Colloquium
HAYDN: A Next-Generation ESA Mission Concept for Stellar Structure and Evolution and its impact on exoplanet and galaxy formation

Andrés Moya
See the live streaming of this talk on Thursday January 15, 10:30 GMT).

Abstract

HAYDN is one of the ten mission concepts proposed to ESA’s M-class call (M8) after its Step-1 selection. It is designed to revolutionise our understanding of stellar structure and evolution through high-precision, space-based asteroseismology in dense stellar fields, including clusters. By performing continuous photometric monitoring of stars in these dense stellar fields, HAYDN aims to map stellar interiors across a wide range of ages, masses, and chemical environments—providing unprecedented constraints on stellar physics, Galactic evolution, exoplanet’s formation, and the formation history of the Milky Way, for naming some of the HAYDN’s science cases.

In this talk, I will present the scientific motivation, mission architecture, and observational strategy of HAYDN, as well as the unique diagnostic power that seismic measurements offer for probing stellar structure in environments inaccessible to current missions. I will also give an overview of the current status of the proposal, its evolution from ESA’s M7 cycle to the ongoing M8 selection process, and the major technical milestones achieved so far.
A significant part of the talk will highlight the Spanish contribution to HAYDN, including leadership roles in mission science, coordination of key working groups, and involvement in the design of the payload and data processing pipeline. Spain is currently the second-largest contributor to the project, with active participation from several national institutes and universities.
Finally, I will outline the opportunities HAYDN opens for the Spanish community—from synergies with ground-based facilities to participation in science preparation activities—and discuss how this mission could strengthen Spain’s strategic presence in future ESA space-astrophysics programmes.

 

About the talk

HAYDN: A Next-Generation ESA Mission Concept for Stellar Structure and Evolution and its impact on exoplanet and galaxy formation
Andrés Moya
Universidad de Valencia
Thursday January 15, 2026 - 10:30 GMT  (Aula)
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About the speaker

Andrés Moya is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Valencia. He obtained his PhD in Physics from the University of Granada in 2003, with a thesis carried out at the IAA (CSIC). He subsequently held postdoctoral positions at the Observatoire de Paris – Meudon, the CAB (INTA-CSIC), and the University of Birmingham, thanks to an MSCA fellowship. His main research interests lie in stellar structure and evolution and exoplanet characterization, with particular focus on asteroseismology and the use of ML/AI tools for stellar characterization. He is currently the Spanish Principal Investigator of HAYDN, an ESA M8 proposal.