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European Radio Astronomy ConsortiumNewsletter Issue 2/2026
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Using the NIKA2 camera on IRAM’s 30-meter telescope, astronomers have achieved a new sensitivity record, uncovering a massive structure of dust-rich, intensely star-forming galaxies in the early Universe – just one billion years after the Big Bang. The NIKA2 Cosmological Legacy Survey (N2CLS) revealed galaxies forming stars up to 1000 times faster than the Milky Way, many completely obscured in optical images. Together, these galaxies form an embryonic cluster stretching over 30 million light-years, offering an unprecedented glimpse of early galaxy assembly and extreme star formation efficiency. This discovery highlights the power of combining ground- and space-based observations, including NOEMA and JWST, to study the formation of the first massive structures in the cosmos. Read the full IRAM press release. Image: IRAM |
An international team led by Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy used ALMA observations to reveal how massive elliptical galaxies may form extremely rapidly in the early Universe. Studying the protocluster SPT2349‑56, just 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang, they observed dozens of gas-rich galaxies merging in a cosmic “firework,” with four central galaxies forming stars at a record-breaking rate of one every 40 minutes. These observations provide the first glimpse of cascading mergers in protoclusters, offering crucial insight into how giant galaxies and the dense cores of modern clusters assembled in just a few hundred million years. Read the MPIfR press release. Image: Clusters of young galaxies in the early Universe that later grow into large clusters are called protoclusters. This artist’s impression of the protocluster SPT2349-56 shows interacting galaxies of different shapes and sizes, and gas (orange) that is torn apart and heated by tidal forces. Due to its great distance from Earth, we see SPT2349-56 as it looked only 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang, when the Universe was 10% of its current age. © N.Sulzenauer, MPIfR |
The international LOFAR collaboration has released the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS‑DR3), an exceptionally detailed radio map of the sky revealing 13.7 million cosmic sources. This survey provides the most complete census yet of actively growing supermassive black holes and traces energetic phenomena such as jets from black holes, star formation in galaxies, and cosmic magnetic fields. Covering a decade of observations across 38 Dutch and 14 international stations, the survey showcases the power of international collaboration and advanced data processing. LoTSS‑DR3 already enables hundreds of new studies and makes publicly available the most sensitive wide-area radio maps ever produced. With LOFAR now upgrading to LOFAR2.0, even higher-resolution and faster surveys are on the horizon, promising further transformative discoveries in radio astronomy. Read the full ASTRON press release. Image: ASTRON |
Representatives from European radio astronomy observatories and national administrations met at the Paris Observatory to address the growing impact of unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) from Low Earth Orbit satellite constellations on radio astronomy. Experts from the Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF) and the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) presented recent measurements and discussed regulatory and industry perspectives. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate on solutions to safeguard the future of radio astronomical research. Read ASTRON news here. Image: ASTRON |
The European VLBI Network organizes a series of talks focusing on the capabilities of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and its significant contributions to different astronomical fields. These seminars cover various science topics with different speakers and provide an insightful introduction to cutting-edge research designed for the wider astronomical community. Next Seminar
• Thursday 12 March 2026 11:00 CET
• John McKean (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen and South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of Pretoria)
• Title: Testing models for dark matter with extremely high angular resolution imaging of galaxy-scale gravitational lenses
Find more here |
The Registration and Abstract Submission is now OPEN for the 17th European VLBI Network Symposium and Users’ Meeting to be held at The University of Manchester, United Kingdom, from the 14th to 18th September 2026. The EVN Symposium is the main forum for discussion of the latest Very Long Baseline Interferometry scientific results and technical and technological developments within the EVN member countries. The purpose of this biennial meeting is to bring together the global VLBI community to exchange knowledge, share new research, discuss advancements in VLBI techniques, and foster a collaborative community in radio astronomy. Up to 200 participants are expected, so please register early. |
The last AtLAST Newsletter, February 2026 edition, has been published. The 12th newsletter of the Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) project. With the EU-funded design study now completed, we are undergoing a second phase funded by a new EU infrastructure grant (AtLAST2) that aims at consolidating the plans for the new observatory.
