Netherlands Astronomy Conference 2026

Most of the visible matter in the universe exists as highly ionized plasmas, consisting of highly charged ions (HCIs). Due to their high effective nuclear charge, HCIs strongly emit radiation in the X-ray regime and can be observed with X-ray satellites, such as XRISM.
To study these ions in a laboratory setting and establish spectral benchmarks that meet the accuracy requirements of XRISM...

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will be the next-generation ground-based facility for very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. In contrast to space-based instruments, ground-based gamma-ray observatories detect the brief flashes of Cherenkov light produced when high-energy gamma rays interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, generating particle cascades. This technique enables the...

This will be a talk in two parts.

In the first part I will given an overview of the European Southern Observatory, its capabilities (VLT, ALMA, VLTI, La Sila) and current developments, including the construction of the Extremely Large Telescope where The Netherlands plays an important role, among others through the METIS, Micado and MOSAIC instruments.

In the second part I will give an...

Current high-contrast imaging instruments are limited by wavefront errors originating from non-common path aberrations due, for example, to manufacturing errors in the optics and temperature drifts in the system. These create quasi-static speckles in the final science image that are difficult to distinguish from companions. The Self-Coherent Camera (SCC) exploits the light incoherence between...

NOVA’s instrumentation program is driven by scientific ambition: the need for access to specific data shapes our participation in major international projects. With a strong focus on ESO facilities, NOVA aims both to contribute to future instruments and to sustain and develop key technical expertise within its instrumentation groups.

As ESO prepares for the post-2030 landscape through the...

After more than 30 years of talking, the construction of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is now well underway. In this talk, I will give a update on construction, science verification, and what this stage of project development means for the Dutch astronomy community. In particular, I will focus on the establishment of our own regional centre, and its expected role in the community. NAC is...