ESO

The European Southern Observatory designs, builds & operates world-class observatories on the ground for the benefit of society.

#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science

website: https://www.eso.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ESOobservatory
Chasing Starlight: https://www.youtube.com/@ESOChasingStarlight

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Last Notes

2026-06-15 07:47:11 UTC

Tunnel vision!
Step inside the tunnels below our Paranal Observatory in #Chile. They connect the Unit Telescopes, which comprise the Very Large Telescope (VLT), to the control building where the VLT and its instruments are operated by observing teams.
And no worries: despite the eerie, sci-fi atmosphere, no drooling, man-eating aliens are roaming there, just astronomers and engineers 😉
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2624a/
📷 L. Sbordone/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/753/013/200/906/259/original/4b81c6132e05d581.png

2026-06-02 09:03:55 UTC

1/2 Astronomers have found the strongest hints yet of magnetic activity in exoplanets 🧲
Using our Very Large Telescope and Gemini North, they measured wind speeds on 7 very hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets. They saw a very intriguing pattern: the hotter the planet, the slower the wind.
This is unexpected, as hot planets have more energy to accelerate the winds. So what's going on? Keep reading...
Artist impression: ESO/M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-06-01 07:28:20 UTC

The spinning origins of a planetary system!
Taken with our Very Large Telescope in #Chile over a period of four years, these images show the rotating disc of gas and dust around the young star AB Aurigae.
There are features like “twists” signalling the places where planets could be forming, as well as radial shadows cast by dense clumps of material.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/potw2622a/
📹 ESO/A. Boccaletti et al.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/673/666/052/407/649/original/680d13d4fb93548e.mp4

2026-05-25 07:00:05 UTC

Emitted by the four 8 m telescopes of our Very Large Telescope, laser beams shine across the magnificent Southern sky over #Chile.
On each beam, glowing beads of light are created by a thin layer of clouds crossing the path of the lasers — a happy accident, as the lasers themselves target a much higher layer in our atmosphere: sodium atoms floating 90 km above the ground.
Bu what for? Find out: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2621a/
📷 A. Berdeu/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/632/955/383/562/980/original/e40eb48dd58c6719.png

2026-05-18 07:00:00 UTC

The mirror is on its way!
One of the mirrors of our Very Large Telescope, wrapped to protect it from the harsh environment of #Chile ’s Atacama Desert, is slowly transported downhill to a special facility a couple of kilometres away at basecamp.
Our Extremely Large Telescope —currently under construction— also watches silently from Cerro Armazones, seen in the background of this image.
https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2620a/
📷 L. Sbordone/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science #engineering
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/592/294/839/699/017/original/4b1fbada2a965c07.png

2026-04-27 07:13:56 UTC

Over 70% complete, our ELT is glowing in the #sunset light of the Atacama Desert in #Chile, surrounded by massive cranes hard at work to get this telescope up and running.
With the first light planned for the end of the decade, the ELT and its groundbreaking 39-metre main mirror will take on some of the biggest challenges in #astronomy and, ultimately, help us understand our place in the #Universe.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2617a/
📷 ESO/G. Vecchia
#astrodon #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-04-22 08:15:33 UTC

Our facilities at La Silla Observatory are on the road to being 100% run on renewables by the end of this year!
#EarthDay2026 1/3
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2026-04-20 07:00:15 UTC

This isn't a scene from Star Wars.
What you're looking at is the Tarantual Nebula, and those beams come from the lasers installed on the telescopes of our Very Large Telescope Interferometer in #Chile. They create artificial stars 90 km above the ground to correct atmospheric turbulence, allowing the VLTI to observe faint targets.
But why are four telescopes observing the same target? Find out: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2616a/
📷 A. Berdeu/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/435/621/392/681/609/original/6242d053dbbf9363.png

