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ESO
@eso.org
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The European Southern Observatory designs, builds & operates world-class observatories on the ground for the benefit of society. More info on eso.org
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eso.org
1/ Milestone achieved by the VLTI upgrade GRAVITY+: a laser has been installed at each of the previously unequipped VLT Unit Telescopes.

This will dramatically enhance the VLTI observing power.

Discover more with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzK1B3VU1L8

🔭 🧪
Four astronomical domes stand in a desert landscape, each launching a bright orange laser into the sky. A nearly full moon glows on the left of the image. The text “What are these lasers for?” is visible on the image.
November 10, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by ESO
eiroforum.org
🌎 On World Science Day for Peace and Development, senior leaders across EIROforum thank citizens for their trust and support.

Xavier Barcons from ESO talks about how trust in science enables discoveries about exoplanets, very distant galaxies, and black holes.
November 10, 2025 at 9:00 AM
eso.org
While the Magellanic Clouds shine upon the Chilean Desert, two VLTI Auxiliary Telescopes point up to the sky — all together reminding us of how small we are as humans compared to cosmic objects & the telescopes we observe them with.

https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2545a/

🔭 🧪
📷 J. Looten/ESO
Two of ESO’s small Auxiliary Telescopes, accompanied by the Magellanic Clouds up in the night sky. A human silhouette is visible on the right side of the picture.
November 10, 2025 at 8:02 AM
eso.org
How do stars generate their magnetic fields? 🧲

Using the ESO 3.6 m telescope, for the first time astronomers have reconstructed the migration of magnetic regions on the surface of a star other than the Sun. 🔭🧪

Learn more: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/magnetic-butterflies/

📷 NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL
A telescopic image of the Sun – a huge, yellow sphere with a turbulent surface full of bright and dark areas. Curved lines are overlaid to illustrate the distribution of magnetic fields.
November 7, 2025 at 10:00 AM
eso.org
Meet our nearest giant galaxy 👀

One of the most spectacular objects in the sky, Centaurus A is located 13 million light-years away. Here we see the jets ejected from the galaxy centre, signatures of the presence of a supermassive black hole. 🔭
A galaxy set against a field of stars. The galaxy’s bright core emits powerful jets of glowing gas—one orange and one bluish—extending outward into space. A dark dust lane cuts across the center, partially obscuring the bright light from the core.
November 6, 2025 at 1:02 PM
eso.org
Fasten your seatbelt and cross the Milky Way! Destination: the Cone Nebula.

Such pillar-like structures are sculpted by massive, newly formed stars, whose winds & radiation compress the gas and dust from their vicinity into these shapes. 🔭
November 5, 2025 at 1:03 PM
eso.org
A small step is being taken up the stairs to one of the BlackGEM telescopes in this picture, but this facility represents a giant leap in gravitational wave studies at our La Silla Observatory in Chile!

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2408a/ 🔭 

#Flashback
November 4, 2025 at 8:01 AM
eso.org
Open Sesame!

The ELT doors have moved for the first time. This was no small feat, as each door will weigh 650 tonnes once completed.

The ELT dome & its doors will guard the telescope from the harsh conditions of the Atacama Desert.

https://www.eso.org/public/videos/potw2544a/

🔭 🧪
📹 ESO/ACe
November 3, 2025 at 8:02 AM
eso.org
Join us on a trip to the "cosmic bat" 🚀🦇

This bat is in fact a large stellar nursery, whose most prominent gas clouds are RCW 94, which represents the right wing of the bat, and RCW 95, which forms the body.

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2518/
🔭
November 1, 2025 at 8:02 PM
eso.org
#TourESO 📹🔴 Grab a cozy seat, we’re going live in 5 minutes with our virtual tour of the La Silla Observatory! Don’t miss out! 

Streamed here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ESOobservatory/  

📷 ESO/A. Tsaousis
🔭
An aerial view of an astronomical observatory situated in a rocky, arid landscape. The image shows several telescope domes and smaller structures scattered across the site, connected by paved roads.
November 1, 2025 at 1:56 PM
eso.org
Right in time for #Halloween 🎃

Our VST has spotted a spooky bat flying over Paranal. But fear not, it's located 10,000 light-years away.

This "cosmic bat" is in fact a large cloud of gas. Let's fly through it in this video...if you dare! 🦇

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2518/
🔭 🧪
October 31, 2025 at 8:03 AM
eso.org
A Cosmic Watercolour 🎨

A delicate bluish reflection nebula surrounds the star R Coronae Australis. This impressionist painting vibe is created by starlight reflecting off small dust particles.

Discover more about this process: https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1027a/

📷 ESO 🔭
Wide-field image of a dark starry sky with bright, glowing blue and white nebulae. Wisps of dust and gas surround two brilliant stars while countless smaller stars sparkle across the black background.
October 30, 2025 at 1:02 PM
eso.org
Lift off from the ALMA site on a journey across the cosmos to galaxy M87, home to a black hole 6.5 billion times more massive than the Sun.

Our voyage ends with an image of the shadow of the black hole and a powerful jet expelled from it.

More: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2305/

🔭
October 29, 2025 at 1:03 PM
eso.org
📣 The 2026 ESO Calendar is here!

