News

On December 22 at 2.15 PM, Iaroslav Iakubivskyi defended his PhD dissertation "Nanospacecraft for technology demonstration and science missions". A successful defence gained him a doctoral degree in physics from the University of Tartu. The defence took place both in person at Tartu Observatory in Tõravere and virtually. Supervisors: Dr Andris Slavinskis, Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu Dr Mihkel Pajusalu, Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu Dr Mart Noorma, Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu

In 2022, teaching and studies continue according to the principles agreed upon at the beginning of the academic year.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Airbus have signed a contract to move forward with the design and construction of the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel). Work on the Ariel payload module is already well underway by the Ariel Mission Consortium, which includes Tarty Observatory's Associate Professor in Stellar Physics Anna Aret as a member of the co-PI board. The consortium and Airbus will be working closely together to deliver the mission for launch in 2029.

Starting from this Sunday, everyone can explore the Mars Rover's Test Base at the Town Hall Square in Tartu. The test base is located in a glass pavilion and in it, a miniature rover will be driving on a surface that mimics the one of the red planet. The test base will bring Mars closer to people as it might be the second planet in our Solar System that human will set foot on.

On Thursday, November 4, Tartu Observatory's Engineer Teet Kuutma successfully defended his PhD dissertation "Galaxies and non-galactic baryons in cosmic filaments". The defence gained him a doctoral degree in physics from the University of Tartu. The defence took place both in person at Tartu Observatory in Tõravere and virtually in Zoom. Supervisor: Dr. Antti Tamm, Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu, Opponent: Dr. Pasi Nurmi, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku Summary

On Thursday, 4 November, Tartu will host Gustavus Adolphus Day celebrations to mark the 389th anniversary of the founding of the University of Tartu. The programme includes laying flowers on monuments, a book presentation, a concert and a film premiere. Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus signed the foundation decree of Academia Dorpatensis (Academia Gustaviana) in 1632. The day dedicated to this event begins on 4 November at 15:20 with the laying of flowers on the monuments of Gustavus Adolphus and the University of Tartu’s first chancellor Johan Skytte.

The current era can be called the Golden Age of remote sensing. Never before has there been such an abundance of remote sensing data as it is now. In addition, most of these data are available free of charge. However, to draw reliable conclusions from the data, it is necessary to ensure that all direct and indirect remote sensing measurements are correctly calibrated and validated.

The university aims to keep studies open as long as possible, which is why stronger safety measures are imposed. Safe distancing should be maintained between people during classes, in public rooms and all, including those who are vaccinated, must wear masks in the university buildings. Only protective masks, not scarves or visors, may be used to cover the nose and mouth.

At the beginning of the academic year, the University of Tartu and Tartu University Hospital are jointly organising vaccination days near the university’s study buildings to further improve the chances of starting face-to-face studies and meeting in the lecture halls. University members who have not been vaccinated yet can get the vaccine against Covid-19 without prior booking in the following places: at the university’s main building in room 140 (the first room on the right from the main entrance)

On Saturday, September 25, the Day of Countryside Living was celebrated in Estonia. Tartu Observatory is also located in a rural area, in Tõravere borough – which is why we joined in on the festivities. We offered space-related activites for the entire family, including a concert by Tartu Observatory's space band. Our big telescope tower was open and visitors could attend guided tours. In the tower, everyone could see the largest telescope in the Nordic countries and engage in various attractions offered by the Stellarium.

Tartu Observatory is exhibiting a collection of Maret Einasto's nature photos, which help to see that in spite of worrying topics in our daily lives, there is also much to appreciate around us. Maret Einasto is a photographer on the side of her job as an associate professor at the department of physics of galaxies and cosmology. The photos displayed have been taken during Einasto's bike rides or walks around Tõravere.

To help promote vaccination in Tartu and Tartu County, on Saturday, the vaccination bus of Tartu University Hospital moves from Raatuse 22 to the city centre, next to Tartu Kaubamaja. On the bus, it is possible to get vaccinated from 10 to 16.

We invite students to apply for Tartu Observatory's scholarships in the fields of astronomy, environmental physics, and space technology. The application deadline is September 15. Every year, Tartu Observatory grants the following scholarships for successful students:

Last week, public observation nights were held at the observation park in Tõravere. The stargazers got a chance to observe Jupiter, Saturn and the beatiful late summer sky with natural fireworks: a meteor shower. Take a look at the gallery!

We'd like to start teaching and studies in the autumn as normally as possible and meet face to face in class, and therefore it is important that as many of our new and returning students and university staff as possible are vaccinated. The nearest vaccination locations can be found on the website vaktsineeri.ee.

According to the respondents, the University of Tartu diploma is highly valued in the labour market, and high-level research is done and excellent education is offered at the university.

Tartu Observatory's Associate Professor in Remote Sensing of Landscapes Jan Pisek will help new NASA technology be better utilised to monitor and measure environmental change. Pisek's research was noted on the website of the international TERN ecosystem research infrastructure, where he talked about an innovative method to assess vegetation clumping. One advantage of the new methor is being able to better understand the photosynthesis and other important land-atmosphere interactions such as water and carbon cycles in canopies.

Milrem Robotics secured a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to start applying its autonomy capabilities towards planetary rovers with Tartu Observatory. The current project, planned as the first in a series of projects, aims to map the current state of the art of planetary rovers and develop tools to increase planetary rover autonomy using the methods Milrem Robotics is currently applying in its terrestrial ecosystem of products. The agreement was signed last week.

By mapping the motion of galaxies in huge filaments that connect the cosmic web, astronomers at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), in collaboration with scientists in China and Estonia, have found these long tendrils of galaxies spin on the scale of hundreds of millions of light years. A rotation on such enormous scales has never been seen before. The results published in Nature Astronomy signify that angular momentum can be generated on unprecedented scales.