ESO
Omega Centauri -- The Glittering Giant of the Southern Skies
Sparkling away at magnitude 3.7 and appearing nearly as large as the full moon on the southern night sky, Omega Centauri is visible with the unaided eye from a clear, dark observing site. Even through a modest ...
Dec 02, 2008 |
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Europe unveils 20-year plan for brilliant future in astronomy
Europe is a leader in astronomy today, with the world's most successful optical observatory, ESO's Very Large Telescope, and cutting-edge facilities in radio astronomy and in space. In an unprecedented effort ...
Nov 25, 2008 |
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Beta Pictoris planet finally imaged?
(PhysOrg.com) -- The hot star Beta Pictoris is one of the best-known examples of stars surrounded by a dusty 'debris' disc. Debris discs are composed of dust resulting from collisions among larger bodies like ...
Nov 21, 2008 |
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Astronomers detect matter torn apart by black hole
The team of European and US astronomers used ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope, both in Chile, to study light from Sagittarius A* at near-infrared wavelengths ...
Nov 18, 2008 |
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APEX reveals glowing stellar nurseries
The region, called RCW120, is about 4200 light years from Earth, towards the constellation of Scorpius. A hot, massive star in its centre is emitting huge amounts of ultraviolet radiation, which ionises the ...
Nov 11, 2008 |
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A pool of distant galaxies -- the deepest ultraviolet image of the universe yet
This uniquely beautiful patchwork image, with its myriad of brightly coloured galaxies, shows the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S), arguably the most observed and best studied region in the entire sky. The ...
Nov 07, 2008 |
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A claret-colored cloud with a massive heart
(PhysOrg.com) -- Gum 29 is a huge region of hydrogen gas that has been stripped of its electrons (ionised) by the intense radiation of the hot young stars located at its centre. Astronomers call this an HII ...
Oct 21, 2008 |
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Violent flickering in Black Holes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Unique observations of the flickering light from the surroundings of two black holes provide new insights into the colossal energy that flows at their hearts. By mapping out how well the variations ...
Oct 15, 2008 |
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Astronomers get best view yet of infant stars at feeding time
Astronomers have used ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer to conduct the first high resolution survey that combines spectroscopy and interferometry on intermediate-mass infant stars. They obtained a ...
Oct 10, 2008 |
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Born from the wind -- unique multi-wavelength portrait of star birth
Telescopes on the ground and in space have teamed up to compose a colourful image that offers a fresh look at the history of the star-studded region NGC 346. This new, ethereal portrait, in which different ...
Oct 08, 2008 |
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Sharpening up Jupiter
A record two-hour observation of Jupiter using a superior technique to remove atmospheric blur has produced the sharpest whole-planet picture ever taken from the ground. The series of 265 snapshots obtained ...
Oct 02, 2008 |
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The wild, hidden cousin of SN 1987A supernova
The supernova, called SN 1996cr, was first singled out in 2001 by Franz Bauer. Bauer noticed a bright, variable source in the Circinus spiral galaxy, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Although the source ...
Sep 25, 2008 |
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The hibernating stellar magnet: First optically active magnetar-candidate discovered
Astronomers have discovered a most bizarre celestial object that emitted 40 visible-light flashes before disappearing again. It is most likely to be a missing link in the family of neutron stars, the first ...
Sep 24, 2008 |
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Pinning down the Milky Way's spin
New, very precise measurements have shown that the rotation of the Milky Way is simpler than previously thought. A remarkable result from the most successful ESO instrument HARPS, shows that a much debated, ...
Sep 19, 2008 |
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Future looks bright for interferometry
The PRIMA instrument of the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) recently saw "first light" at its new home atop Cerro Paranal in Chile. When fully operational, PRIMA will boost the capabilities ...
Sep 19, 2008 |
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