LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2025: Professor Marcel Agüeros and Dr Alejandro Núñez from Columbia University, along with Dr Krisztián Vida, Dr Bálint Seli and Blanka Schmercz from the Konkoly Observatory, have joined the Mauve Science Programme as new members of the Mauve Science Team.
Professor Agüeros earned his B.A. in Astronomy from Columbia University, an M.Phil. in Physics from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Washington. His research combines large dataset analysis with multiwavelength observations to study low-mass stars in open clusters and refine the relationship between stellar age, rotation, and magnetic activity—a link known for solar-mass stars for 50 years but still not fully understood, with key implications for stellar evolution and star–planet interactions.
Dr Vida is an astronomer at the Konkoly Observatory in Hungary. He earned his PhD in Astronomy from Eötvös Loránd University. His work focuses on the magnetic activity and variability of cool stars, using high-precision photometric datasets to study stellar flares, spots, and activity cycles. Through these studies, Dr Vida seeks to better understand the magnetic behaviour of stars at different evolutionary stages and their influence on surrounding planetary systems.
In addition, Professor Hiroyuki Maehara and Assistant Professor Kosuke Namekata continue their participation in the programme with support from Kyoto University.
Benjamin Wilcock, Senior Science Programme Manager at Blue Skies Space, commented: “We welcome the new members to the Mauve Science Programme. Mauve is a truly global collaboration, and we are excited to see the diversity of researchers involved.”
Equipped with a 13 cm telescope and an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer, Mauve will observe hundreds of stars, collecting valuable data to support a number of scientific objectives. These include studying stellar flares, their effects on the habitability of nearby exoplanets, and insights into the long-term stability of different stellar types. Mauve was launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-15 on 28 November 2025.