Packed with stunning cosmic images, it's a must-have for every space lover looking to make next year truly stellar 🗓️ ✨

Grab yours via the ESOshop: www.eso.org/public/shop/...

Supplies are limited, so don’t wait! 😉
October 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM
eso.org
These laser beams are part of the VLT adaptive optics system, which enables astronomers to take sharp images of the cosmos by counteracting the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere.

Learn how: https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/technology/adaptive_optics/ 🔭 

📷 ESO/G. Hüdepohl
#Flashback
Upward view from inside a large observatory dome showing bright orange laser beams projecting into a clear starry night sky, framed by dark metal structures.
October 28, 2025 at 8:02 AM
eso.org
The ESO Council has appointed Andreas Kaufer to be the new ESO Director General.

Currently Director of Operations, Andreas Kaufer will succeed Xavier Barcons, who will remain as Director General until end of August 2026.

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2517/
 
🔭 🧪
📷 ESO/Max Alexander
An image of Andreas Kaufer, appointed as the new ESO Director General. One of ESO’s VLT Unit Telescopes is visible on the right, standing out against the backdrop of a clear blue sky.
October 27, 2025 at 1:30 PM
eso.org
The sky above our VLT is split in a greenish & a reddish airglow.

An airglow is only noticeable in the darkest regions. Preserving such pristine skies not only enables scientific research, but also the experience of a perfectly dark night.

https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2543a/
🔭 🧪
An observing site, with three large domes in the centre and the arching Milky Way above them. To the left is a long building, and to the right is a smaller dome. A fourth, larger dome is hidden on the right side. The horizon exhibits a faint coloured glow: green on the left and red on the right.
October 27, 2025 at 8:03 AM
eso.org
ALMA set against the splendour of the Milky Way 📡

The bright orange star in the upper left is Suhail in Vela, while the similarly orange star in the upper middle is Avior, in Carina 🔭

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1222a/

📷 ESO/B. Tafreshi (twanight.org)
A nighttime view of several large radio telescope dishes under a star-filled sky. The antennas stand in silhouette, while the Milky Way’s band of stars stretches across the dark horizon.
October 23, 2025 at 12:02 PM
eso.org
Fly to a star-forming region!

Our journey starts in visible light before we switch to an infrared view. Dust blocks visible light, yet in the infrared, we can peer deep into the cosmic clouds of L1688 and study newborn stars.

https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2307/

🔭
October 22, 2025 at 12:04 PM
eso.org
1/ The 4MOST instrument installed on our VISTA telescope in Chile completed its first test observations.

@4most-eu.bsky.social will help us unravel our galactic history, explore dark matter, and more.
www.eso.org/public/annou...

🔭 🧪
#instrumentation
📷 AIP/A. Saviauk
A view of the VISTA telescope and its 4MOST instrument. The structure is grey, with several cables visible around it. The telescope is viewed from above and is located inside a building with metallic walls.
October 21, 2025 at 1:28 PM
eso.org
Accompanied by the Moon, this Auxiliary Telescope at our Paranal Observatory in Chile is still closed up. But the observing will begin at nightfall! 🔭 

📷 C. Stephan/ESO
#Flashback
A white observatory dome bathed in warm sunset light, with a full moon rising over distant mountains.
October 21, 2025 at 7:01 AM
eso.org
“It was an unforgettable moment“, said photographer Julien Looten when he saw the Carina Nebula with his own eyes — the big pink spot.

Paranal’s location in the southern hemisphere & Chile's uniquely #DarkSkies made this possible https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2542a/

🔭 🧪
📷 J. Looten/ESO
The Milky Way band seemingly pouring into a telescope, right below the centre of the image. Within the Milky Way right above the telescope, the Carina Nebula is visible as a pink spot. One of the Magellanic Clouds is visible in the left side of the picture right above the horizon.
October 20, 2025 at 7:01 AM
eso.org
#TourESO 📹🔴 We're going live in just 5 minutes with our virtual tour of the Paranal Observatory! Don’t miss it! 🏃

Streamed here https://www.youtube.com/user/ESOobservatory/  

📷 ESO/P.Horálek
A panoramic night view of large telescope domes under a starry sky. One of the telescopes emits bright golden laser beams into the atmosphere. The Milky Way glows faintly along the horizon.
October 18, 2025 at 1:55 PM
eso.org
Curious what is it like working at ESO?

@jaydewst.bsky.social describes the experience of a Summer Research Student at our HQ in Germany 👇
jaydewillingham.github.io/Rd2Dr_Pages/...

By the way, several opportunities for students are still open 👉 recruitment.eso.org 🔭 🧪
October 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM
eso.org
A Tale of Three Stellar Cities!

This is the Orion Nebula, one of the closest stellar nurseries. In it, three different generations of stars live together, a hint to the fact that the stars of a cluster may not form simultaneously 🔭

More: https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1723a

📷 ESO/G. Beccari
A colorful nebula glowing in shades of pink, orange, and blue. Wisps of gas and dust swirl around bright clusters of stars. A brilliant white core at the centre is surrounded by countless smaller points of light.
October 16, 2025 at 12:02 PM