Nicolas Cowan, Professor at McGill University and a member of both iREx and the McGill Space Institute, is one of the finalists for the Relève Scientifique du Québec 2021 Prize, an award which aims to highlight…
Myriam Prasow-Émond, an iREx student at the Université de Montréal, submitted her Master’s thesis in the Spring of 2022. She summarises the research projects she conducted as part of her Master’s degree here. When the very…
Anne Boucher, an iREx student at the Université de Montréal, submitted her doctoral thesis at the end of 2021. She summarises the research project she carried out as part of her Ph.D here. During my Ph.D,…
The commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope is nearly over. The sunshield, mirrors, instruments and all of Webb’s other components are nearly ready to begin the observatory’s long-awaited science operations! This historic moment will finally…
The Chapeau, les filles! competition and its Excellence Science award ceremony was held on June 20 by the Ministère de l’éducation du Québec. Among the 67 winners were two iREx members: Érika Le Bourdais and Leslie Moranta….
As part of the 2021–2022 edition of the Petit Nobel Competition organised within the Université de Montréal’s Physics Department, the teaching qualities of four Institute for Research on Exoplanets members were highlighted. David Lafrenière won 3rd…
Once again, iREx members are pleased to welcome this year’s cohort of summer students who will be working with us. These students enrolled in physics and astrophysics programs come from various universities across Canada. Most of…
The Near InfraRed Planet Searcher (NIRPS) instrument, developed in part at the Université de Montréal and the Université Laval, has successfully performed its first observations. Mounted on ESO’s 3.6-m telescope at the La Silla Observatory in…
This activity is over, but you can still watch to it on our YouTube channel! As part of the “24 hours of science” event organised by Science pour tous, the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx)…
The NIRPS team has been hard at work for the past few months. This instrument set to detect and study exoplanets using the radial velocity method has finally arrived at its new home, the European Southern…
The Webb Telescope’s commissioning has been progressing remarkably well since the space observatory arrived at its final destination, 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, fully unfolded in late January. As its instruments have turned on and its…
Eve Lee, a McGill University professor and iREx member, has received the 2022 Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy from the American Astronomical Society. The award recognizes her work on the formation of stars, debris disks…
Myriam Prasow-Émond, M.Sc. student and member of iREx and the X-TRA Group, has been awarded a scholarship from Imperial College London to pursue her Ph.D., starting in September 2022. Myriam completed a B.Sc. in Physics at…
Astronomers explore the unusual atmospheric conditions of a hot exoplanet An international group of astronomers which includes Jake Taylor, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets, has made the first detailed measurement of…
After twenty years of work, the Webb Telescope team finally saw their observatory launch into space on December 25th. As expected, this event attracted a lot of media interest. The telescope and many iREx researchers who…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets, in collaboration with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal, the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic and the Centre for Research in Astrophysics of Quebec, is organising the Soirée d’initiation à la recherche…
After decades of work, development and testing, the James Webb Space Telescope was finally launched into space aboard an Ariane 5 rocket on Christmas morning, December 25 2021 at 7:20 AM (Eastern). Since that magical moment,…
Benjamin Leblanc, an iREx student at Bishop’s University, submitted his M.Sc. thesis in the Winter of 2021. He summarises the research projects he conducted as part of his Master’s degree here. Seismology has been used since…
One year has passed since the beginning of our “Exoplanets in schools” project, whose objective is to create educational resources on exoplanets and the search for life for elementary and secondary school staff in Quebec. Since…
Jonathan Gagné, iREx associate member, Scientific Advisor at the Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan (Space for Life) and Adjunct Professor at the Université de Montréal, has been awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada…
Observations of a hot Jupiter may also advance our understanding of planet origins and evolution Imagine being in a place where the winds are so strong that they move at the speed of sound. That’s just…
The project Exoplanets in schools (“Des exoplanètes à l’école”) is now well underway! This project, which aims to create educational resources on exoplanets and the search for life for elementary and secondary school staff in Quebec,…
On October 12th, the James Webb Space Telescope moved one step closer to its final destination, arriving safely in Kourou, French Guiana, from where it will soon be launched into space. Its journey began in California,…
An international team led by researchers from the Institute for Research on Exoplanets has discovered a brown dwarf near a small star called TOI-1278. Although they are relatively easy to discover, few such systems have been…
On Wednesday, October 20th, a special event, the “Journée 100 ans de physique” was held at the campus MIL, to celebrate the centennial of the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal. During this day,…
Dylan Keating, an iREx student at McGill University, submitted his PhD thesis in the Fall of 2021. He summarizes here the research projects he conducted as part of his PhD degree. Short-period gas giants, more commonly…
An international team of astrophysicists including Romain Allart, Trottier Postdoctoral Fellow at the iREx at the Université de Montréal, has discovered that the exoplanets of a star in the constellation Pisces orbit in perpendicular planes. This…
The Webb Telescope is the most complex observatory ever sent into space… and Canada played an important role in its design! Join us for a special edition of our Grandes conférences de l’iREx on November 17,…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the physics department of the University of Montreal (UdeM), invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in experimental, observational or theoretical astrophysics applied to the study of exoplanets….
