All articles tagged with #eso
Astronomers use ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer to project four laser guide stars into the upper atmosphere, enabling adaptive optics that correct atmospheric distortion and produce crisper, space-like images from ground-based telescopes, including detailed studies of distant regions like the Tarantula Nebula.
Space agency ESO released imagery of the ELT’s enormous 80-meter outer dome at Cerro Armazones in Chile. The dome will shelter a 39-meter primary mirror, protect optics from desert heat, and feature earthquake-resilient shock absorbers; the upper section will rotate to give the telescope full access to dark skies. The project is slated for completion in 2027, with first light planned for early 2029 and initial science observations in 2030.
Space.com explains that the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is under construction atop Cerro Armazones in Chile to become the world's largest telescope with a 39-meter primary mirror, enabling direct imaging of exoplanets and detailed studies of star and galaxy formation, while highlighting Chile's Atacama Desert as a premier site for ground-based astronomy and ESO's role alongside the VLT.
A $10 billion plan to build a light-polluting green hydrogen plant near ESO’s Cerro Paranal observatory in Chile has been cancelled by AES Andes, relieving astronomers who warned the project would degrade the world-renowned dark skies and threaten facilities like the VLT and ELT. ESO calculations suggested up to a 35% increase in light pollution, which could undermine cutting-edge observations, prompting widespread concern in the astronomy community. The cancellation allows Paranal and Atacama-region telescopes to continue operating under optimal sky conditions while AES Andes shifts focus to renewable energy projects.
Astronomers captured the earliest image of a supernova, SN 2024ggi, just 26 hours after explosion using ESO's VLT, revealing its olive-shaped geometry and providing new insights into the explosion mechanics of massive stars.
Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured the earliest moments of a supernova explosion, SN 2024ggi, revealing its olive-like shape and providing new insights into how massive stars end their lives, marking a historic first in observing a supernova's initial breakout shape.
European Southern Observatory engineers regularly polish and recoat the 25-ton mirrors of the Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert to maintain optimal performance for astronomical observations, ensuring the telescope can continue to deliver detailed images of the universe.
Scientists observed a mysterious, long-lasting gamma-ray burst that lasted nearly a day, unlike typical bursts that last milliseconds to minutes. The event, detected by NASA and Chinese space telescopes, appears to originate from beyond our galaxy and may involve an unusual black hole or a star being torn apart, making it a unique and puzzling cosmic phenomenon.
Scientists observed a mysterious gamma-ray burst lasting nearly a day, unlike any previously recorded, and are exploring explanations involving unusual black holes or stellar events, but its exact cause remains unknown.
The European Southern Observatory has unveiled the 4MOST instrument, a fiber optic spectroscopic telescope with 2,436 fibers that can analyze multiple celestial objects simultaneously, significantly advancing astronomical surveys and understanding of the universe's composition and evolution.
The European Southern Observatory has captured the clearest images yet of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it travels through the solar system, providing valuable data about this rare visitor, which is only the third interstellar object detected in our solar system. The comet was discovered on July 1, 2025, and will be closest to Earth in late October 2025, though it will be hidden behind the sun at that time. Observations will continue to study its structure, composition, and origin.
Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured thousands of unseen colors in the Sculptor Galaxy, revealing detailed insights into its star-forming regions and gas dynamics, thanks to 50 hours of observations and 100 exposures, enhancing our understanding of this complex galaxy 1.1 million light years away.
The European Southern Observatory's staff clean the primary mirror of the La Silla telescope in Chile to maintain its precision for space observations, particularly in the search for exoplanets, involving a delicate process of removing old coating and applying a new ultra-thin aluminum layer.
The European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), set to be the world's largest visible- and infrared-light telescope, is under construction in Chile's Atacama Desert. Expected to achieve "first light" by 2028, the ELT aims to study exoplanets and the universe's expansion. Recent photos show significant progress on its dome and primary mirror housing. The M1 mirror will be 128 feet wide and weigh 200 tons, with the entire structure expected to be completed by 2026. The project is a major milestone for the ESO, with live updates available via webcams and drone footage.
Astronomers have captured the first close-up image of a star outside our Galaxy, WOH G64, located 160,000 lightyears away in the Large Magellanic Cloud. This red supergiant, imaged using the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer, is in its final life stages, shedding gas and dust before a potential supernova. The discovery offers a rare opportunity to observe a star's life cycle in real time, revealing a dimming and an egg-shaped cocoon around the star, possibly due to material ejection or an unseen companion star.