News

On October 21 a lecture was held as part of “Bliżej Nauki” (Closer to Science), a series of popular science lectures organized at the Faculty of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Computer Science of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. During the lecture, Michał Drahus, head of the HYADES mission, presented the scientific goals of the project, the technological challenges facing his team, and how far-ultraviolet research could open a new chapter in the discovery of our Read more

For a few days, we stepped away from our daily routines and gathered in Kościelisko, where the HYADES Workshop 2025 took place in the shadow of the Tatra Mountains. Under one roof and in an atmosphere that felt almost like family, the entire mission team – joined by invited guests – came together to reflect on two years of progress and to chart a course for the future. An unexpected visitor made its way into Read more

On June 9, the Student Laudation Gala took place, during which the student community of the Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science at Jagiellonian University honored individuals particularly distinguished in the academic environment. We are extremely proud that in the Student Mentor category, the award went to Dr. Tomasz Kawalec, HYADES chief physicist. Tomasz specializes in experimental atomic physics and is a respected academic teacher at our faculty. Students recognized his support, openness, Read more

The HYADES team would like to express its sincere gratitude to BitComputer for providing a storage and computing server specifically configured to meet the demands of high-performance astronomical computations. The server was purchased in 2024 under the NCN Sonata BIS grant (no. 2016/22/E/ST9/00109) and was adapted for the HYADES mission in May 2025. The components used — including a state-of-the-art AMD Threadripper 7980X processor with 64 high-frequency cores, 256 GB of ECC RAM, and fast, Read more

From 10 to 15 February, the HYADES mission team carried out the first experimental tests at the Solaris synchrotron, focusing on characterizing the transmission properties of the gas filter prototype—one of the most innovative components of the HYADES space telescope, currently being developed at Jagiellonian University. The experiment utilized the Kraków-based synchrotron as a source of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light at approximately 10 eV, closely matching the spectral conditions the satellite will observe from space. Read more

HYADES team leaders recently completed a strategic visit to the United States, aimed at forging new collaborations with potential partners and securing key components for the mission’s scientific instrument. The trip included a series of high-level meetings with leading research institutions and industry partners across the country. The first stop was Sensor Sciences LLC based at the San Francisco Bay Area, where the team met the company founder Oswald Siegmund and other key personnel to Read more

We are pleased to welcome Professor Piotr Orleański as a new member of our team! Piotr is an electronics engineer, systems engineer, and the Director of the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Over more than 40 years of his career, he has gained extensive experience in the development of satellite scientific instruments. He has participated in over 20 space missions, including: Herschel (ESA) – far-infrared space telescope, Solar Orbiter (ESA/NASA) – Read more

We are delighted to announce that, thanks to a highly successful collaboration with Professor Jacek Kołodziej and Dr. Natalia Olszowska, supervisors of the URANOS beamline at the Solaris Synchrotron, we have gained direct access to a light beam in the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line range (around 10 eV). This access is the result of a significant modification made to the vacuum and optical path of the URANOS beamline. The light beam, with its high intensity, good collimation, Read more

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) offered a great show during the Comet Night event on October 19-20, 2024, at the Astronomical Observatory  of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Organized by the HYADES Science Team, the event included stargazing, lectures, and outdoor activities, drawing an unexpectedly large crowd. It became one of the largest popular science events at our observatory in recent years! As evening set in, crowds gathered to view a newly visible comet through telescopes, Read more

Is life on Mars possible? What does it feel like to sit on the tip of a loaded rocket? What does Jeffrey Hoffman think about private space missions and what does NASA think about it? These and other questions dominated the post-lecture debate at the Breath of Mars and Space Exploration event, held on September 14, 2024 at the Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science at Jagiellonian University. The large audience had the Read more