Astronomers make first clear detection of a moon-forming disc around an exoplanet
Using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, astronomers have unambiguously detected the presence of a disc around a planet outside our Solar System for the first...
Galactic fireworks: new ESO images reveal stunning features of nearby galaxies
A team of astronomers has released new observations of nearby galaxies that resemble colourful cosmic fireworks. The images, obtained with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), show different components of the...
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 early 2020, the astronomy community was puzzled. A team of astronomers have now published new images of the star’s surface, taken using the...
Pozoruhodný příběh s červenými skřítky z mise Swarm
Všichni dobře známe bleskové výboje, které doprovází silné bouřky. Zatímco troposferické blesky pocházejí z bouřkových mraků a směřují směrem dolů, daleko prchavější jev vzniká výše v atmosféře a vystřeluje směrem do vesmíru. Jaká je tedy...
Heavy metal vapours 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 exist in the atmospheres of comets throughout our Solar System, even those far from the Sun. A...
New telescope at ESO’s La Silla joins effort to protect Earth from risky asteroids
Part of the world-wide effort to scan and identify near-Earth objects, the European Space Agency’s Test-Bed Telescope 2 (TBT2), a technology demonstrator hosted at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, has now started operating. Working alongside...
Zahájen příjem přihlášek na pozici nových astronautů ESA
ESA nyní přijímá přihlášky zájemců o pozici astronauta. Uvítáme kvalifikované uchazeče bez rozdílu pohlaví.
First interstellar comet may be the most pristine 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 recently detected interstellar visitor to our Solar System, is one of the most...
Astronomers image magnetic fields at the edge of M87’s black hole
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, who produced the first ever image of a black hole, has today revealed a new view of the massive object at the centre of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy: how it looks in polarised light. This is the...
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 in Jupiter’s middle atmosphere for the first time. By analysing the...
Most distant quasar with powerful radio jets discovered
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 radio emission known to date. The source is a “radio-loud” quasar — a bright object...
Week in images: 01 - 05 March 2021
Week in images: 01 - 05 March 2021 Discover our week through the lens
Visit ESA virtually with new Discover ESA platform
Do you want to visit all ESA establishments and see what we’re doing to explore space and protect our planet? Now you can, by taking virtual tours from your own homes, thanks to the Discover ESA interactive experience.
Earth from Space: Galápagos Islands
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the Galápagos Islands – a volcanic archipelago situated some 1000 km west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean.
ExoMars goes for a spin
The full ExoMars 2022 mission comprising the carrier module, descent module, Kazachok surface platform and Rosalind Franklin rover have completed essential ‘spin tests’ in preparation for their journey to Mars Rosalind Franklin’s rover...
Monitoring methane emissions from gas pipelines
For the first time, scientists, using satellite data from the Copernicus Sentinel missions, are now able to detect individual methane plumes leaking from natural gas pipelines around the globe.
Space Care
Video: 00:01:50 Why does ESA send missions beyond our Earth? To explore unknown worlds, and better understand our place in the Universe. But that answer only gives part of the picture. The first thing people do when they first reach...
Media event: Second spaceflight for Samantha Cristoforetti
Video: 01:17:00 Watch the replay of the briefing to media representatives to learn more about the next spaceflight of ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.During the event, Samantha was joined by ESA Director General Josef...