View of the starry sky at the Paranal Observatory. The photo was taken from the side of the visitor center. In the background, you can see the Paranal Technology Museum, located inside an old train car.
","Credit":"ESO/N.Schafer","PublicationDate":"2026-09-15T13:38:51.398438Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified"],"Name":["Paranal"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC00058_5804/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/original/DSC00058_5804.tif","FileSize":2847792,"Dimensions":[1616,1080],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/large/DSC00058_5804.jpg","FileSize":647595,"Dimensions":[1616,1080],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/screen/DSC00058_5804.jpg","FileSize":308311,"Dimensions":[1280.0,856.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC00058_5804.jpg","FileSize":9695,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC00058_5804.jpg","FileSize":4543,"Dimensions":[60.0,41.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2637a","Title":"A starry night, in another galaxy","Description":"When we look up at our own night sky, most of the stars we see are the familiar residents of our Milky Way galaxy. Only a few more distant objects, like the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, our neighbouring galaxies, peek into our little corner of the cosmos. What this Picture of the Week shows us is a completely different stellar landscape, zooming in to the centre of the Large Magellanic Cloud to reveal what looks like a sky filled with millions of foreign stars.
\r\nThe central regions of galaxies are hard to study: dust partially blocks our view, and stars are so densely packed that it’s difficult to tell them apart. To uncover these hidden stars in the Magellanic Clouds, astronomers used ESO's Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). Over several years, VISTA's high-resolution infrared camera pierced through the dust to image the cores of these galaxies, finding a treasure trove of information about the inner lives of our nearest galactic neighbours.
\r\nThe team, led by Maria-Rosa Cioni, a professor at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam, Germany, observed these galactic cores about 40 times over this extended period. With these data, they could then measure the subtle motion of stars in the cores, which is key to pinpoint the exact location of the centres of these galaxies. As well as this, by monitoring the periodic changes in the brightness of certain stars, which can be used to measure distances, astronomers will be able to reconstruct the 3D structure of the cores of these galaxies. Now that this unique dataset has been publicly released, the wider astronomical community can also access the information within, potentially digging up more secrets from deep inside our cosmic companions.
\r\nWhen we look up at our own night sky, most of the stars we see are the familiar residents of our Milky Way galaxy. Only a few more distant objects, like the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, our neighbouring galaxies, peek into our little corner of the cosmos. What this Picture of the Week shows us is a completely different stellar landscape, zooming in to the centre of the Small Magellanic Cloud to reveal what looks like a sky filled with millions of foreign stars.
\r\nThe central regions of galaxies are hard to study: dust partially blocks our view, and stars are so densely packed that it’s difficult to tell them apart. To uncover these hidden stars in the Magellanic Clouds, astronomers used ESO's Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). Over several years, VISTA's high-resolution infrared camera pierced through the dust to image the cores of these galaxies, finding a treasure trove of information about the inner lives of our nearest galactic neighbours.
\r\nThe team, led by Maria-Rosa Cioni, a professor at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam, Germany, observed these galactic cores about 40 times over this extended period. With these data, they could then measure the subtle motion of stars in the cores, which is key to pinpoint the exact location of the centres of these galaxies. As well as this, by monitoring the periodic changes in the brightness of certain stars, which can be used to measure distances, astronomers will be able to reconstruct the 3D structure of the cores of these galaxies. Now that this unique dataset has been publicly released, the wider astronomical community can also access the information within, potentially digging up more secrets from deep inside our cosmic companions.
\r\nSunset from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) platform.
","Credit":"ESO/S. Troncoso","PublicationDate":"2026-09-11T13:02:57.283621Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Sky Phenomenon : Light Phenomenon : Sunrise-Sunset"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/NightToursE/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/NightToursE.tif","FileSize":20469218,"Dimensions":[4284,5712],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/NightToursE.jpg","FileSize":1919712,"Dimensions":[4284,5712],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/NightToursE.jpg","FileSize":118083,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1707.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/NightToursE.jpg","FileSize":6645,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/NightToursE.jpg","FileSize":4660,"Dimensions":[60.0,80.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"NightToursD","Title":"Visitors tour the control room at ESO's Paranal Observatory","Description":"Visitors tour the control room at ESO's Paranal Observatory.
