Last week, NASA’s new exoplanet telescope, Pandora, was successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with University of Arizona professor Daniel Apai playing a key role in its development. Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope, Pandora is designed to conduct detailed multi-color observations of starlight filtering through exoplanet atmospheres, addressing the “transit light source effect” caused by starspots. The telescope will monitor selected stars for over 200 hours each, enhancing our understanding of small exoplanets and their potential for life. Operated in real-time by technicians at the University of Arizona, Pandora is part of NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers program, aiming for efficient, low-cost scientific missions.
