All articles tagged with #eso
In Chile’s Atacama Desert, the Residencia is a desert-blending, climate-controlled lodging for astronomers near ESO’s Paranal Observatory and the VLT. It’s famously film-friendly (a Quantum of Solace finale was shot there) but functions as a serious research hub with strict light-pollution controls, high-altitude living (no alcohol), and a cycle of night/day shifts as engineers work on the ELT nearby.
Scientists using ESO's Very Large Telescope and Gemini North measured wind speeds on seven hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets and found patterns best explained by global magnetic fields, marking the first robust evidence of magnetospheres around worlds beyond our solar system. The inferred magnetic strengths are roughly four times Saturn’s and about half Jupiter’s. This breakthrough opens a new window for exoplanet research, suggesting magnetically driven aurorae and paving the way for future ELT observations to characterize smaller, potentially habitable worlds.
In Chile’s Atacama Desert, home to ESO’s Paranal Observatory, some of Earth’s darkest skies are increasingly affected by artificial light from nearby cities, mining and growing satellite traffic. A proposed nearby megaproject, Inna, could have raised light levels at the observatory by as much as 50% and introduced air turbulence, prompting scientists to push for tighter regulations beyond a 10% threshold. Although AES Andes canceled Inna in 2026, enforcement of light-pollution rules remains weak, and the International Astronomical Union’s 2025 guidelines call for lower limits and a possible secondary norm to empower government action to dim lights if needed. The issue underscores a global struggle: preserving dark skies is crucial for astronomy and our understanding of the universe, even as technology and industry encroach.
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.