-By Chris Evans-
After the unprecendented response to Webb’s Cycle 5 call, with over 2900 submitted proposals, congratulations to those of you who were successfully awarded time. I’m excited to see what Webb will reveal to us in Cycle 5, as we move into its fifth year of science operations! Within the approved Cycle 5 programmes, over a quarter were led by PIs in the ESA Member States, continuing the strong track record of European leadership in Webb’s science programme.
The competition in this round was immense, and I know many of you will be disappointed. However, the Cycle 6 deadline has already been announced (30 September 2026), and there will soon be a new chance to apply for time. Let me extend my thanks to all of you who served as ESA-appointed representatives on the Cycle 5 external and topical panels, and the Executive Committees. Given the exceptional number of submitted proposals, your expertise and professionalism was vital to arriving at such a compelling science programme.
On Hubble, it only seems like yesterday that we were celebrating the landmark 35th anniversary of its launch! Nevertheless, the 36th anniversary is fast approaching on 24 April, with the deadline for Cycle 34 proposals in the preceding week, on Thursday 16 April. Further details are available in the Call for Proposals, with Cycle 34 running from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027. My sincere thanks also to those of you who have already volunteered your time and experience to serve on the Cycle 34 Telescope Allocation Committee, to help define the topics and targets that Hubble’s next scientific programme will address.
In April we are also looking forward to our next ESA-sponsored conference on the science from Hubble and Webb. The scientific programme has now been finalized and virtual registration is open until 27 March, with more details available here.
Looking further ahead, in response to a call for white papers, let me invite your input on the future roadmap for Hubble science into the 2030s, including how we maximise the scientific impact of the mission’s unique ultraviolet and visibile capabilities. The deadline for input is on 22 May 2026.
Lastly, as announced in our previous newsletter, we have now moved to a new cadence of Hubble Pictures of the Month, including this stunning combined new view of the Cat’s Eye Nebula from Hubble and ESA’s Euclid mission. As ever, if you have science results or images that you think would lend themselves to wider public interest, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with our ESA/Hubble and Webb outreach team.
Contact:
Chris Evans
ESA/HST & ESA/JWST Project Scientist
ESA Office, STScI Baltimore, USA
Email: [email protected]
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19 March 2026: - By Chris Evans -
Hubble remains an indispensable resource for the astronomy and planetary science community as it approaches the end of its fourth decade in operations. The dynamic astronomical landscape, with facilities with complementary and synergistic capabilities (e.g. JWST, Roman, UVEX, Lazuli) and evolving funding constraints, motivates an examination of Hubble's science priorities to maximize the use of …
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19 March 2026: - By Chris Evans -
Following a tremendous response to the call for abstracts from you, the user community, I’m excited to share that the scientific programme is now available for the latest in the series of ESA-sponsored conferences on the science from the Hubble and Webb missions. The conference, “Enriching the Universe: From Primordial Nucleosynthesis to Exoplanet Atmospheres”, will …
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