","Credit":"ESO/S. Troncoso","PublicationDate":"2026-09-11T13:02:53.397748Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["VLT Control Room"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/NightToursD/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":25,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/NightToursD.tif","FileSize":33598236,"Dimensions":[5712,4284],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/NightToursD.jpg","FileSize":4607821,"Dimensions":[5712,4284],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/NightToursD.jpg","FileSize":279403,"Dimensions":[1280.0,960.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/NightToursD.jpg","FileSize":14149,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/NightToursD.jpg","FileSize":5821,"Dimensions":[60.0,45.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"NightToursC","Title":"Visitors get an inside look at one of the Unit Telescopes (UT)","Description":"Visitors get an inside look at one of the Unit Telescopes (UT).
","Credit":"ESO/S. Troncoso","PublicationDate":"2026-09-11T13:02:48.804425Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Very Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/NightToursC/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/NightToursC.tif","FileSize":34005416,"Dimensions":[5712,4284],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/NightToursC.jpg","FileSize":4681323,"Dimensions":[5712,4284],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/NightToursC.jpg","FileSize":351780,"Dimensions":[1280.0,960.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/NightToursC.jpg","FileSize":17194,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/NightToursC.jpg","FileSize":6081,"Dimensions":[60.0,45.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"NightToursB","Title":"Visitors tour the Very Large Telescope (VLT) platform","Description":"Visitors tour the Very Large Telescope (VLT) platform. Unit Telescope 1 (UT1) is visible in the photo.
","Credit":"ESO/S. Troncoso","PublicationDate":"2026-09-11T13:02:44Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Very Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/NightToursB/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/NightToursB.tif","FileSize":16822718,"Dimensions":[4032,3024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/NightToursB.jpg","FileSize":2430615,"Dimensions":[4032,3024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/NightToursB.jpg","FileSize":271318,"Dimensions":[1280.0,960.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/NightToursB.jpg","FileSize":12860,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/NightToursB.jpg","FileSize":5595,"Dimensions":[60.0,45.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"NightToursA","Title":"Visitors gather in downtown Antofagasta","Description":"Visitors gather in downtown Antofagasta, one of the pickup points for the night tour of Paranal. A bus will take them to the Observatory.
","Credit":"ESO/S. Troncoso","PublicationDate":"2026-09-11T13:02:40.571444Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/NightToursA/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":25,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/NightToursA.tif","FileSize":34040446,"Dimensions":[5712,4284],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/NightToursA.jpg","FileSize":4469240,"Dimensions":[5712,4284],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/NightToursA.jpg","FileSize":303733,"Dimensions":[1280.0,960.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/NightToursA.jpg","FileSize":15220,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/NightToursA.jpg","FileSize":5846,"Dimensions":[60.0,45.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2636a","Title":"It’s a new MOON(S)!","Description":"Today’s Picture of the Week celebrates the intricate design of the Multi Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph, or MOONS, a new instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) that recently performed its first observations. Shown here, suspended in darkness, are two of MOONS’ infrared cameras. These multi-tiered shiny metal structures, covered in bolts and cables, will be used to probe the construction of our galaxy and those beyond.
\r\nThe centre of the Milky Way is shrouded in dust, which blocks visible light from inner stars passing through to us. By gathering a different type of light that can pass through this dust, called infrared, MOONS can investigate the properties of millions of these ‘hidden’ stars. This will enable astronomers to produce an accurate 3D map of the centre of our galaxy. MOONS will also be used to study millions of other galaxies, probing how they form and evolve at different ages of the Universe.
\r\nHow does MOONS’ design enable detailed observations of so many cosmic objects? By using around 1000 fibre-optic cables, each mounted on a robotic positioner that carefully points it to the exact location of an astronomical object, whose light is then fed from the VLT into two spectrographs. Spectrographs work like a prism creating a rainbow, splitting the light they receive into separate ‘colours’ (or wavelengths) to then be detected by cameras, like the ones in this image. The fingerprints of chemical elements encoded in the light can then be analysed in detail, revealing properties of cosmic objects like composition, mass, and velocity. To minimise contamination from sources of infrared light around the instrument, MOONS is kept very cold (between –143 and –233 degrees Celsius) thanks to a cryostat.
\r\nMOONS was developed by an international consortium led by the Science and Technology Facilities Council's UK Astronomy Technology Centre. Reflecting on his image of the unique and powerful new instrument, photographer and ESO astronomer Luca Sbordone says: “I find that these objects are beautiful, it’s a beauty that comes from the cleverness, precision, dedication and accumulated knowledge needed to make them”.
