Mystery Solved: Astronomers Unravel the Puzzle of Betelgeuse’s “Great Dimming”
The star Betelgeuse became visibly darker in 2019 and 2020, puzzling astronomers; new images show that the star was partially concealed by a cloud of…
European Southern Observatory News
Stunning Galactic Fireworks: New ESO Images Reveal Spectacular Features of Nearby Galaxies
A team of astronomers has released new observations of nearby galaxies that resemble colorful cosmic fireworks. The images, obtained with the European Southern Observatory’s Very…
Astronomers Were Puzzled by “Great Dimming” of Betelgeuse – Now the Mystery Is Solved
Mystery of Betelgeuse’s Dip in Brightness Solved When Betelgeuse, a bright orange star in the constellation of Orion, became visibly darker in late 2019 and…
“Big Surprise!” – Heavy Metal Vapors Unexpectedly Found in Comets Throughout Our Solar System – and Beyond
A new study by a Belgian team using data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) has shown that iron and nickel…
Mysterious Interstellar Visitor May Be the Most Pristine Comet Ever Found
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…
Event Horizon Telescope Images Magnetic Fields at the Edge of M87’s Supermassive Black Hole
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, which produced the first-ever image of a black hole, has today revealed a new view of the massive object…
“Meteorological Beast in Our Solar System” – Powerful Stratospheric Winds Measured on Jupiter for the First Time
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, a team of astronomers have directly measured winds…
Astronomers Have Discovered the Most Distant Source of Radio Emission Ever Known – 13 Billion Light-Years Away
With the help of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), astronomers have discovered and studied in detail the most distant source of…
Distant Colliding Galaxy Dying Out As It Loses the Ability to Form Stars – Ejecting 10,000 Suns-Worth of Gas a Year
Galaxies begin to “die” when they stop forming stars, but until now astronomers had never clearly glimpsed the start of this process in a far-away…
Puzzling Six-Exoplanet System Discovered With Resonant Rhythmic Movement
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…
Stars and Skulls: Eerie Nebula Revealed in Astounding Detail
This ethereal remnant of a long dead star, nestled in the belly of The Whale, bears an uneasy resemblance to a skull floating through space….
Front-Row Seats to Star’s Death by Spaghettification
Astronomers have captured the last moments of a star just before it was ripped apart by a black hole. The violent occurrence—called a tidal disruption…
Death by Spaghettification: Telescopes Record Last Moments of Star Devoured by a Black Hole
Using telescopes from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other organizations around the world, astronomers have spotted a rare blast of light from a star…
Galaxies Trapped in the Web of a Supermassive Black Hole – Cosmic “Spider’s Web” of Gas Extends Over 300 Times the Size of the Milky Way
With the help of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found six galaxies lying around a supermassive black hole when the Universe was less…
What Is Phosphine and Why Does It Point to Extra-Terrestrial Life Floating in the Clouds of Venus?
An international team of astronomers recently announced the discovery of a rare molecule — phosphine — in the clouds of Venus. On Earth, this gas…
A Warped Disc “Torn Apart by Stars” Discovered in a Triple Tatooine-Like System
Pioneering new research has revealed the first direct evidence that groups of stars can tear apart their planet-forming disc, leaving it warped and with tilted…
Extra-Terrestrial “Aerial” Life on Venus? Possible Marker of Life Spotted in Venusian Atmosphere [Video]
An international team of astronomers today announced the discovery of a rare molecule — phosphine — in the clouds of Venus. This detection could point…
Planet-Forming Disc Ripped Apart by Its Three Central Stars – Leaving It Warped and With Tilted Rings
A team of astronomers have identified the first direct evidence that groups of stars can tear apart their planet-forming disc, leaving it warped and with…
