Message SF2A No 1180 – 13/04/26

1. Session SF2A S17 Galaxy evolution in the faint Universe: insights from the era of large surveys, 25 juin, 2026, Grenoble (France)
2. HWO2026 Conference: Where cutting-edge science shapes tomorrow’s technology, November 30th – December 4th, 2026, Paris (France)

1. Session SF2A S17 Galaxy evolution in the faint Universe: insights from the era of large surveys, 25 juin, 2026, Grenoble (France)

We are organising an atelier (i.e. parallel session) during the Société Française d’astronomie et d’Astrophysique (SF2A) annual meeting that will be held in Grenoble from June 22nd to June 26th. 

This session brings together the community studying the low surface brightness Universe to share recent progress made on observations, analyses and implications for galaxy formation and dark matter using deep surface brightness imaging. 

The session is organised around several topics, ranging from the local to the distant universe:

•     1. Tidal features and debris as tracers of dark matter haloes; 
•     2. Evolution of LSB and ultra-diffuse galaxies; 
•     3. Origin and assembly history of the intracluster light, and its relation to galaxy populations in clusters;
•     4. Observational and theoretical tools required to extract physical insights from the LSB universe;
•     5. Current ground- and space-based surveys, and preparation for future imaging and spectroscopic missions.

We welcome contributions (talks + posters) on any of these topics. Details on registration and abstract submission can be found here . 

Website : https://journees.sf2a.eu/

Dedicated atelier page : https://journees.sf2a.eu/ateliers/s17/

Transmis par Elisabeth Sola et David Valls-Gabaud

2. HWO2026 Conference: Where cutting-edge science shapes tomorrow’s technology, November 30th – December 4th, 2026, Paris (France)

1st ANNOUNCEMENT

We are delighted to announce the second open community event for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), to be held in Paris, France, from November 30 to December 4, 2026. Building on the momentum of the inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C. (July 2025), this conference will unite expert scientists, engineers, and technology developers to define HWO as the ambitious mission capable of directly imaging « Earth 2.0 » and addressing key astronomical questions of the latter half of this century.

Planned as NASA Astrophysics’ next flagship mission, HWO is a multi-purpose observatory equipped with ultraviolet, optical, and infrared instrumentation. While one of its primary scientific drivers is the characterization of planets in the habitable zone and the search for biosignatures, its powerful capabilities will also enable the scientific community to investigate long-standing open questions in all domains of astrophysics (cosmology, stellar physics, extragalactic,…) and to confront emerging challenges we are only beginning to identify.

HWO stands on the shoulders of giants, leveraging the knowledge and experience gained from the Hubble, James Webb, and Roman Space Telescopes. However, realising its full potential requires bold new technologies. Already identified during the HWO2025 conference, these technologies are now being rigorously developed and assessed by the HWO academic and industrial community.

Given the strong interest from the European community, we are proud to organize HWO2026 in Europe. This event aims to showcase the unique scientific problems that only HWO can solve, inspire synergies with current and contemporary facilities, and foster interactions between scientific and engineering communities to drive the development of visionary technologies.

Session topics will include:

•      I. Life detection & habitability
•     II. Exoplanet science
•    III. Solar system
•    IV. Stellar science
•     V. Galaxies & Cosmology
•    VI. Technology & instrumentation

For further information, registration, and abstract submission, please visit HWO2026’s website:  https://hwo2026.obspm.fr/

Important dates:

•  Early-bird registration:         May 1st — June 30th
•  Regular registration:           July 1st — November 8th
•  Abstract submission:             April 15th —  May 31st
•  Selected abstracts announced:   September 18th

Transmis par Coralie Neiner

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