X-rays, spectra and neutron stars

or, in other words, here's my new story:

XMM-Newton line detection provides new tool to probe extreme gravity

A long-sought-after emission line of oxygen, carrying the imprint of strong gravitational fields, has been discovered in the XMM-Newton spectrum of an exotic binary system composed of two stellar remnants, a neutron star and a white dwarf. Astronomers can use this line to probe extreme gravity effects in the region close to the surface of a neutron star. More...

Image credits: ESA

More planets in the Universe - yay!

and here's an all-new story i wrote for ESA a few days ago... dedicated to all the fans of extra-solar planets - and little green men :-)

CoRoT unveils a rich assortment of new exoplanets

By detecting the faint dimming in the light emitted by stars during a transit event, CoRoT has detected six new exoplanets - each with its own peculiar characteristics - and one brown dwarf. One of these exoplanets, designated CoRoT-11b, has twice the mass of Jupiter and orbits a rapidly rotating star; this type of star is an extremely difficult target for exoplanet searches and its detection marks a significant achievement for the CoRoT team. More...

Image credits: CNES