About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the future of humanity.
Dec 18, 2020... On December 21, 2020, stargazers are in for a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event: Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer together than at any time in almost 400 years, in an event known as a great conjunction. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions happen every 20 years. But this year’s happening will be the closest the planets have come since 1623. In this video, Ilan Manulis, Director of the Weizmann Institute’s Martin S. Kraar Observatory explains the science behind this celestial event and shares how to watch it.
Jan 12, 2021... In this special session, Prof. Avishay Gal-Yam, Weizmann’s supernova hunter, takes us to the Frontiers of the Universe: one of the Institute’s new flagship projects. From studying the tiniest subatomic particles to the far reaches of the galaxy, this initiative aims to put the Institute at the very forefront of advanced physics research – and even into space.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/star-frequency-tuning-in-to-radio-signals-from-space/
Jan 27, 2021...
As we continue to be isolated so much of the time, it can be comforting (or not, depending) to know that we might not be alone. For instance, we recently encountered what the great Carl Zimmer characterized thusly: “A spooky radio signal showed up after a radio telescope was aimed at the next star over from our sun.”
The mysterious beam was the first big breakthrough from the Breakthrough Listen initiative – part of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program – which scans the galaxy’s radio waves, looking for signals from intelligent life.
Jan 28, 2021... This webinar introduces Weizmann’s flagship Frontiers of the Universe initiative. Frontiers of the Universe will advance the Institute’s pioneering efforts to understand the nature of space, time, and life itself—from the tiniest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies.
Apr 21, 2021... In the latest episode of “Weizmann in Focus,” Dave Doneson invites us to gaze up at the stars and planets—and learn about the Institute’s efforts to uncover the mysteries of the cosmos. Dave highlights the ULTRASAT satellite mission, part of Weizmann’s flagship Frontiers of the Universe initiative, which will search for cosmic events such as supernovas and black holes. It will then alert astronomers around the world in real time to their occurrence. In partnership with NASA and others, Institute scientists plan to launch ULTRASAT into space in 2023.
Jun 14, 2021...
For something that was to have been done and thrown away three years ago, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has a busy schedule ahead exploring Jupiter and its big moons.
The spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter on July 4, 2016, and has survived bombardment from intense radiation at the largest of the solar system’s planets. It is now finishing its primary mission, but NASA has granted it a four-year extension and 42 more orbits. Last week, it zipped past Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/going-out-with-a-bang/
Jan 12, 2022...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—January 12, 2021—In the not-so-distant past, the discovery of a supernova—or exploding star—was considered a rare occasion.
When Prof. Avishay Gal-Yam of the Weizmann Institute’s Particle Physics and Astrophysics Department was a doctoral student, he only located seven supernovas over the course of four years. But today, advanced measuring instruments and analytical methods make it possible to detect fifty such explosions daily. While these improved means may have made these celestial events somewhat less notable over the years, the greater number of observations has also increased the probability that researchers will spot rarer types of explosions that have so far existed only as theoretical constructs. Gal-Yam and his colleagues recently discovered a rare-type supernova that has never been observed before. Their findings are being published today in Nature.
Feb 21, 2022... “It is a scientific breakthrough project that will place Israel at the forefront of astronomical research, position it as a rising force in the field of scientific satellites and provide excellent exposure to the Israeli industry,” says Professor Eli Waxman, astrophysicist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, principal investigator of the ULTRASAT mission and one of the fathers of the first Israeli space telescope, which is planned to be launched in 2025. “The beautiful thing about this mission is that it is led by science. We have set goals that are at the forefront of science, and to achieve them we have to be the first and the best.”
Jan 25, 2023...
WASHINGTON — The United States and Israel are finalizing an agreement that would see NASA contribute to an upcoming Israeli astrophysics mission.
The focus of the agreement, which could be signed as soon as later this month, involves a mission called Ultrasat under development by Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science with support from the Israel Space Agency and German research center DESY.
As part of the agreement, NASA would provide the launch of Ultrasat, which will operate in geostationary orbit. NASA will likely arrange to fly Ultrasat as a secondary payload on a commercial GEO launch, said James Rhoads, NASA project scientist for Ultrasat, during a session of the 241st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society Jan. 11.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/look-on-the-bright-side-of-earth/
Jan 26, 2023... January 23, 2023—When looking at the Earth from space, its hemispheres – northern and southern – appear equally bright. This is particularly unexpected because the Southern Hemisphere is mostly covered with dark oceans, whereas the Northern Hemisphere has a vast land area that is much brighter than these oceans. For years, the brightness symmetry between hemispheres remained a mystery. In a new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Weizmann Institute of Science researchers and their collaborators reveal a strong correlation between storm intensity, cloudiness and the solar energy reflection rate in each hemisphere. They offer a solution to the mystery, alongside an assessment of how climate change might alter the reflection rate in the future.
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