After more than two decades of twists and turns, challenges and successes, the James Webb Space Telescope has finally completed its battery of tests to ensure that it will survive its journey into space. The telescope…
Autumn is approaching, and it is the end of the summer internships at the Institute. For our 21 interns, it is time to go back to their undergraduate studies, or to embark on the adventure of…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal (UdeM), will soon be calling for applications from undergraduate students to the 2022 Trottier Research Grants and the…
In May 2021, the Canadian Space Agency announced a $1.1 million contract for the development of prototype optics for a small space telescope dedicated to the study of exoplanets. Jason Rowe, Canada Research Chair, Professor at…
The iREx invites students who would like to pursue a Master’s (M.Sc.) or a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in the field of exoplanets at the Université de Montréal or at one of the other home universities of iREx…
Timothy Hallatt, an iREx student at McGill University, submitted his MSc thesis in the Summer of 2021. He summarizes here the research projects he conducted as part of his MSc degree. The past decade has seen…
This activity has ended, but you can watch the replay on our YouTube channel. As part of Science Literacy Week, the Institute for Research on Exoplanets proposes a virtual activity called Venus, Earth and Mars: only…
Measuring the composition of the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter Tau Boötis b more precisely than ever, an iREx-led team of astronomers provides a better understanding of giant exoplanets. Using the SPIRou spectropolarimeter on the Canada-France-Hawaii…
Caroline Piaulet, a PhD student at the Université de Montréal and a member of the Institute for Research on Exoplanet, is the recipient of one of the prestigious Vanier Scholarships, funded in part by the Natural…
Thousands of astronomers submitted telescope time proposals in November 2020 in the hopes of obtaining access to James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data during its first year of operations. A committee made up of astronomy experts…
The dynamism of iREx is largely due to its graduate students. In order to introduce you to these promising scientists, we led a series of short interviews. Throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, we posted these portraits on…
From June 5 to 15, become an Eclipse Chaser! Complete the different missions to collect points and you could win prizes! This activity is aimed at kids and their families. Deadline: June 15th 2021 Limited spots!…
It is with great pride that iREx welcomes the 20 interns working with us this year. These undergraduate students from across Canada are conducting a variety of research projects, supervised by iREx professors based at Université…
Taylor Bell, an iREx student at McGill University, submitted his PhD thesis in the Spring of 2021. He summarizes here the research projects he conducted as part of his PhD degree. Thirty-three years ago, a team…
Louis-Philippe Coulombe, an iREx student at Université de Montréal, submitted his master’s thesis in the Spring of 2021. He summarizes here the research projects he conducted as part of his master’s degree. Research on the atmosphere…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets and its partners the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic and the Centre for Research in Astrophysics of Quebec invite you to admire the solar eclipse taking place at sunrise on the morning…
Nathalie Ouellette, astrophysicist and Coordinator of iREx, is the winner of 2021 Prix du Recteur of the Université de Montréal, in the category Initiative. This award recognises the imagination, dynamism and creativity of a member of the…
Thanks to a grant from the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation‘s NovaScience program, the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) and its partners are developing new educational resources as part of a project titled “Exoplanets:…
Déreck-Alexandre Lizotte, an iREx student at Bishop’s University, submitted his master’s thesis in early 2021. He summarizes here the research project he conducted as part of his master’s degree. As Kepler scanned for possible exoplanets, a significant…
Caroline Piaulet, a PhD student at the Université de Montréal, has been awarded an engagement scholarship (Bourses d’engagement de la Faculté des arts et des sciences) for the year 2020-2021. This scholarship recognises her exceptional involvement…
Marie-Eve and Frédérique will be happy to see your children again at the Petite école de l’espace on Saturday, May 22 from 10:00 am to 10:30 am! During this online event, astrophysicists Frédérique Baron and Marie-Eve Naud tell space-themed stories and…
During the month of April, participate in our Moon Hunt! Complete the different missions to collect points and you could win prizes! This activity is aimed at kids and their families. Deadline: May 5th 2021 Limited…
Study shows super-Earths are not leftovers of mini-Neptunes, challenging our understanding of planetary formation Mini-Neptunes and super-Earths up to four times the size of our own are the most common exoplanets orbiting stars beyond our solar…
Despite some minor delays in the project, the James Webb Space Telescope achieved several important milestones in 2020. One of the most important of these was the complete and successful extension of the observatory’s enormous sunshield….
Mohamad Ali-Dib, the Trottier 2018 postdoctoral fellow at the Université de Montréal, joined the iREx in January 2019. At the end of 2020, he left iREx to pursue his career at the Center for Astro, Particle,…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets, in collaboration with the Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec (CRAQ) and the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, is organizing the “Astronomer in Your Virtual Classroom” activity within the framework of…
SPIRou, the new high-precision infrared spectropolarimeter recently installed at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, has measured for the first time the mass and density of a Neptune-like planet in close orbit around a very young and extremely active…
Frédéric Genest, an iREx student studying at the Université de Montréal, submitted his master’s thesis at the end of 2020. He summarizes here the research project he conducted as part of his master’s thesis. There are…
The Institute for research on exoplanets, in collaboration with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal and the Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec organizes the Soirée d’initiation à la recherche en astrophysique,…
A University of Montreal-led team of astronomers discovers that the core mass of exoplanet WASP-107b is much lower than previously thought possible for a gas-giant planet. The core mass of the giant exoplanet WASP-107b is much…
JOIN THE #LOOKUPCHALLENGE HERE! The holidays will undoubtedly be different this year. You may not be able to see all your loved ones… but you will all be under the same sky! The institute partners with…
Jonathan Gagné, a Scientific Advisor at the Rio Tinto Alcan Montreal Planetarium with Space for Life became an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Physics at the Université de Montréal in September 2020. We are thus thrilled to…
“Rocky” weather could change the surface and atmosphere over time on exoplanet K2-141b Among the most extreme planets discovered beyond the edges of our solar system are lava planets: fiery hot worlds that circle so close…
Recent work led by Thomas Vandal, an iREx master’s student at the Université de Montréal under the supervision of René Doyon, succeeded in constraining the physical characteristics of the planets around Beta Pictoris using a new…
Raphaël Hardy, an iREx student at Université de Montréal, finished his master degree in 2020. Here, he summarizes the research project he carried out during his studies: Hot Jupiters are exoplanets with unique features. Due to…
Charles Cadieux, an iREx student at Université de Montréal, finished his master degree in 2020. Here, he summarizes the research project he carried out during his studies: The many detections of Kepler and its extended mission…
LTT 9779 b is an exoplanet the size of Neptune and very close to its star. It was discovered recently thanks to NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space telescope. Two iREx researchers, Professors Björn Benneke…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal (UdeM), is calling for applications from undergraduate students to the 2021 Trottier Excellence Grants for Summer Interns. Apply here:…
Extraterrestrial life… on Venus?? Join us for the 2020 Grande conference de l’iREx to learn all about the recent discovery of phosphine, a potential biosignature, in the atmosphere of Venus. The talk will take place online…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics at the Université de Montréal, is seeking applications for a postdoctoral position to join the NIRISS instrument team for the James Webb Space…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the physics department of the University of Montreal (UdeM), invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in experimental, observational or theoretical astrophysics applied to the study of exoplanets….
