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Bishop’s University featured in The Globe and Mail with Kelsey Hoffman and Jason Rowe

As reported by The Globe and Mail, Bishop’s University researchers Kelsey Hoffman and Jason Rowe are contributing to one of NASA’s most ambitious efforts to understand distant worlds through their work on the Pandora mission, a space-based observatory designed to study the atmospheres of exoplanets orbiting other stars. Over the past three decades, astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, yet determining whether these worlds could support life remains an immense challenge. One of the central obstacles is separating the faint atmospheric signals of planets from the variable and often turbulent behaviour of their host stars. As Rowe explained, stellar activity introduces contamination into observations, meaning that “every single target you look at now, you can tell that there’s some contamination going on”.

Pandora was specifically designed to overcome this limitation. Unlike larger space telescopes, the microwave-oven-sized satellite uses a dual-wavelength approach (observing stars simultaneously in visible and infrared light) to disentangle planetary atmospheric signals from stellar noise. This innovative strategy allows scientists to more confidently determine whether an exoplanet’s atmosphere contains key molecules, such as water, that are essential for life. Hoffman and Rowe’s work on the mission supports the analysis and interpretation of these data, helping ensure that claims about distant worlds are based on robust, unambiguous evidence rather than uncertain signals.

Beyond its scientific goals, Pandora also serves as a powerful demonstration of how small, focused missions can achieve outsized impact. As highlighted in The Globe and Mail, the mission operates on a modest budget compared to flagship observatories, yet it has the potential to reshape how astronomers study exoplanet atmospheres. Rowe has emphasized that this model of “quick, nimble programs” is particularly important for advancing space science in Canada, illustrating how world-class research can be accomplished through strategic design and international collaboration

Following its successful launch aboard a SpaceX rocket, the Pandora is healthy in orbit and preparing to begin scientific operations, with plans to analyze atmospheric data from approximately 20 exoplanets during its initial mission phase

Hoffman and Rowe are among the Canadian scientists who will help translate these observations into new insights about the nature of planets beyond our solar system.

Together, their work underscores the global reach of research conducted at Bishop’s University. It is a compelling reminder that small universities can play a meaningful role in addressing humanity’s biggest scientific questions, contributing expertise that shapes international missions and advances our understanding of whether life might exist elsewhere in the universe.

On the left: Top feline research assistant of the Pandora Project, submitted by Dr. Rowe and Dr. Hoffman.

References:

  1. NASA’s Pandora is on a mission to help answer the question: Is there other life out there? – The Globe and Mail
  2. NASA’s Pandora mission heads to space alongside 10 Canadian-built satellites – The Globe and Mail

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