2026-04-13 07:00:06 UTC

Taxi, please! 🚖👋
ALMA consists of 66 antennas that work together like a single gigantic telescope in the Chilean Andes. They can be rearranged in different layouts to discern various levels of detail.
This is where these yellow trucks come in. Each truck can carry a 100-tonne antenna and put it in place with a precision of a few millimetres!
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2615a/
📷 S. Otarola/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-03-30 10:41:39 UTC

RE: https://mastodon.social/@esoastronomy/116301261420060011
Don't give them ideas... https://xkcd.com/3225/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/317/703/204/625/509/original/4cd58398b316d0ef.png
#note13sa…gtwl

2026-03-27 13:00:15 UTC

In the future, we might see one million more satellites in Earth's orbit. The consequences to astronomy would be devastating.
Fighting for a fair and sustainable usage of space, for astronomy and humanity — that's Betty Kioko's job as ESO’s Institutional Affairs Officer.
Learn more about her job and what ESO is doing in this direction: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/betty-kioko/
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science #environment #sustainability
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/300/894/078/652/847/original/5c11536cff7b72dd.mp4

2026-03-16 14:36:36 UTC

- reply

Besides the obvious impact on astronomical observations, damaging the night sky threatens to collapse nocturnal ecosystems and will impact humans too. We support submissions to the FCC by other astronomical organisations, and we will follow up the eventual responses from SpaceX and Reflect Orbital. 4/4

2026-03-16 14:35:34 UTC

- reply

Reflect Orbital plans to use a constellation of space mirrors to reflect sunlight to Earth at night. Each beam would be four times brighter than the full Moon and would also contaminate areas outside the beam. Their planned 50,000 mirrors would make the night sky three to four times brighter. 3/

2026-03-16 14:35:16 UTC

- reply

Space-X applied to launch one million satellites to act as data centres. Brightness estimates show that thousands would be visible to the naked eye, many more than visible stars. On average, each image with our Very Large Telescope would lose 10% of data due to satellite trails. 2/

2026-03-16 14:35:00 UTC

Reflect Orbital and SpaceX have filed proposals with the US Federal Communications Commission that threaten ground-based astronomy. We submitted replies and collaborated with the UK Royal Astronomical Society & the International Astronomical Union for their responses. 1/
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-03-13 08:05:10 UTC

Our Extremely Large Telescope is already 70% complete!
But what would you see if you walked inside it today? The latest Chasing Starlight episode takes you there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IUeLqC-xpo
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science #engineering #chile

2026-03-09 08:00:07 UTC

This image reveals the stars and gas surrounding the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way centre.
Now, using our Very Large Telescope, MPE astronomers discovered a new gas cloud orbiting the black hole, solving a puzzling question.
More: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2610a/
📷 ESO/D. Ribeiro for the MPE GC team
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-03-02 08:08:03 UTC

A cosmic hawk and its starry eyasses 🐦
What looks like a hawk spanning its wings above massive newly born stars is the RCW 36 nebula.
Now, a team of astronomers has used, yes, the HAWK-I instrument on our VLT to study the very dim stars called brown dwarfs hidden in the nebula and how they form: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2609a/
📷 ESO/A. R. G. do Brito do Vale et al.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-02-20 11:06:09 UTC

We often hear news about habitable #exoplanets, but what does "habitable" actually mean? Is an "Earth-like" planet truly like the Earth?
In our latest ESO blog we clarify some of the confusion around these terms. Check it out!
https://www.eso.org/public/blog/habitable-zone/
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/102/630/901/029/725/original/a9878672834bdcab.png

2026-02-09 08:00:01 UTC

The full scope of Paranal’s beauty 🤩
Right in front, one of the movable ATs stands tall, while the UTs are scanning the sky.
The lasers emerging from the UTs create each a bright artificial star on the sky to correct observations for the blurring effect of the atmosphere. Until recently, only one UT was equipped with lasers. But now one additional laser has been installed in the other 3.
Discover why: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2606a/
📷 A. Trigo/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-01-20 16:40:17 UTC

