News and Events (in Russian for the time being)

The model describing the infrared radiation of interstellar dust inside the Solar system may help with the studies of the activity of far-away stars.

Using data from Venus Express SPICAV infrared spectrometer, IKI scientists determined the ratio of water vapour in the lowest layers of Venusian atmosphere. Depending on the model, it is 23.6–27.7 ppmv and does not depend on the local time or season. Results are published in Atmosphere journal.

Mikhail Pavlinsly ART-XC X-ray telescope studies the properties of the nuclear stellar disc of the Milky Way.

On the morning of 29 August 2025, while loading oil onto the Turkish tanker T. Semahat at the CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) marine terminal, a hose ruptured and oil spilled into the sea. Specialists from IKI and the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the RAS monitor the area of the accident using the capabilities of the IKI-Monitoring Centre For Collective Use.

Two volcanoes on Kamchatka peninsula began erupting. On 30 July 2025 the Kluychevskoy volcano, and on 2 August the Krasheninnikov volcano — which had been dormant for more than 500 years. Scientists monitor these events, using among other methods the VolSatView monitoring system.

During its all-sky survey, Mikhail Pavlinsly ART-XC telescope aboard the Spektr-RG observatory discovered a previously unknown X-ray source, SRGA J230631.0+155633. Further studies revealed that this is one of the most powerful and interesting quasars that have existed in the Universe over the past five billion years.

The exosphere of Mercury has little magnesium and contains helium. Some details about its structure are currently being revealed by the PHEBUS instrument aboard the BepiColombo interplanetary mission — an ultraviolet spectrometer developed with IKI participation. PHEBUS observed Mercury during several flybys and is now preparing to operate in scientific orbit, which it is to entere at the end of 2026. Papers on these preliminary results were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

It was not a joke: on the first day of the month the number of energetic solar protons near the Lagrange point L2 increased significantly to around 14 counts per second. This was almost 7 times higher than usual background, registered by ART-XC detectors, and the most prominent rise in 5 years of monitoring Sun's activity.

The team of astrophysicists from IKI and other organizations used X-ray data collected by SRG/eROSITA telescope onboard Spektr-RG observatory to look into the hot interior of the S147/Spaghetti nebula and explain its unusual properties.

28th February in Russia is Arctic Day. Satellite remote sensing data are crucial for those, who study and work here. IKI scientists develop special algorithms for satellite microwave radiometry and run subsatellite experiments to refine the models, which are used for data processing. Results of such experiment, organized together with Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and Atomflot, are already included in the database of IKI-Monitoring center of collective use.