\r\nThis image shows Baade’s window, an area in the sky towards the centre of the Milky Way, the first field observed with the MOONS instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). MOONS is installed at the VLT’s Unit Telescope 1, the large dome towards the centre of the image. The inset above the telescope shows Baade’s window in more detail. The background image within the inset was taken with the now-retired VIRCAM infrared camera. The circles mark the position of the MOONS optical fibres. Each fibre captures the light of a single star and redirects it to one of two spectrographs, which decompose it into its constituent infrared colours or wavelengths.
","Credit":"ESO/MOONS team/VVV survey/F. Char","PublicationDate":"2026-09-03T07:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Center/Core","Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Baade Window","Milky Way","Very Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26007b/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26007b.tif","FileSize":36300150,"Dimensions":[6775,2996],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26007b.jpg","FileSize":5759643,"Dimensions":[6775,2996],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26007b.jpg","FileSize":229795,"Dimensions":[1280.0,567.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26007b.jpg","FileSize":11384,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26007b.jpg","FileSize":4430,"Dimensions":[60.0,27.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26007a","Title":"The MOONS instrument at the VLT","Description":"The MOONS instrument installed at one of the 8 m telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The circular structure at the interface between the telescope and the instrument contains about 1000 optical fibres that can be accurately pointed to different objects within the telescope’s field of view. Their light is then fed into spectrographs at the back of the instrument.
","Credit":"UK ATC/M. Black","PublicationDate":"2026-09-03T07:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Instrument"],"Name":["MOONS"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26007a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26007a.tif","FileSize":12846130,"Dimensions":[4000,1848],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26007a.jpg","FileSize":2397153,"Dimensions":[4000,1848],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26007a.jpg","FileSize":267884,"Dimensions":[1280.0,592.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26007a.jpg","FileSize":19154,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26007a.jpg","FileSize":5530,"Dimensions":[60.0,28.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26007e","Title":"MOONS team observing with the instrument","Description":"Members of the MOONS team from the UK Astronomy Technology Centre and ESO observing with the instrument.
","Credit":"ESO/M. Cirasuolo","PublicationDate":"2026-09-03T07:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People : Scientist"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26007e/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26007e.tif","FileSize":13223480,"Dimensions":[3200,2220],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26007e.jpg","FileSize":1671291,"Dimensions":[3200,2220],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26007e.jpg","FileSize":280133,"Dimensions":[1280.0,888.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26007e.jpg","FileSize":16752,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26007e.jpg","FileSize":6345,"Dimensions":[60.0,42.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26007c","Title":"MOONS first light spectra","Description":"This image shows some of the first spectra captured by the MOONS instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The background image was taken with the now-retired VIRCAM infrared camera, and shows Baade’s window, an area in the sky towards the centre of the Milky Way. The circles mark the position of the MOONS optical fibres. Each fibre captures the light of a single star and redirects it to one of two spectrographs, which decompose it into its constituent infrared colours or wavelengths. The inset shows the spectra of five stars, which exhibit the chemical fingerprints of sulphur (S), iron (Fe), titanium (Ti), silicon (Si), chromium (Cr) and magnesium (Mg).
","Credit":"ESO/MOONS team/VVV survey","PublicationDate":"2026-09-03T07:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Center/Core"],"Name":["Baade Window"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26007c/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26007c.tif","FileSize":17616922,"Dimensions":[4982,2562],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26007c.jpg","FileSize":4128643,"Dimensions":[4982,2562],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26007c.jpg","FileSize":276947,"Dimensions":[1280.0,659.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26007c.jpg","FileSize":12638,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26007c.jpg","FileSize":4468,"Dimensions":[60.0,31.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Spatial":{"ReferenceDimension":[4982.0,2562.0]}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26007f","Title":"The MOONS instrument and its team","Description":"Members of the MOONS team from the UK Astronomy Technology Centre and ESO pose in front of the instrument, installed at one of the 8 m telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).
","Credit":"UK ATC/G. Soutar","PublicationDate":"2026-09-03T07:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People : Scientist"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26007f/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26007f.tif","FileSize":39935458,"Dimensions":[5870,3913],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26007f.jpg","FileSize":5638950,"Dimensions":[5870,3913],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26007f.jpg","FileSize":330645,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26007f.jpg","FileSize":19721,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26007f.jpg","FileSize":6668,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26007d","Title":"Preview of MOONS spectra","Description":"This photograph shows infrared spectra obtained by MOONS, as seen in the instrument’s console. Each row contains the spectrum of a different astronomical source, each captured by a different optical fibre. The bright vertical lines correspond to radiation emitted by atoms and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere shining at very specific wavelengths. The window at the bottom shows an individual spectrum in graphical form.