The NIRPS spectrograph, whose design is led by a team from the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic (OMM), the Centre d’optique photonique et laser (COPL) and the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), in association with engineers from the NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, obtained its very first images in August…
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) completed its first mission last July after two years of continuous sky observations. This telescope, which began its observations in July 2018, is, like its predecessor Kepler, quite the hunter…
The iREx is very pleased to announce that our Director, René Doyon, is now a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in the Academy of Sciences. The 2020 cohort of new members includes 87 individuals…
As we get ready for the start of a new academic year, we would like to take a moment to look back at the fantastic work done by our 8 exceptional summer interns! Learn more about the…
The fourth edition of our astronomy-themed event at the Université de Montréal’s MIL campus MIL was enjoyed from the comfort of our homes this year. The event took place on the evening of August 12th which…
The iREx invites students who would like to pursue a Master’s (M.Sc.) or a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in the field of exoplanets at the Université de Montréal or at one of the other home universities of iREx…
NASA and its international partners, the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency, are now targeting October 31 2021 for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. This seven-month delay, added to the previous…
Thanks to the help of citizen scientists, astronomers have confirmed the existence of two of the most unusual brown dwarfs in the Milky Way. Brown dwarfs form like stars, but are not massive enough to ignite…
Jonathan Gagné, a former Banting and Trottier postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the Université de Montréal, became a Scientific Advisor at Space for Life in May 2020, where he leads a…
On May 20, NASA announced that the space telescope known as WFIRST (Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope) will be renamed to highlight the contributions to astrophysics made by Nancy Grace Roman. The Nancy Grace Roman Space…
Astrophysicists detect the orb hidden in the dust and gas debris around the young star AU Microscopii An exoplanet the size of Neptune has been discovered around the young star AU Microscopii, thanks in part to…
On July 11th, at 10:00AM, the Institute for Research on Exoplanets invites kids from 3 to 8 years old to “La petite école de l’espace” (in French). During this online event, astrophysicists Frédérique Baron and Marie-Eve…
The mission of our Institute is not only of a scientific nature, but also of a human nature. Current events related to police brutality and systemic racism taking place in the United States, Canada and elsewhere…
An image submitted by Étienne Artigau, a researcher from iREx, was selected by the jury of the contest La preuve par l’image of the Association francophone pour le savoir (Acfas) to be among the twenty finalist…
Jonathan Chan, an iREx student at Université de Montréal, finished his master degree in 2020. Here, he summarizes the research project he carried out during his studies: The TRAPPIST-1 system presents us with a unique opportunity…
The iREx is following the recommendations of the government and the Université de Montréal to limit the spread of COVID-19. As such, all in-person activities conducted by the iREx are cancelled until further notice. The Astronomer…
The iREx team is very pleased to present our 2020 summer interns! They will be joining us in early May and will be working on a variety of projects with our researchers until late August. Due to…
On February 15, 2020, a team of astrophysicists uncovered a small, fast-moving object on the detector of the 1.5m telescope at the summit of Mount Lemmon, Arizona. The telescope is part of a group of three…
A team of researchers led by David Ehrenreich of the Observatoire astronomique de l’Université de Genève has discovered iron rain on the exoplanet WAPS-76b. An article published in March 2020 in the journal Nature presented the…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets is proud to announce that René Doyon, Director of iREx and Professor at the Université de Montréal, is the recipient of the Canadian Astronomical Society’s Dunlap Award for Innovation in…
We are very pleased to announce that the iREx has been selected for a DIALOGUE – Researcher Award from the Fonds de recherche du Québec! The DIALOGUE – Researcher program is designed to encourage Quebec researchers…
With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) still planned for the year 2021, the call for telescope time proposals for Cycle 1 of the mission has just been announced. Thanks to its contribution…
The Spitzer Space Telescope’s mission ended on January 30, 2020, after scanning the Universe in the infrared for over 16 years. The discoveries made by this telescope have led to a better understanding of our Universe,…
A study published in Science magazine in January 2020 and led by Mario Damasso, an astrophysicist from INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino in Italy, claims to have discovered a second low-mass planet around Proxima Centauri. Proxima Centauri…
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) completed its first year of scientific observations between July 2018 and July 2019. More than 1100 candidate exoplanets in the vicinity of the Sun were discovered in the southern sky…
**Due to COVID-19, this contest is suspended until further notice** Are you a high school student in the province of Quebec? The Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, the Institute for Research on Exoplanets and the ASTROLab invite you to…
**Due to COVID-19, Astronomer in Your Classrom has been cancelled. ** The Institute for Research on Exoplanets, in collaboration with the Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec (CRAQ), is organizing the “Astronomer in Your…
Submit applications here by January 20th 2020. The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) is proud to announce the 2020 competition for the Maunakea Graduate School in Astronomy (MKGS). The MKGS presents an opportunity for six graduate students in…
Dominic Couture, an iREx student at Université de Montréal, finished his master degree in 2019. Here, he summarizes the research project he carried out during his studies: Young moving groups (YMG) are associations of stars,…
On November 1, Gilles Fontaine, professor in the Départment de physique at the Université de Montréal and a member of the Institut for research on exoplanets, passed away. Gilles Fontaine was a specialist in the study…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets was pleased to welcome Sarah Hörst on October 16th for the Grande conférence de l’iREx 2019. During the evening, over 150 people were able to travel to Titan, Saturn’s largest…
On November 11th 2019, the planet Mercury will pass in front of the Sun from the point of view of Earth. This phenomenon, called the transit of Mercury, is akin to the transit of exoplanets in…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics at the Université de Montréal, is seeking applications for a postdoctoral position to join the NIRISS instrument team for the James Webb Space…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal (UdeM), is calling for applications from undergraduate students to the 2020 Trottier Excellence Grants for Summer Interns. The summer…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the physics department of the University of Montreal (UdeM), invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in experimental, observational or theoretical astrophysics applied to the study of exoplanets….
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets invite you to the public lecture: Titan : Ingredients for Life by Sarah Hörst, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University. Prof. Hörst is an expert on the formation and composition of…
An international study lead by Université de Montréal astronomer Björn Benneke has detected water vapour on the planet K2-18b; this represents a major discovery in the search of alien life. Ever since the discovery of the…
As we get ready for the start of the new academic year, we would like to take a moment to look back at the fantastic work done by our 14 exceptional summer interns: a record number…
After being tested separately, the two halves of the James Webb Space Telescope have finally come together into a single piece for the first time since the project started. Engineers from Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach,…
The third edition of the astronomy-themed day at the campus MIL took place on July 21st. Titled astroMIL: the Moon, 50 years later, the event attracted over 700 people from 1 to 11pm and aimed to…
Eve Lee, a specialist in the formation of planetary systems, joins McGill University’s Department of Physics and the McGill Space Institute as an Assistant Professor and becomes a regular member of iREx. She received her B.Sc….
