ESO Astronomy

ESO Astronomy The European Southern Observatory designs, builds & operates world-class observatories on the ground
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ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of even more powerful observing facilities. ESO has enabled the first picture of a planet around another star, measured the distance to the most remote object ever found, found the largest solar system yet around another star and contributed to the discovery of the Universe’s accelerating expansion due to the elusive dark energy.

Join the dots!Emitted by the four Unit Telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope, laser beams shine across the magnificen...
25/05/2026

Join the dots!

Emitted by the four Unit Telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope, laser beams shine across the magnificent Southern sky.

But what is creating those glowing beads of light on each beam? Find out here: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2621a/

📷 A. Berdeu/ESO

A virtual telescope with a diameter of up to 200 metres, that is what we get when we combine the light gathered by the U...
21/05/2026

A virtual telescope with a diameter of up to 200 metres, that is what we get when we combine the light gathered by the Unit and Auxiliary Telescopes at Paranal.

Called the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), it can capture some of the sharpest views of the Universe.

How does this work? Here's your VLTI 101, with 👇

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTk_bMcr4rs

The mirror is on its way!One of the mirrors of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), wrapped to protect it from the harsh en...
18/05/2026

The mirror is on its way!

One of the mirrors of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), wrapped to protect it from the harsh environment of Chile’s Atacama Desert, is slowly transported downhill to a special facility a couple of kilometres away at basecamp.

ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope — currently under construction — also watches silently from Cerro Armazones, seen in the background of this image.

This process is repeated for all VLT mirrors every 18 months. Here's why: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2620a/

📷 L. Sbordone/ESO

Adapted for extremes 💪Today’s Picture of the Week features two distinct families: a collection of ALMA Observatory anten...
11/05/2026

Adapted for extremes 💪

Today’s Picture of the Week features two distinct families: a collection of ALMA Observatory antennas and a trio of vicuñas, a type of camelid, related to llamas and alpacas.

Unlike in almost every way, the subjects of this image are linked by their extremely hostile home environment, high up in the Chilean Andes.

Discover how they withstand the harsh local conditions: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2619a/

📷 Sergio Otarola Photography /ESO

A concrete aperture! This image was captured below one of the four Unit Telescopes that make up ESO's Very Large Telesco...
04/05/2026

A concrete aperture!

This image was captured below one of the four Unit Telescopes that make up ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), around the basis of the enclosure.

And while the circular openings helped to create this stunning composition, they are far more than aesthetic: they form part of structural supports for the observing floor of the 8.2 metre telescopes, serving a very practical purpose.

Discover which one: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2618a/

📷 ESO/L. Sbordone

Chasing sunsets! ESO's Extremely Large Telescope is glowing in the sunset light of the Chilean Atacama Desert, surrounde...
27/04/2026

Chasing sunsets!

ESO's Extremely Large Telescope is glowing in the sunset light of the Chilean Atacama Desert, surrounded by massive cranes hard at work to get this telescope up and running.

Over 70% complete, the ELT is located atop Cerro Armazones, the mountain that casts a triangular shadow in the background.

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2617a/

📷 ESO/G. Vecchia

ESO's facilities at La Silla Observatory are on the road to being 100% run on renewables by the end of this year! We hav...
22/04/2026

ESO's facilities at La Silla Observatory are on the road to being 100% run on renewables by the end of this year! We have already installed:

⚡ A photovoltaic generator for the cooling and heating demands of the ESO 3.6-metre telescope and the accommodation area
⚡ Heat pumps for residential heating and hot water

With more to come soon, including a chiller system and a battery energy storage system 🔋

Got your best shots ready for this year's edition of AstroCamera?Awesome! Just make sure to submit them by 4 May, and re...
21/04/2026

Got your best shots ready for this year's edition of AstroCamera?

Awesome! Just make sure to submit them by 4 May, and remember that you can choose from four categories:
🌠 Deep Sky Objects
🪐 Solar System Objects
🌃 Astro-landscape
🛰️ International Space Station

Looking for inspiration? Check out last year’s winning shots 🏅👇

AstroCamera is an international astrophotography competition organised by the Hevelianum science centre in Gdańsk, Poland, and supported by ESO.

Read more: https://www.astrocamera.pl/en

Petr Pavel (President of the Czech Republic), Francisco Pérez Mackenna (Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs) and a large...
20/04/2026

Petr Pavel (President of the Czech Republic), Francisco Pérez Mackenna (Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs) and a large Czech delegation have concluded a visit to ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Northern Chile.

Welcomed by ESO's Director General Xavier Barcons on 17 April, the visitors toured the Extremely Large Telescope construction site, before heading to the Very Large Telescope.

The delegation also learned about the business opportunities created by ESO's development of cutting-edge technology.

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/annlang26005-es-cl/

📷 ESO

This isn't a scene from Star Wars.What you're looking at is the Tarantula Nebula. While those beams come from the lasers...
20/04/2026

This isn't a scene from Star Wars.

What you're looking at is the Tarantula Nebula. While those beams come from the lasers installed on the telescopes that comprise ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer.

But why are we sending lasers into the sky? Find out here: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2616a/

📷 A. Berdeu/ESO

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