ESOcast HD

Rogue planets uncovered (ESOcast 249 Light)

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 17:00:00 +0100

Astronomers have used ESO telescopes to detect at least 70 rogue planets in our Milky Way, the largest group to date. Learn more about these elusive cosmic nomads in this video summarising the discovery!

Watch Stars Move Around our Galaxy’s Central Black Hole (ESOcast 248 Light)

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 16:00:00 +0100

To learn more about the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, Sgr A*, scientists zoomed in towards our galaxy's centre with the help of ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer to watch how stars move around Sgr A*. This video summarises what they found.

Surprise planet found around extreme star pair (ESOcast 247 Light)

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 17:00:00 +0100

ESO’s Very Large Telescope has captured an image of a planet orbiting b Centauri, a pair of stars that can be seen with the naked eye. Find out why this next-door planetary system is extreme in this short video.

Supermassive Black Holes on a Collision Course (ESOcast 246 Light)

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 14:00:00 +0100

Using the ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have revealed the closest pair of supermassive black holes to Earth ever observed. This video summarises the discovery.

Black Hole Discovered in Galaxy Next Door (ESOcast 245 Light)

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0100

For the first time, astronomers have discovered a small black hole outside the Milky Way by looking at how it influences the motion of a star in its close vicinity. This video summarises the discovery.

Finding the stars that help with our dental health (ESOcast 244 Light)

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 17:00:00 +0100

A new finding, made with the ALMA observatory, in which ESO is a partner, is shedding light on how fluorine is forged in the Universe. Find out more in this discovery, and how it is related to our dental hygiene, in this video summary.

Meet 42 Asteroids in Our Solar System (ESOcast 243 Light)

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 14:00:00 +0200

Astronomers have used the ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile to image 42 of the biggest main-belt asteroids. Meet some of the 42 in this video summarising the discovery!

A neighbouring planetary system reveals its secrets (ESOcast 242 Light)

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 14:00:00 +0200

A team of astronomers have used ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile to shed new light on planets around a nearby star that resemble those in the inner Solar System. This video summarises what they found about the planetary system, called L 98-59.

Why Do We Even Need Big Telescopes? (ESOcast 241)

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:00:00 +0200

Why do we aim for bigger and bigger telescopes, such as ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert? And how does the effort pay back, not only in terms of astronomical discoveries but also to the whole of society? Four special guests have answered these questions, so fasten your belt and get ready for a breathtaking discovery journey in the world of big telescopes!

Peeking at a Distant Moon-Forming Disc (ESOcast Light 240)

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 14:00:00 +0200

Using ALMA, a team of astronomers have unambiguously detected a moon-forming disc around a distant planet for the first time. The planet is a Jupiter-like gas giant, hosted in a system still in the process of being formed. The result promises to shed new light on how moons and planets form in young stellar systems. This video summarises the discovery.

Cosmic fireworks reveal newborn stars (ESOcast Light 239)

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:00:00 +0200

A team of astronomers have released colourful new observations of nearby galaxies obtained with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) project. By combining these new observations with data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, the team is helping shed new light on what triggers stars to form. This ESOcast Light summarises the work.

Who Turned off the Lights on Betelgeuse? (ESOcast 238 Light)

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 17:00:00 +0200

When Betelgeuse, a bright orange star in the constellation of Orion, became visibly darker in late 2019 and early 2020, the astronomy community was puzzled. A team of astronomers have now published new research done with ESO's Very Large Telescope and Very Large Telescope interferometer that solves the mystery of Betelgeuse's dimming. This ESOcast Light summarises the discovery.

Testbed Asteroid Hunter Sees First Light (ESOcast 237 Light)

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0200

Part of the world-wide effort to scan and identify potentially dangerous asteroids and other near-Earth objects, asteroid hunter Test-Bed Telescope 2 (TBT2), a European Space Agency telescope hosted at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, has now started operating.

ESOcast 236 Light: First interstellar comet may be the most pristine ever found

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 17:00:00 +0200

New observations with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) indicate that the rogue comet 2I/Borisov, which is only the second and most recently detected interstellar visitor to our Solar System, is one of the most pristine ever observed. This video summarises new findings on this mysterious alien visitor.

ESOcast 235 Light: Astronomers Image Magnetic Fields at Black Hole's Edge

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 15:00:00 +0100

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, who produced the first ever image of a black hole, has today revealed a new view of the massive object at the centre of the Messier 87 galaxy: how it looks in polarised light. This is the first time astronomers have been able to measure polarisation, a signature of magnetic fields, this close to the edge of a black hole. This video summarises the discovery.

ESOcast 234 Light: Most distant quasar with powerful radio jets discovered

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0100

With the help of ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have discovered and studied in detail the most distant source of radio emission known to date. The source is a “radio-loud” quasar — a bright object with powerful jets emitting at radio wavelengths — that is so far away its light has taken 13 billion years to reach us. This video summarises the discovery.

ESOcast 233 Light: Six-Exoplanet System with Rhythmic Movement Challenges Theories of How Planets Form

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:00:00 +0100

Using a combination of telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO's VLT), astronomers have revealed a system consisting of six exoplanets, five of which are locked in a rare rhythm around their central star. This video summarises the discoveries and explains why this puzzling system is challenging our theories of how planets form.

ESOcast 232 Light: Stars and Skulls

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0100

Captured in astounding detail by ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), the eerie Skull Nebula is showcased in a new image in beautiful pink and red tones. This planetary nebula is the first known to be associated with a pair of closely bound stars orbited by a third outer star. This video offers stunning views of this object and tells the story of the three stars at its centre.

ESOcast 231 Light: Death by Spaghettification

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0200

Using telescopes from ESO and other organisations around the world, astronomers have spotted a rare blast of light from a star being ripped apart by a supermassive black hole. This video summarises the findings.

ESOcast 230 Light: Possible Marker of Life Spotted on Venus

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 17:00:00 +0200

ESOcast 229 Light: Planet-forming Disc Torn Apart by its Three Central Stars

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0200

A team of astronomers used ALMA and ESO telescopes to study a peculiar system, GW Orionis, and to identify the first direct evidence that groups of stars can tear apart their planet-forming disc, leaving it warped and with tilted rings. This video provides a summary of the findings, showcasing stunning observations and animations of GW Orionis.

ESOcast 228 Light: ALMA Sees Most Distant Milky Way Look-alike

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:00:00 +0200

Astronomers using ALMA, in which the ESO is a partner, have revealed an extremely distant galaxy that looks surprisingly like our Milky Way. This video summarises their findings.

ESOcast 227 Light: Stunning Space Butterfly Captured by ESO Telescope

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0200

Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have imaged a 'space butterfly', a planetary nebula known as NGC 2899. This video offers stunning views of this object and the science behind it.

A ‘fly to’ TYC 8998-760-1

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 15:00:00 +0200

ESOcast 226 Light: First Image of a Multi-Planet System Around a Sun-like Star

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 15:00:00 +0200

The SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope has captured the first ever image of a young, Sun-like star accompanied by two giant exoplanets.