A new study by McGill University astronomers has found that the temperature on the nightsides of different hot Jupiters is surprisingly uniform, suggesting the dark side of these massive gaseous planets have clouds made of minerals and rocks. Using data from the Spitzer Space and the Hubble Space telescopes, the researchers from the McGill Space Institute found that…
Two iREx astronomers have assembled a “fingerprint” for Earth, which could be used to identify a planet beyond our Solar System capable of supporting life. McGill Physics student Evelyn Macdonald and her supervisor Prof. Nicolas Cowan…
We are happy to announce new M.Sc./Ph.D. positions in exoplanetary science at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) at the Université de Montréal or the other home institutions of iREx professors (McGill University, Bishop’s University),…
An international team led by UdeM astronomer gets a clearer picture of what is likely the most abundant type of planet in the Universe. It was a daunting task that took five years and the accumulation…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets and the Université de Montréal invite you to discover the new MIL Campus during this cosmic party that will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and…
Five Canadian graduate students had the chance to attend the Maunakea Graduate School (MKGS), which took place between April 2nd and 13th. Under the supervision of professional astronomers, the students were able to design scientific programs…
As part of the 24h de sciences, the Institute for Research on Exoplanets, in collaboration with the Centre for Research in Astrophysics of Quebec (CRAQ), proposed the activity “An Astronomer in your Classroom”. During the week…
2019 Sureau Fellow We are proud to announce that the first ever iREx Sureau Bursary has been awarded to Ariane Deslières, an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa. Ariane, who was selected amongst a pool…
Come and join the iREx and many other cosmic partners at the 2019 International Day of Astronomy organized by the Rio Tinto Alcan Montreal Planetarium and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC). This event will…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French will take place at Pub l’Île Noire, on May 28th, 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! Your speakers: Mohamad Ali-Dib, postdoctoral researcher at the Université de Montréal Anne Boucher, Ph.D. student at…
Bishop’s University just announced that iREx member Prof. Jason Rowe has been awarded the 2019 Emerging Scholar award. The Emerging Scholar awards recognise outstanding researchers and creators whose work has made a significant impact on their disciplines…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets, in collaboration with the Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec (CRAQ), is organizing the “An Astronomer in Your Classroom” activity within the framework of 24h of science. “An Astronomer…
The month of February 2019 saw the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) successfully pass a series of tests meant to simulate the extreme conditions of a rocket launch into space. These tests were especially important, as…
The hunt for exoplanets continues! The number of discovered exoplanets has now reached over 4000, yet there are many more waiting to be unveiled. TESS, a NASA mission, will probe the stars closest to the Sun…
The iREx team is very pleased to present our 2019 summer interns! They will be joining us in early May and will be working on a variety of projects with our researchers until late August. Simon…
Nicolas Cowan, professor at McGill University and member of iREx, is the recipient of the 2019 Harvey B. Richer Gold Medal. This Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) medal is awarded every two years in recognition of major contributions by a…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French will take place at Pub l’Île Noire, on March 26th, 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! Your speakers: Émilie Parent, Ph.D. student at McGill University Annabelle Richard-Laferrière, M.Sc. student at the Université…
An international team of astrophysicists, led by researchers from the Université de Montréal, has identified a star on which a sodium-rich asteroid has crashed, drastically transforming its apparent color. These results raise many questions about the…
Nine months after capturing its first images from atop Maunakea in Hawaii, the scientific instrument SPIRou (SpectroPolarimètre InfraRouge) got the green light to begin its first scientific observation campaign at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). The instrument was…
Are you a high school student? The Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, the Institute for Research on Exoplanets and the ASTROLab invite you to spend a night at the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic’s telescope with astronomers who will introduce you to…
Journey to Pluto It took nearly a decade for the New Horizons probe to reach its main target, Pluto, but it was certainly worth it! For the longest time, Pluto was a very mysterious world that…
Since November 2018, the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium in Montreal has been showing “Planet 9”. This show describes the search for a ninth planet located on the outskirts of our Solar System by astrophysicist Mike Brown….
The American Astronomical Society holds two annual meetings where astronomers from around the globe get together. Their Winter Meeting, commonly called the “Super Bowl of Astronomy” welcomes upwards of 3,000 astronomers who want to talk about…
A team of researchers lead by Ignasi Ribas (Institut de Ciencies de l’Espai en Espagne) has discovered a potential super-Earth exoplanet around Barnard’s Star, possibly making it the second closest exoplanet to our Solar System. Barnard’s…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French will take place at Pub l’Île Noire, on January 29th, 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! Your speakers: Cynthia Genest-Beaulieu, Ph.D. student at the Université de Montréal Carter Rhea, M.Sc. student at…
Frédérique Baron, an iREx Ph.D. candidate at the Université de Montréal, will submit her Ph.D. thesis in December 2018. Here, she summarises the research projects she carried out during her Ph.D. The numerous exoplanets discovered in…
Launched in 2009, the Kepler Space Telescope revolutionised our view of exoplanets. Out of fuel, it was retired by NASA in late October 2018. In 1992, a team lead by William Borucki submitted a proposal…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Michaël Gillon in late October as the 2018 Grande conférence speaker. On the evening of October 24th, nearly 200 audience members were taken on…
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first image ever taken of a real exoplanet system, HR 8799, the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) invites you to a FREE screening of the new sci-fi movie CLARA…
Detecting an exoplanet is often described as trying to spot a firefly passing in front of a lighthouse beam from hundreds of kilometres away. Astronomers are now on the cusp of being able to detect an…
Submit applications here by December 15th 2018. The Maunakea Graduate School in Astronomy (MKGS) is proud to announce its 2019 competition. The MKGS presents an opportunity for six students pursuing graduate studies in astrophysics at a Canadian…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the physics department of the University of Montreal (UdeM), invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in experimental, observational or theoretical astrophysics applied to the study of exoplanets….