#Aurora over Europe!
We're currently experiencing a strong geomagnetic storm, which caused a stunning auroral display all over Europe last night. This time-lapse was captured by our colleague Stefan Ströbele over our headquarters in Garching near Munich.
📹 S. Ströbele/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #astrophotography #space #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/928/407/984/355/588/original/3aefd450b229d422.mp4

2026-01-20 08:00:47 UTC

Not all rings are forged in fantasy, my precious!
For astronomers, they are found in space and are debris discs, the leftovers of planet formation around stars. You can admire 24 of them in these ALMA images (orange = dust, blue = gas).
The origin of gas in debris discs is debated, and the disc in the two images at the top-right is very interesting in this regard. Here’s why: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2603a/
📷 ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Marino et al.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-01-12 10:03:11 UTC

1/2 Astronomers surprised by mysterious shock wave around dead star 😲
As it moves and interacts with the interstellar gas, a white dwarf observed by our VLT creates a type of shock wave called a bow shock — a curved arc of material, similar to the wave that builds up in front of a ship.
None of the known mechanisms can fully explain the observations.
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2601/
📷 ESO/K. Ilkiewicz and S. Scaringi et al.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-01-12 08:00:46 UTC

"I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty of it all, to the point of forgetting everything around me! A sky of absolute purity, free from artificial light.”
This is how astrophotographer Julien Looten remembers the night he captured this extraordinary view of our VLT at Cerro Paranal, #Chile
Wondering what all those cosmic objects and phenomena in the image are?
Find out: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2602a/
📷 J. Looten /ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #astrophysics #space #science
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2026-01-05 08:00:32 UTC

Survey gives astronomers "a latte" to think about ☕️
Using APEX, a radio-telescope in #Chile 's Chajnantor plateau, astronomers carried out the CAFFEINE survey, observing many stellar nurseries — including GAL316 in this image 👇
They wanted to find out whether denser clouds of gas and dust are more efficient at forming new stars.
Here's what they discovered: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2601a/
📷 ESO/M. Mattern, P. André et al. Background: VVV
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-12-05 10:02:44 UTC

Let’s set the record straight!
The interstellar visitor #3IATLAS cruising through our Solar System is no #alien spaceship and won’t hit Earth.
Still, the buzz around it is far from unfounded. Learn the real science behind it from a comet expert in our latest episode of Chasing Starlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtiqLxfSiVI
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science

2025-12-03 14:22:47 UTC

Making astronomy accessible for everyone requires developing new and engaging ways to describe astronomical data.
In our latest blog post we talked to sonification experts to learn how astronomical data can be turned into sound, and how this approach can benefit everyone.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/accessible-astronomy-2/
#accessibility #astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-12-01 15:47:09 UTC

Yet another milestone reached by our Extremely Large Telescope! Today we signed an agreement with a large international consortium for the design and construction of MOSAIC, an instrument for the ELT.
Able to measure the light from more than two hundred sources at the same time, MOSAIC will be used to trace the growth of galaxies and the distribution of matter from the Big Bang to the present day.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann25008/
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-11-25 08:00:26 UTC

1/ A telescope fist bump in the sky 🤜 🤛
Only by working together can our Unit Telescopes become the Very Large Telescope Interferometer. By combining the light, the VLTI obtains the level of detail of a huge 130 m virtual telescope. Yet this requires correcting the effects of Earth’s atmosphere. So, new lasers were installed in the previously unequipped UTs as part of the GRAVITY+ upgrade.
More: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2547a/
📷 J. Beltrán/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-11-17 08:00:02 UTC

A hypnotising view of Paranal in #Chile!
Yet the sky is not revolving around the tip of one of our Auxiliary Telescopes. This illusion is caused by the almost perfect alignment with the southern celestial pole, around which stars seem to trail due to Earth's rotation.
Capturing these circular star trails is no easy task: a slight misalignment can completely ruin the outcome! 😲
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2546a/
📷 O. Castillo/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-11-12 19:00:07 UTC

