The European Southern Observatory designs, builds & operates world-class observatories on the ground for the benefit of society.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space
| Website | https://eso.org |
| YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ESOobservatory |
| Chasing Starlight | https://www.youtube.com/@ESOChasingStarlight |
Today, Dorothee Bär, German Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space (https://social.bund.de/@bmftr_bund) visited the ESO HQ in Garching. She was joined by Markus Blume, the Bavarian State Minister for Science and the Arts.
The Ministers were welcomed by ESO’s Director, Xavier Barcons. Read more https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/annlang25001-de/
📷 ESO
A visitor from space! ☄️
While resting under a blanket of stars, ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) is lit up by the green glow of a passing meteor.
The light emitted by this cosmic visitor reveals a little bit about it: the greenish streaks suggest that the meteor might have some magnesium contained in its mix of burning stuff.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2525a/
📷 ESO/N. Schafer
Astronomers have created a galactic masterpiece. Using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), they observed the Sculptor Galaxy in thousands of colours simultaneously 🌈
A galaxy’s building blocks — stars, gas and dust — emit light at different colours. The more shades of colour there are in an image of a galaxy, the more we can learn about its inner workings such as age, composition, and motion.
To create this ultra-detailed image of the Sculptor Galaxy, the researchers observed it for over 50 hours with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument on ESO’s VLT. The team then stitched together over 100 exposures to cover an area of the galaxy about 65 000 light-years wide.
Discover more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2510/
📷 ESO/E. Congiu et al.
New exoplanet classification just dropped.
When your mirror gets dirty at home, you can just grab a cloth and some spray to clean it. But what about the ultra-precise, reflective mirrors of telescopes? 🤔
Things can get a bit more complex. This image shows you part of the cleaning process for the main mirror of the ESO 3.6-metre Telescope at La Silla Observatory, #Chile.
Discover how it's done: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2524a/
Do you want to learn more about how we clean telescope mirrors? Then check out this blog post: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/exploding-snow/
📷 A. Silber/ESO
Astronomers may have found evidence of still-forming planets hidden somewhere in this close-up of the star RIK 113, taken with our Veery Large Telescope in #Chile
This and previous data taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array suggest that the disc around the star may be shaped by hidden planets.
The data show the presence of gaps and spiral features, which may have been caused by forming planets.
Learn more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2523a/
📷 ESO/C. Ginski et al.
The Moon is peering over the shoulder of one of the 66 antennas of ALMA, spread out atop the 5000-m high Chajnantor Plateau in #Chile.
Unlike optical telescopes, which gather light in wavelengths that we can see, ALMA's antennas observe the cool corners of the Universe using longer, invisible wavelengths, somewhere between infrared radiation and radio waves.
Learn more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2522a/
📷 Y. Villalon/ESO
🦊 Two hunters on a break.
Much like how a Culpeo Fox uses its enhanced senses to hunt for rabbits, the ESO 3.6-metre telescope uses HARPS to scour the cosmos for new exoplanets.
These two hunters might well be at the top of their game, but right now it seems that both are taking a well-deserved rest.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2521a/
📷 F. Murgas/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #science #astrophotography #Chile #wildlife
Using our Very Large Telescope (VLT) and ALMA, astronomers have witnessed for the first time a violent cosmic collision, in which one galaxy uses a quasar to pierce another galaxy with intense radiation.
The radiation released by the quasar disrupts the clouds of gas and dust in the other galaxy, leaving only the smallest, densest regions behind. These regions are likely too small to be capable of star formation, leaving the wounded galaxy with fewer stellar nurseries in a dramatic transformation.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2509/
📷 ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Balashev and P. Noterdaeme et al.
Astronomers have witnessed for the first time a violent cosmic collision in which one galaxy pierces another with intense radiation. Their results, published today in Nature, show that this radiation dampens the wounded galaxy’s ability to form new stars. This new study combined observations from both the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), revealing all the gory details of this galactic battle.
We have webcams keeping watch over the construction site of our Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in #Chile. They give us images like this one, showing the ELT progress so far & the exciting skies above 🤩
The dome has two giant doors that will open at night, and the structure of both of them is now in place.
In the background, a bright meteor crosses the sky, while powerful lasers beam up into the sky from Paranal Observatory. Do you know what they are for? Find out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_QC2cLroDc
More about this image: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2520a/
📷 ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science #astrophotography