The Institute for research on exoplanets invite you to the public lecture: La vie au-delà du système solaire: de la science-fiction à la science (in French) Life Beyond the Solar System: From Science Fiction to Science…
Everyone at iREx is happy to welcome Nathalie Ouellette, the new iREx coordinator. She succeeds Olivier Hernandez, who retired from the position last May to become director of the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium in Montreal. She…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal (UdeM), is calling for applications from undergraduate students to the 2019 Trottier Excellence Grants for Summer Interns. The summer…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French will take place at Pub l’Île Noire, on October 30th, 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! Your speakers: Nathalie Ouellette, Coordinator of iREx at Université de Montréal and Canadian Coordinator for the…
The Merveilles célestes – Bettina Forget et Yann Pocreau exhibition presents the work of two artists following their research-creation residency created by the Centre d’exposition de l’Université de Montréal in collaboration with the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic and the Institute for research on exoplanets….
We are happy to announce new M.Sc./Ph.D. positions in exoplanetary science at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) at the Université de Montréal or the other home institutions of iREx professors (McGill University, Bishop’s University),…
Young Canadian student at Université de Montréal discovers new exoplanet ideal for detailed characterization. Wolf 503b, an exoplanet twice the size of Earth, has been discovered by an international team using data from NASA’s Kepler Space…
The start of the school year brings about the end of an internship for twelve exceptional interns, including six Trottier fellows, that were working with us over the summer. The goals they have achieved are truly…
End of May 2018, evenings were warm and humid on the Hawaii Big Island as the dust from the Kilauea volcano eruption a couple weeks earlier was still settling. Six Canadian students were about to take…
On August 11th was held the second edition of the Astronomy Day at the Virage-campus MIL at the Université de Montreal. The event, entitled A Quebec view of the Universe, attracted more than 500 people between 3pm and…
Jonathan Gagné, who completed his Ph.D. at the Université de Montréal in 2015, is one of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellows from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) 2017-2018. Gagné also obtained a…
Rémi Quirion, Quebec’s Chief Scientist, announces that Marie-Eve Desrochers, a MSc student and member of iREx, receives in August 2018 the Prix Relève Étoile du Fonds de recherche du Québec for her scientific article presenting the discovery of…
HiCIBaS, a stratospheric balloon borne telescope project from Université Laval led by Prof. Simon Thibault, associate member at iREx, will soon launch as part of CSA Strato-Science 2018 campaign. The main goal of HiCIBaS is to…
Ottawa and Quebec announce $4M in funding for the world-class observatory through 2023. With a shower of shooting stars expected in the coming days, the Mont-Mégantic Observatory has even more reason to celebrate: it has now…
To celebrate 40 years of astronomy at the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, a very special theme day – titled “Un oeil québécois sur l’Univers” (Quebec Looks at the Universe) – will be held on the MIL Campus of Université…
Gaia second data release was published on the 25th of April 2018. Since then, astronomers at iREx and from all around the world have been hard at work, intently trying to uncover the secrets hidden in…
On the 11th of April, 2018, members of iREx, as well as invited professors and members of administration of Université de Montréal, collaborators, and journalists attended the first ever Annual Meeting of iREx. During the meeting,…
As part of the 24 Hours of Science, iREx proposed two activities for children and their educators. « Une astronome dans votre classe » On May 14 and 15 2018, Marie-Eve Naud, the iREx Scientific and…
This year, iREx associated itself with the Maunakea Graduate School. This event will take place from the 29th of May to the 8th of June 2018 and is the product of a unique partnership between the…
Rémi Quirion, Quebec’s Chief Scientist, announces that Lisa Dang, a PhD student and member of iREx, receives in May 2018 the Prix Relève Étoile du Fonds de recherche du Québec for her scientific article presenting the detection of…
The contest is now closed! Thanks for your participation. The winners will be contacted via email on June 18th. Are you a high school student? The Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic and the Institute for research in exoplanets invite…
After four months of hard work by engineers and scientists from France, Canada, Switzerland and Taiwan, and over a decade in the making, an important milestone has been reached for SPIRou, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT)’s new…
Olivier Hernandez, former iREx Coordinator and former Director of Operations for the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic (OMM), received a mention Coup de coeur in the Inspiration category of the Prix du recteur. M. Hernandez is now Director of the Rio…
Astrophysicist René Doyon, professor at UdeM’s Department of Physics, director of the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic and of the Institute for research on exoplanets, receives a Killam Research Fellowship from the Canada Council for the Arts. An expert in…
Wednesday the 18th of April at 18h51 saw the launch of the space satellite TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Sattelite) on board of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. TESS is the successor of the Kepler space telescope,…
SPIRou’s long awaited large planet survey will be debuting soon. This program will extent for a period of three to five years at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and will allow for the detection of planets orbiting 100…
Olivier Hernandez, director of operations for the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic and iREx coordinator, will start a new position as the director of the Planetarium Rio Tinto Alcan as of May 1st, 2018. M Hernandez had an important…
iREx added six new researchers to their ranks in the summer of 2018 as the Trottier summer interns team up with iREx researchers to tackle various projects related to the detection and study of exoplanets throughout the…
Jonathan St-Antoine, an iREx student at Université de Montréal, finished his master degree in 2018. Here, he summarizes the principal research project he carried out during his studies: In 2020, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French will take place at Pub l’Île Noire, on April 17th, 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! Your speakers: Julie Bolduc-Duval, scientific communicator and director of Discover the Universe program. Nicolas Cowan, professor…
On May 14 and 15 2018, Marie-Eve Naud, the iREx Scientific and EPO coordinator and a specialist in exoplanets and the search for life in the Universe, will visite elementary schools. After discussing the basics of…
Brown dwarfs, the larger cousins of giant planets, undergo atmospheric changes from cloudy to cloudless as they age and cool. A team of astronomers led by Carnegie’s Jonathan Gagné measured for the first time the temperature…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French will take place at Pub l’Île Noire, on February 27th, 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! Your speakers: Lisa Dang, PhD student, McGill (advisor: Nicolas Cowan) Simon Blouin, PhD student, Université de…
