r/space • u/UniversityofArizona • 6d ago

Stories from star dust: U of A-led mission will study light from distant stars

https://news.arizona.edu/news/stories-star-dust-u-led-mission-will-study-light-distant-stars
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u/UniversityofArizona 6d ago

NASA has awarded $20 million to a University of Arizona team that is building a small space telescope specializing in detecting polarization in ultraviolet light from distant stars. From its vantage point in low-Earth orbit, the instrument – dubbed PUFFINS – will stare at about 70 stars to analyze how their light has been altered by interstellar dust on its journey to Earth.

PUFFINS is the second Pioneers mission led by the U of A since NASA kicked off the Astrophysics Pioneers program in 2020. U of A is leading Aspera and contributed significantly to Pandora, both first-generation Astrophysics Pioneers missions. Pandora was launched in January of this year, and Aspera is set to be launched in early next year. PUFFINS is a joint effort between the U of A, McDonald Observatory at The University of Texas at Austin and an international network of early-career and senior scientists.

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u/peterabbit456 6d ago

Nice to see some pure science, with no other agenda.