For the first time ever, astronomers have unveiled the shape of a star’s explosion at its earliest stage.
The feat was achieved by ESO's Very Large Telescope just a day after the detection of this supernova, as the blast was breaking through the star’s surface.
This brief initial phase wouldn’t have been observable a day later. This will help shed light on how massive stars go supernova.
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2520/
Illustration: ESO/L. Calçada
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-11-10 08:00:00 UTC

A dance of two pairs!
While the two Magellanic Clouds shine upon the Atacama Desert in #Chile, two Auxiliary Telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer point up to the sky.
Just like our cosmic neighbours move around the Milky Way, the Auxiliary Telescopes can be moved along rails and arranged in different configurations when observing the sky.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2545a/
📷 J. Looten/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-11-03 08:00:01 UTC

Open Sesame!
The doors of our Extremely Large Telescope have moved for the first time. This was no small feat, as each door will weigh 650 tonnes once completed.
The ELT dome and its doors will guard the telescope from the harsh conditions of the Atacama Desert in #Chile.
https://www.eso.org/public/videos/potw2544a/
📹 ESO/ACe
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science #engineering

2025-10-27 13:30:39 UTC

The ESO Council has appointed Andreas Kaufer to be the new ESO Director General.
Currently Director of Operations, Andreas Kaufer will succeed Xavier Barcons, who will remain as Director General until end of August 2026.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2517/
📷 ESO/Max Alexander
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-10-27 08:00:02 UTC

The magic of a pristine sky 🤩
The Milky Way arches over our Very Large Telescope, set under a colourful sky. This so-called airglow is extremely faint and only noticeable in the darkest regions, such as the Atacama Desert in #Chile. So, preserving pristine skies not only enables cutting-edge research, but it also allows photographers to capture the magic of a perfectly dark night.
https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2543a/
📷 J. Looten/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-10-21 12:02:43 UTC

1/2 Thousands of eyes on the sky: 4MOST sees first light 🎉
Installed on our VISTA telescope in #Chile, 4MOST has completed the first test observations over the weekend.
It is the largest facility of its kind to survey the southern skies. It can capture the light of thousands of cosmic objects simultaneously, using more than 2400 thin optical fibres, each about the width of a human hair.
📷 AIP/A. Saviauk
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-10-20 07:00:01 UTC

“It was an unforgettable moment“, said photographer Julien Looten when he saw the Carina Nebula with his own eyes at our Paranal Observatory in #Chile.
Its southern location and its uniquely dark skies made it possible for Julien to capture this breathtaking view. The Carina Nebula — a massive star-forming region — is visible here as a big pink spot above one of the four Auxiliary Telescopes.
More: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2542a/
📷 J. Looten/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #space #science
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2025-10-15 09:00:01 UTC

The water you're drinking could be older than the Sun!
New ALMA observations show that water molecules carry the same chemical fingerprint all the way from star-forming clouds to planet-forming discs and comets, meaning these molecules have remained unaltered since they first formed.
What is this chemical signature and how do astronomers use it to trace the history of water? Find out: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/water-origin/
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science

2025-10-13 07:00:03 UTC

Black holes don’t suck, they get fed!
The belief that black holes simply suck in anything that comes near them is wrong. Material can only fall into a black hole when it’s slowed down somehow. In the Circinus galaxy, the gravitational influence of the galaxy's spiral arms drives the gas into the monster's mouth.
Yet most of this gas is not doomed, discover why: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2541a/
📷 ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/ESO/W. Goesaert et al.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-09-29 07:00:04 UTC

Not even our mirrors stay clean forever! 🧽
Optical engineer Jaime González is checking for large particles on a VLT mirror. This step is part of a periodic cleaning process that keeps the mirrors ultra-precise & super-reflective.
Find out how this is done: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2539a/
And for a deeper dive: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/exploding-snow/
📷 ESO/N. Schafer
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science #engineering #technology
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2025-09-15 07:00:09 UTC