iREx astronomers Jason Rowe, Étienne Artigau and Marie-Eve Naud are proud to be Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) Westar speakers. This program allows Canadian communities who are far from major astronomy research poles to host a CASCA Westar Lecture – a visit by professional astronomer…
Jason Rowe, a professor at Bishop’s University and researcher of iREx, was newly appointed as Canada Research Chair in Exoplanet Astrophysics. This honour comes with an award of $100,000 annually for a period of five years,…
David Berardo, an iREx student at McGill University, finished his master degree in August 2017. Here he summarizes the research projects he carried out during his MSc. Gas giant planets such as Jupiter are some of…
Puzzling finding raises new questions about atmospheric physics of giant planets The hottest point on a gaseous planet near a distant star isn’t where astrophysicists expected it to be – a discovery that challenges scientists’ understanding…
Montreal, QC — An international research team led by Institute for research on exoplanets astrophysicist Lauren Weiss has discovered that exoplanets orbiting the same star tend to have similar sizes and a regular orbital spacing. This…
Researchers find exciting potential for little-known exoplanet – and discover another planet in the process New research using data collected by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has revealed that a little-known exoplanet called K2-18b could well…
Using new observations made at the Keck Observatory, an international team of researchers measured the spin rates of low-mass stellar companions in order to find new clues to their origin and figure out if they are planets…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French will take place at Pub l’Île Noire, on December 12th, 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! Your speakers: René Doyon, professor at Université de Montréal, director of iREx and of the Observatoire…
Researchers of iREx are happy to contribute to the Journées d’initiation à la recherche en physique, an event organized by the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal. This free activity, intended for cegep students, will take…
This summer, an international team including several members of iREx has published a new study on the giant exoplanet 51 Eridani b. New observations made at the Gemini South Telescope and Keck Observatory provide a better…
Simon Coudé, an iREx student at Université de Montréal, submitted his PhD thesis in August 2017. Here he summarizes the research projects he carried out during his PhD. In order to understand the origins of stars…
Many new members are joining iREx in 2017-2018. Among them, five new MSc students and one new PhD student. Learn more about them and their research projects below: Simon-Gabriel Beauvais, who got his physics degree (coop…
René Doyon is the recipient of the 2017 Prix Urgel Archambault of Association francophone pour le savoir (Acfas). Pr. Doyon, professor in the Department of Physics at Université de Montréal, has made his mark in the…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal (UdeM), is calling for applications from undergraduate students to the Trottier Excellence Grants for Summer Interns 2018. The summer…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French is back at Pub l’Île Noire, on October 24th, 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! Your speakers: Marie-Lou Gendron-Marsolais, PhD student, X-TRA Astrophysics Research Group Loïc Albert, Researcher, iREx The places are…
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the Department of Physics of the Université de Montréal (UdeM), invites applications for three (3) postdoctoral fellowships in astrophysics applied to the study of exoplanets. The Institute…
Alien world traps most of the visible light falling into its atmosphere NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has observed a planet outside our solar system that looks as black as fresh asphalt because it eats light rather…
We are happy to announce new MSc/PhD positions in exoplanet science at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) at Université de Montréal or the other home institutions of iREx’s professors (McGill University, Bishop’s University), starting…
On 12 August 2017, the Université de Montréal held its first “Voyage vers les nouveaux mondes,” a day filled with special astronomy-related activities on the campus MIL in Outremont. The event was an enormous success, attracting…
The start of the fall semester marks the end of the summer internships. All our interns have made remarkable progress and have obtained interesting results! To learn more about their projects, what they learned this summer,…
Many new members joined iREx in September 2017. Among them, the new Trottier Postdoctoral Fellow, Neil Cook. Neil finished his PhD in the summer of 2016, at University of Hertfordshire, in UK. The main objective of…
A powerful new instrument called NIRPS (Near Infra Red Planet Searcher) is to be installed on the ESO 3.6-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile.
The Institute for research on exoplanets invite you to the public lecture: NASA’s Search for Life Beyond the Solar System by Victoria Meadows, Professor of Astronomy and the Director of the Astrobiology Program at the University of…
Astronomers and students of Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec (CRAQ) and of the Institute for research on exoplanets (iREx) welcomed nearly 1,000 people at UdeM to observe the great North American eclipse of the Sun…
A rare celestial event will take place on Monday, August 21 while the Sun, Moon and Earth will be aligned. The Moon will pass between the Sun and us and will mask the light of our…
The contest is now closed! Thanks for your participation. The winners will be contacted via email on September 8th. Are you a high school student? The Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic and the Institute for research in exoplanets invite…
Dim objects called brown dwarfs, less massive than the Sun but more massive than Jupiter, have powerful winds and clouds — specifically, hot patchy clouds made of iron droplets and silicate dust. Scientists recently realized these…
Björn Benneke, a world-leading expert on exoplanet’s atmospheres, becomes Assistant Professor at the Department of physics of Université de Montréal. He is arriving at Université de Montréal from Caltech where he completed a 4-year postdoctoral fellowship focused on exoplanet observation…
The Institute for research on exoplanets (IREx) at Université de Montréal invites astronomy enthusiasts of all ages to a day of cosmic celebration on the campus MIL, on Saturday, August 12, from 3 pm to 11pm. During this…
The next edition of Astronomy on Tap – MTL *** in English*** will take place July 25th at 7:30PM. Don’t miss it! July 25th, in English, at McLean’s Pub, 7:30PM Dancing with the stars – The Double Pulsar by Maxim…
Few stars have sparked the curiosity of astronomers and the general public as much as KIC 8462852. Commonly known as Tabby’s Star or Boyajian’s Star, in honor of the American astronomer, Tabetha S. Boyajian, this unique…
On July 1st, 2017, Jason Rowe has joined Bishop’s University, as Assistant Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department. He has varied research interests related to the study of the properties, statistics and occurrence of exoplanets, and…
