Issue 3 of the Europlanet Magazine is out!

The official magazine of Europlanet, the European community for planetary science.

We are delighted to share with you the third issue of the Europlanet Magazine. The e-magazine is published twice a year and aims to highlight the range of activities by Europlanet, our partners, and the wider planetary community. If you would like a printed copy of this issue, or the two previous editions, you will be able to pick one up at the Europlanet Society stand at EPSC2022 in Granada.

The third issue highlights the exciting upcoming opportunities for Solar System and exoplanet science with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Our ‘In Focus’ news section reports on recent workshops held through the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI), a monthly webinar series for members, a new podcast from the Europlanet Early Careers (EPEC) network and resources to support the LGBTQIA+ members of our community. We look at the experiences of participants in the Europlanet Expert Exchange and Mentorship programmes. We also have features on running data challenges, using AI to improve predictions of the impact of solar storms, and a schools outreach programme for meteor detection.

Please check out Issue 3 and share with your networks to help us spread the word.

In this issue:

A round up of news from Europlanet 2024 RI, the Europlanet Society, the Europlanet Early Careers (EPEC) network and the planetary community.

MOMSTER, a Mobile Meteor Detection Station for Education and Outreach

Karolien Lefever, Stijn Calders and Hervé Lamy (BIRA-IASB) describe how schools are becoming involved in meteor research through the MOMSTER project.

Planetary Perspectives

Gražina Tautvaišienė, Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy at Vilnius University (Lithuania), talks about her inspirations, the development of astronomy in Lithuania and sharing her passion for science with the next generation in this month’s Planetary Perspectives Q&A.

Support for Ukraine

We ask for the planetary community’s help to share information and identify support schemes for colleagues in Ukraine and displaced researchers

JWST: A New Infrared Eye on the Solar System

Leigh Fletcher, Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Leicester (UK), reveals how the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will provide exciting new opportunities for the exploration of our Solar System.

JWST: An Eye on Exoplanets

Brett Morris and Clémence Fontanive of the Universität Bern/National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS (Switzerland) look at how the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is set to revolutionise exoplanet research.

Europlanet Mentorship Programme: Two Years After Launch

Edita Stonkutė of Vilnius University (Lithuania) and Jen DeWitt, Evaluation Officer for Europlanet 2024 RI (UK), examine how mentoring can support the planetary community.

Taking on the Data Challenge

Ingo Waldmann of UCL (UK) explains how launching a data challenge linked to the Ariel mission has led to new approaches and collaborations.

Exchanging Expertise

Maria Genzer of the Finnish Meteorological Institute (Finland) reports on how Europlanet’s Expert Exchange Programme is supporting skill-sharing within the planetary community.

Using AI to Predict the Danger of Solar Storms for Earth

Hannah Rüdisser of the Know-Center (Austria) and Ute Amerstorfer of the Space Research Institute (Austria) show how machine learning and artificial intelligence can help protect us from damage caused by solar storms.

Inspired by a Contest

Helen Usher of the Faulkes Telescope Project (UK) describes how a Europlanet arts contest has led to collaborations with a young Lithuanian astronomer, Rytis Babianskas.

An Interplanetary Journey in Design – Building the Europlanet Brand

Vix Southgate (Europlanet 2024 RI Communications Team) describes some of the creative steps (and missteps) in nearly two decades of the Europlanet brand.

Industry Insights

Marcell Tessenyi (BSSL Ltd) and Jeronimo Bernard-Salas (ACRI-ST) present results from a community survey on academic-industry collaboration.

In Memorium – Maria Teresa Capria and Károly Szegő

The first few months of 2022 has seen the passing of two of the key founder members of the Europlanet programme. Michel Blanc, Coordinator of Europlanet from 2005-2012, reflects on their contribution and legacy.

CommKit

The Europlanet Magazine’s column on science communication by Shorouk Elkobros (Europlanet Society/ESF) looks this month at videos for science communication.

The Last Word

Nigel Mason highlights a strategic opportunity for the planetary community.