ESO Very Large Telescope – Astronomy Now

Vela supernova remnant in all its glory as seen by ESO’s OmegaCAM

1 June 2023 Astronomy Now

The Vela supernova remnant just 800 light years away shows the awesome aftermath of a Type II supernova that exploded some 11,000 years ago.

Moon ring shines bright over the VLT

15 June 2022 Keith Cooper

A stunning Moon halo shines in the sky above the Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

VLT captures view of two large exoplanets orbiting young Sun-like star

22 July 2020 Astronomy Now

ESO’s Very Large Telescope has captured the first ever view of two giant exoplanets orbiting a young Sun-like star 300 light years from Earth.

Most massive black hole yet discovered redefines ‘gargantuan’

1 July 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find a supermassive black hole 8,000 times more massive than the one at the heart of the Milky Way.

How do you give ESO’s Very Large Telescope an eye exam? Very, very carefully.

19 April 2020 William Harwood

Cleaning the four 8.2-metre mirrors used by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope complex requires high technology and great care to keep the optical systems free of contamination or any other defects.

Very Large Telescope catches star-forming region “pink handed”

23 January 2020 Astronomy Now

The European Southern Observatory’s Cosmic Gems programme generates a steady stream of spectacular images, including this view of Gum 26, an emission nebula in Vela where new stars are being born.

UK astronomers find exoplanets with sodium, helium in atmospheres

7 May 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers at the University of Exeter have found helium in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-class exoplanet – a first – and sodium in the atmosphere of another, an indicator of a cloud-free sky.

A very close encounter

15 August 2017 Astronomy Now

Back in October 2012, the near-Earth asteroid 2012 TC4 had a close encounter with Earth. It passed our planet at a distance only a quarter of that between the Earth and the Moon. In October 2017, this small asteroid, with a size of only about 15 to 30 metres, will return for another very close fly-by, making it the perfect object to test the asteroid detection and tracking network.

Strange globular cluster recalls Milky Way’s infancy

14 December 2015 Astronomy Now

When our galaxy was born, around 13,000 million years ago, a plethora of clusters containing millions of stars emerged. But over time, they have been disappearing. However, hidden behind younger stars that formed later, some old and dying star clusters remain, such as the so-called E 3. European astronomers have now studied this testimony to the beginnings of our galaxy.

Brightest early galaxy likely to contain first generation stars discovered

18 June 2015 Astronomy Now

Astronomers using the several of the largest telescopes on Earth and in space have discovered CR7, a galaxy three times brighter than the brightest distant galaxy in the early universe known up to now. The scientists also found strong evidence that examples of the first generation of stars lurk within it.