From 12 to 14 June 2017, students and researchers of iREx participated to the Center for research in astrophysics of Quebec (CRAQ) Summer school. The school takes place every year with a new theme. It is…
As part of the TEPS summer workshop, which takes place June 15-17 2017 at Université de Montréal, Professor Ray Jayawardhana, from York University presents Rocks, Ice and Penguins : Searching for Clues to Planetary Origins in Antarctica Thursday, June 15th 2017…
Two researchers of iREx will give conferences (in French) at the 2017 “Festival d’astronomie populaire du Mont-Mégantic”, that takes place at the ASTROLab of Parc National du Mont-Mégantic in July. René Doyon, the director of iREx and of…
Since the mid-1990s, when the first planet around another sun-like star was discovered, astronomers have been amassing what is now a large collection of exoplanets—nearly 3,500 have been confirmed so far. In a new Caltech-led study,…
Jason Rowe was awarded the Doctoral Researcher Poster Prize, attributed by the graduate students to the best poster made by a researcher at the 2017 annual meeting of the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA), taking place May 30th to June…
Marie-Eve Naud will present “Voyage interstellaire vers les nouveaux mondes” (in French), at Festival Eurêka, Friday, June 9th at 11AM. It’s free and open to all! Also, don’t miss astronomers from iREx and Center for Research in Astrophysics…
The next edition of Astronomy on Tap – MTL *** in English*** will take place May 30 at 7:30PM. Don’t miss it! May 30th, in English, at McLean’s Pub, 7:30PM A Thirsty History of Dark matter by Lauren Weiss Taking…
Sometimes a brown dwarf is actually a planet—or planet-like anyway. A team led by Carnegie’s Jonathan Gagné, and including researchers from the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) at Université de Montréal, University of California San…
A team led by iREx researcher Lauren Weiss combined measurements from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Kepler Space Telescope to study the four known planets around WASP-47, a solar-like star located 650…
Astronomy on Tap – MTL – Special edition for the 24 h de science. La science dans la science-fiction: nos astronomes passent en revue deux films culte, Interstellaire et Seul sur Mars ( in French) Don’t…
Two researchers associated with iREx participate this year to the even Pint of Science Canada in Montreal: Jonathan Gagné, postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie and former student at Université de Montréal, will present (in French) À la recherche…
iREx will count 6 new researchers this summer. The Trottier summer interns will work from May to August with iREx researchers. These undergraduate students were selected among more than 20 applicants from all over Canada. To…
An exoplanet a bit bigger and more massive than the Earth was just detected in the habitable zone of its parent star, which is located 41 light-years away. It was possible to measure both the mass…
David Lafrenière, professor at Université de Montréal and member of iREx, is the recipient of the Harvey B. Richer Gold Medal. This Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) medal is awarded every two years, and for the first time in…
The second edition of Astronomy on Tap – MTL in French will take place April 25th at 7:00PM. Don’t miss it! April 25th, in French, at Pub l’Île Noire, 7:00PM Chérie, j’ai réduit l’Univers! par Loïc Albert Les planètes TRAPPIST-1:…
The second edition of Astronomy on Tap – MTL *** in English*** will take place March 28st at 7:30PM. Don’t miss it! March 28st, in English, at McLean’s Pub, 7:30PM Planet Hunting 101 by David Berardo Looking for the…
In January 2017, iREx had the pleasure to welcome Marie-Eve Naud in his team. Marie-Eve is the new Scientific and Education Public Outreach (EPO) Coordinator of iREx. She just finished her PhD in astrophysics at Université de Montréal with René…
There may be a large number of undetected bright, substellar objects similar to giant exoplanets in our own solar neighborhood, according to new work from a team led by Carnegie’s Jonathan Gagné and including researchers from…
The Institute for research on exoplanets invite you to the Public Lecture: Stars with many planets by Lauren Weiss, Trottier Postdoctoral Fellow at iREx. Tuesday March 21 at 7:00PM, at Université de Montréal, Roger-Gaudry Building, P-310. The conference will be…
You want to learn more about exoplanets? About the Institute for research on exoplanets? About the progresses and discoveries our team is contributing to? Follow us! On Facebook On Twitter And subscribe to our newsletter, published every two…
About a year ago, the discovery of 3 Earth-sized planets orbiting the very cold star TRAPPIST-1 stirred excitement in the astronomical community. At a distance of forty light-years, this star is among our nearest celestial neighbours….
Scientists have witnessed, for the first time, a massive, comet-like object being ripped apart and scattered in the atmosphere of a white dwarf, the burned-out remains of a sun-like star. The destroyed object had a chemical…
The first edition of Astronomy on Tap – MTL *** in French*** will take place Feb 28st at 7:30PM. Don’t miss it! February 28st, in French, at Pub l’Île Noire, 7:30PM Étienne Artigau Simon Coudé Myriam Latulippe More…
The first edition of Astronomy on Tap – MTL will take place Tuesday, Jan 31st at 7:30PM. Don’t miss it! January 31st, in English, at Pub McLean’s, 7:30PM Exploring our Galaxy, the Milky Way by Anna…
We are happy to announce three new MSc/PhD positions in exoplanet science at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) at Université de Montréal. The three students will work in Professor Björn Benneke’s new group on…
Many new members are joining iREx in 2016-2017. Among them, four new MSc students and one new PhD student. Learn more about their biography and their research projects below: Lisa Dang, who started a MSc in September…
iREx is collaborating to organize this year’s edition of the Centre for Research in Astrophysics of Quebec (CRAQ) Summer School on Exoplanet Atmospheres. The school will take place June 12-14th, in Montreal. Instructors : René Doyon…
Patrick Dufour, professor at Université de Montréal and member of iREx, is in Quebec Science Top 10 discoveries of 2016 An international team that includes Patrick Dufour, a member of iREx, announced earlier this year the…
The institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), recently created at Université de Montréal, brings together professors, researchers and students specialized in the detection and characterization of exoplanets and low-mass objects, young stars and protoplanetary disks. They are engaged…
The Institute for research on exoplanets invite you to the Public Lecture: Planètes errantes (“Rogue Planets”) by Jonathan Gagné, Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Institution for Sciences (Washington, DC) and a former student of iREx. Tuesday January 24 at…
This position is a joint appointment between the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic (OMM) and iREx. OMM is actively involved in the development of astronomical instrumentation for ground- and space-based facilities. IREx brings together professors, researchers and students…
The second edition of the conference “Exploring the Universe with JWST” took place during the week of October 24-28. One hundred researchers from everywhere around the globe gathered at Université de Montréal to discuss the scientific programs…
Many new members joined iREx in September 2016. Among them, the new Trottier Postdoctoral Fellows, Lauren Weiss and Holly Sheets. Lauren Weiss just finished her PhD in the summer of 2016, at UC Berkeley, in California….
The Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx), affiliated with the physics department of the University of Montreal (UdeM), invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in astrophysics applied to the study of exoplanets. The iREx consists of…
The Institute for research on exoplanets, in collaboration with AstroMcGill and the Canadian Space Agency invite you to the Public Lecture How to find an inhabited planet by David Charbonneau from Harvard University Wednesday October 26 at…
Jonathan Gagné, a former student and a collaborator of iREx, receives one of the Acfas excellence awards 2016. This award, attributed by the Association des doyens des études supérieures au Québec (ADÉSAQ), recognize the best thesis…
Montréal, QC — When a star is young, it is often still surrounded by a primordial rotating disk of gas and dust from which planets can form. Astronomers like to find such disks because they might be able…
Washington, DC— Cool brown dwarfs are a hot topic in astronomy right now. Smaller than stars and bigger than giant planets, they hold promise for helping us understand both stellar evolution and planet formation.
What do exoplanets and beer have in common? TRAPPIST. TRAPPIST is the name of an exoplanet survey that just announced the discovery of a stellar system containing three planets, each the size of the Earth.
A group of researchers using the W. M. Keck Observatory have discovered a planet-like body that may have been encrusted in limestone and is having its surface layers devoured by its deceased host star. In addition…
On May 10, 2016 the Kepler team announced the validation of 1 284 planets which represents the largest haul of extrasolar planets in a single study.
For the last 20 years, the giant planets known as hot Jupiters have presented astronomers with a puzzle. How did they get into orbits 100 times closer to their host stars than our own Jupiter is…
Les conférences de l’Institut de recherche sur les exoplanètes (iREx) sont destinées à un public de tout âge et de tout niveau scientifique, intéressé à l’astronomie et l’étude des planètes. Atelier d’observation du ciel La conférence…
Discover our Institute through our 2016 trailer (in French).
The Institute for research on exoplanets is proud to annonce the recipients of the 2016 Trottier Excellence scholarships for Summer Interns.
The Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) awarded the J.S Plaskett Medal for 2016 to Jonathan Gagné for the best doctoral thesis in astrophysics in Canada. Jonathan Gagné completed his…
Les conférences de l’Institut de recherche sur les exoplanètes (iREx) sont destinées à un public de tout âge et de tout niveau scientifique, intéressé à l’astronomie et l’étude des planètes. Atelier d’observation du ciel La conférence…
Les conférences de l’Institut de recherche sur les exoplanètes (iREx) sont destinées à un public de tout âge et de tout niveau scientifique, intéressé à l’astronomie et l’étude des planètes. NOUVEAU! Atelier d’observation du ciel La conférence…
An exoplanet, or extrasolar planet, is an object orbiting another star than our Sun. If such definition seems deceptively simple, the current state of the research is driven by the search of a more refined and…
Having started its activities in November 2014, the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) celebrates one year of observations and discoveries. Installed at the 8-meter Gemini South Observatory in Cerro Pachon (Chile), the instrument, a coronagraph/spectrograph, is specifically…
A team of researchers found the nearest rocky extrasolar planet from us. Although uninhabitable with a surface temperature of about 225 °C, the planet named GJ 1132b is already fascinating the astronomical community. Loïc Albert, researcher at the…
The Kepler space observatory fruitful results, which led to the discovery of about half of all known extrasolar planets to date, are being challenged. Out of 1,030 confirmed planetary candidates since the beginning of the first…
Sommes-nous seuls dans l’Univers? (L’astrophysique en quête d’autres mondes habités) par François-René Lachapelle de l’Institut de recherche sur les exoplanètes (iREx) Mardi 19 janvier 2016 à 19h au E-310 Pavillon Roger Gaudry de l’Université de Montréal
The applications are now closed. Thanks for your interest.
Astronomers announced today that they have spotted a large, rocky object disintegrating in its death spiral around a distant white dwarf star. The discovery also confirms a long-standing theory behind the source of white dwarf “pollution”…
The applications are now closed. Thanks for your interest.
Université de Montréal researchers are determined to be the first to discover life elsewhere in the Universe, a goal backed by a $1 million in research grants donated by the Trottier Foundation. At the new Institute…
The applications are now closed. Thanks for your interest.
Although first detected 20 years ago, hot Jupiters are still enigmatic bodies. These celestial objects are giant Jupiter-like exoplanets that orbit 20 times closer to their host stars than the Earth does to the Sun. Using…
One of the best ways to learn how our solar system evolved is to look to younger star systems in the early stages of development. Now, a team of astronomers from the Institute of research on…
A new supercomputer simulation of the planet and debris disk around the nearby star Beta Pictoris reveals that the planet’s motion drives spiral waves throughout the disk, a phenomenon that greatly enhances collisions among the orbiting…
Astronomers from Leiden University (the Netherlands) and the University of Arizona (USA) have successfully commissioned a new type of optic that can reveal the image of an exoplanet next to its parent star. The ‘vector Apodizing…
On June 22-26 this year, Montreal will host “In the Spirit of Lyot 2015“, an international conference on direct detection and characterization of exoplanets and circumstellar disks.
The applications are now closed. Thanks for your interest.
The applications are now closed. Thanks for your interest.
Marie-Eve Naud, a PhD student at the institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) and Université de Montréal, is in Québec Science top 10 discoveries of 2014.
An international team led by Université de Montréal researchers has discovered and photographed a new planet 155 light years from our solar system. A gas giant has been added to the short list of exoplanets discovered…
Two planets lighter than the Earth! Gilles Fontaine, a professor at the University of Montreal, describes two planets discovered in the course of his research. These two planets, comparable in size to the Earth, are orbiting…
A wandering planet, that is a planet not in orbit around a star, was discovered by a team of researchers from the Université de Montréal and their European colleagues, using data from the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope (CFHT)…
Cutting-edge Canadian space technology directed by Université de Montréal’s René Doyon Two instruments whose development was led by by the University of Montreal’s Professor René Doyon, known by the acronyms NIRISS and FGS, will be…
After nearly a decade of development, construction, and testing, the world’s most advanced instrument for directly imaging and analyzing planets around other stars is pointing skyward and collecting light from distant worlds. The instrument, called the…
Article originally published in December 2008 One planet is good, 3 planets is a crowd! A team of Canadian, American and British researchers photographed for the 1st time a distant planetary system similar to our Solar…