Read more. |
Explore upcoming training events, and organizer resources - plus past events and training material. |
The next ERIS - European Radio Astronomy School will be hosted by INAF Institute of Radioastronomy (IRA-INAF, Italy) from 7–11 September 2026 in Noto, Sicily. Mark your calendars - further details will follow. |
ESA invites applications for the Archival Research Visitor Programme, offering researchers from ESA Member and Cooperating States the chance to conduct studies using ESA Space Science Archives.
Visits (1–3 months) take place at ESAC or ESTEC, with travel, lodging, and meals covered. Early-career scientists and students are especially encouraged to apply. More information on the ESA website. |
The 3rd CTAO School, organized with the MAGIC Collaboration through the ACME Project, will be held in La Palma, Spain (12–22 May 2026), offering hands-on training in VHE astrophysics, data analysis, and observations with the LST-1 and MAGIC Telescopes. More information and the application form are available on the CTAO School website. |
The 100-m radio telescope of the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie and the data reduction facilities are available to all qualified scientists. Full details here. Deadline: 2 March 2026 (15:00 UT). Image: N. Tacken/MPIfR |
The call for NOEMA and 30-meter proposals for the summer semester 2026 (01 June 2026 to 30 November 2026) is available online. The proposal deadline is 12 March 2026. This call for proposals document describes the proposal submission procedure. A detailed description of the “observing capabilities of the 30m telescope” and the “current status of the NOEMA interferometer” are given … Read more. |
The European ALMA Regional Centre (ARC) provides the interface between the ALMA project and the European science community. The ARC is staffed by scientists with expertise in radio astronomy and interferometry and it supports its users throughout the lifetime of a project, from proposal preparation to data analysis. |
ALTA offers to the world-wide astronomical community free virtual access to data and scientific products produced from all sky surveys of the Northern sky that will be conducted with the new Apertif frontend of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), as well as tools to query, further exploit and perform data mining of these products adaptable to diverse research goals. . |
LTA is a long-established archive and access facility supporting the international LOFAR telescope. It is currently the largest radio astronomical archive in the world already exceeding 45 PB from LOFAR’s past 10 years of operations. The LTA provides a central and key resource for all observed LOFAR astronomical science programs where the data become public within 12 months of first creation. |
Online platform for virtual access to multi-messenger observatories, data analysis, and theoretical interpretation. Services are provided through ACME’s six Joint Centres of Expertise covering Gamma-rays, Gravitational Waves, Neutrinos & Cosmic Rays, Optical & NIR, Radio, and X-rays. Registration is open to all users. |
POLICY NEWS On 18 March 2026, the European Commission will host an information event for potential applicants to the 2026 calls under the Horizon Europe Research Infrastructures Work Programme 2026–2027. The session will cover the four main destinations: INFRADEV, INFRAEOSC, INFRASERV, and INFRATECH, outlining funding opportunities, submission procedures, and evaluation processes. Participants are encouraged to watch the pre-recorded presentations in advance and submit questions ahead of the live Q&A session. Find more. The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) has published its first community-endorsed white paper, urging funders and institutions to make societal impact a core criterion in research evaluation alongside academic excellence. The paper outlines six guiding principles and practical steps to integrate societal relevance into funding and assessment frameworks, promoting a shift from metric-driven evaluation toward impact-oriented research cultures aligned with global challenges. Read more On 11 March 2026, the online INSPIRING ERA event “Turning Knowledge into Value” will explore how research can generate real-world societal and economic impact. Organised in the framework of the European Research Area Policy Agenda, the event presents practical examples of knowledge valorisation and highlights EU-level tools such as the Codes of Practice, the Knowledge Valorisation Policy Toolbox, and the Knowledge Valorisation Platform. Bringing together policymakers, universities, and industry representatives, the webinar will discuss how to strengthen support structures and embed knowledge valorisation as a core element of Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem. The European Parliament’s STOA panel has released the Academic Freedom Monitor 2025, reporting a significant decline in academic freedom in several EU Member States over the past decade. Teaching and research freedom, as well as institutional autonomy, are identified as particularly at risk. The report calls for clearer EU guidelines on partnerships, stronger measures against foreign interference, and a more strategic European approach to safeguarding academic freedom in an increasingly tense geopolitical environment. Join the STOA high-level conference - Academic Freedom in Support of Democracyon on March 4, 2026. |
RadioNet - European Radio Astronomy Consortium
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