A rising telescope under a rising Sun and Moon!
This montage offers a kaleidoscope of moments from the construction of our Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), each one perfectly framed by the #Sun and #Moon behind it.
Creating this collage was no small feat: it took Boris Häußler, an ESO astronomer in #Chile, years of meticulous planning to time each frame almost down to the exact second.
Discover why: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2537a/
📷 B. Häußler/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-09-08 07:00:01 UTC

Look up!
In search of the darkest and most pristine skies, French astrophotographer Martin Lefranc and colleagues visited our Very Large Telescope (VLT) in #Chile.
The sight that they were met with was nothing but surreal. And this mesmerizing fish-eye view captured outside the VLT speaks for itself 🤩
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2536a/
📷 M. Lefranc/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #astrophotography #space #science
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2025-08-26 10:00:10 UTC

A very hungry planet! 🪐
That little dot is WISPIT 2b, a newborn exoplanet. About 5 times the mass of Jupiter, the planet is eating its way through its dusty cradle as it orbits the host star, a younger version of our Sun 🌞
Taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in #Chile, this image is the first clear detection of a baby planet in a disc with multiple rings.
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2534a/
📷 ESO/R. F. van Capelleveen et al.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-08-18 07:06:59 UTC

As the Milky Way band appears to pour into our Extremely Large Telescope in #Chile, the cranes around it seem to do the same while they further advance the telescope.
Once complete, the ELT will be breaking down the light above in unparalleled detail with its huge 39 m mirror.
More: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2533a/
📷 C. Letelier/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #astrophotography #space #science
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2025-08-11 08:09:59 UTC

The laser guide star system of our Very Large Telescope (VLT) comes into action in this photo, tracking its orange beams all the way from Cerro Paranal to the skies.⁠ The lasers create artificial stars –seen here as a dot at the end of the beams– that allow us to measure and correct atmospheric turbulence, delivering sharp images.
https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2532a/
📷 ESO/N. Schafer
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-07-28 07:00:03 UTC

Sailing beneath a sea of stars!
Feast your eyes on this stunning image of our Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) underneath a gorgeous starry night sky in #Chile. It almost looks like a ship cresting a great, shadowy wave. ⛵️🌊
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2530a/
📷 P. Romaniuk/ESO
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
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2025-07-16 15:04:12 UTC

🚨 Astronomers have witnessed the dawn of a new solar system!
Using ALMA and JWST they observed the first specks of planet-forming material — hot minerals beginning to solidify around HOPS-315, a baby star 1300 light-years away.
This marks the first time a planetary system has been identified at such an early stage in its formation – a window to the past of our own Solar System.
https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2512a/
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
📷 ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al
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2025-07-08 07:00:02 UTC

Heads-up: we have images of a new interstellar visitor! ☄️ 👀
Comet #3IATLAS is only the third object ever spotted coming from beyond our Solar System.
In this timelapse, our Very Large Telescope in #Chile observes the comet move across the night sky — just two days after its discovery!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXJ221XXPvM
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science

2025-07-02 09:14:54 UTC

💥💥 Double detonation!
For the first time, astronomers have obtained visual evidence that a star met its end by blasting twice.
This was done by studying the centuries-old remains of supernova SNR 0509-67.5 with our Very Large Telescope. Led by the Univ. of South Wales, this shows some of the most important explosions in the Universe in a new light.
What happened exactly? Keep reading.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science
📷 ESO/P. Das et al. Backgr. stars (HST): K. Noll et al.
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2025-06-26 13:09:01 UTC

New instance, new #introduction !
Hi #fediverse ! We’re the European Southern Observatory, and we design, build and operate ground-based telescopes.
One of them is our Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in #Chile. It will have a 39 m mirror, and its rotating enclosure will weigh 6100 tonnes, or about 700 mastodons!
We’re looking forward to chatting with all of you about #astronomy
And many thanks to @npub1hec…saxk for running our former instance!
📷 ESO/G. Vecchia
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