime itself. At SRON, we design and build X-ray detectors to study the hot gas swirling around these cosmic giants.
By analysing every single photon, we uncover how matter behaves in one of the most extreme environments in the universe. 🌌
