“Mauve will open a new window on stellar activity that has previously been largely hidden from view…By observing stars in ultraviolet light, wavelengths that can’t be studied from Earth, we’ll gain a much deeper understanding of how stars behave and how their flares may impact the environment of orbiting exoplanets. Traditional ground-based telescopes just can’t capture this information, so a satellite like Mauve is crucial for furthering our knowledge.”
–Statement by Professor Giovanna Tinetti, Chief Scientist and Co-founder of Blue Skies Space, regarding today’s launch of the Mauve cubesat satellite. This satellite contains a 13 cm telescope that will be used to observe hundreds of stars in the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths over a three-year period. Data from this mission will be sold via subscriptions, and used to study the stars and how their activity influences the habitability of distant exoplanets. You can find more information on the mission here.
Our Awesome Universe 