","Credit":"ESO/A. Bayo","PublicationDate":"2026-09-03T07:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26007d/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":10,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26007d.tif","FileSize":5005292,"Dimensions":[1690,1120],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26007d.jpg","FileSize":1012485,"Dimensions":[1690,1120],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26007d.jpg","FileSize":415089,"Dimensions":[1280.0,849.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26007d.jpg","FileSize":15177,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26007d.jpg","FileSize":5603,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Spatial":{"ReferenceDimension":[1690.0,1120.0]}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlang26009b-es-cl-en","Title":"Visitors at ESO's Paranal Observatory","Description":"Visitors at ESO's Paranal Observatory. A group of people walks across the platform of the Very Large Telescope (ESO). Two Unit Telescopes (UT) can be seen.
","Credit":"ESO/N.Schafer","PublicationDate":"2026-09-02T14:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"],"Name":["Paranal"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/annlang26009b-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":17,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlang26009b-es-cl.tif","FileSize":5814138,"Dimensions":[3164,2103],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlang26009b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":972681,"Dimensions":[3164,2103],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlang26009b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":188588,"Dimensions":[1280.0,851.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlang26009b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":12597,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlang26009b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5144,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26006a","Title":"Andreas Kaufer at ESO’s office in Vitacura, Chile","Description":"ESO Director General Andreas Kaufer poses for a photo at the entrance of the ESO office in Vitacura, Santiago, Chile.
","Credit":"ESO/J. Porte","PublicationDate":"2026-09-01T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"],"Name":["ESO Director General"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26006a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":60,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26006a.tif","FileSize":39947798,"Dimensions":[6720,4480],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26006a.jpg","FileSize":4469332,"Dimensions":[6720,4480],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26006a.jpg","FileSize":135801,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26006a.jpg","FileSize":9447,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26006a.jpg","FileSize":4796,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26006d","Title":"Andreas Kaufer at the CTAO-South site","Description":"ESO Director General Andreas Kaufer is seen here in front of the construction grounds of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory’s (CTAO’s) southern site, near ESO’s Paranal Observatory. The photo was taken during a visit in summer 2026, while Kaufer was ESO Director of Operations.
","Credit":"ESO/F. Carrasco","PublicationDate":"2026-09-01T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"],"Name":["ESO Director General"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26006d/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":60,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26006d.tif","FileSize":36649320,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26006d.jpg","FileSize":4095528,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26006d.jpg","FileSize":165764,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26006d.jpg","FileSize":11627,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26006d.jpg","FileSize":5064,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26006c","Title":"Andreas Kaufer during a visit to the ELT","Description":"ESO Director General Andreas Kaufer is seen here at the construction site of our Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), during a visit in his role as ESO Director of Operations in summer 2026.
","Credit":"ESO/F. Carrasco","PublicationDate":"2026-09-01T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26006c/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":60,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26006c.tif","FileSize":26362266,"Dimensions":[5788,3908],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26006c.jpg","FileSize":2928501,"Dimensions":[5788,3908],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26006c.jpg","FileSize":143377,"Dimensions":[1280.0,865.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26006c.jpg","FileSize":10305,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26006c.jpg","FileSize":4911,"Dimensions":[60.0,41.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"_DSF9440-2","Title":"Andreas Kaufer at the ELT","Description":"Andreas Kaufer, Director of Operations and upcoming ESO Director General, in front of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The ELT will see first light before the end of this decade.
","Credit":"ESO/F. Carrasco","PublicationDate":"2026-09-01T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"],"Name":["ESO Director General"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/_DSF9440-2/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/_DSF9440-2.tif","FileSize":144031034,"Dimensions":[4000,6000],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"673fd384ad82a3f442517f6761d073ce4816aca7e56298b81e8241ef2a930cbb"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/_DSF9440-2.jpg","FileSize":3566176,"Dimensions":[4000,6000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/_DSF9440-2.jpg","FileSize":287249,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1920.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/_DSF9440-2.jpg","FileSize":12344,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/_DSF9440-2.jpg","FileSize":8185,"Dimensions":[60.0,90.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_87-cc","Title":"Snow-covered Cerro Armazones","Description":"A fresh layer of snow covers the slopes of Cerro Armazones, the home of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, with its telescope’s dome rising from the summit beneath a deep blue sky. The lower hill to the right of Armazones hosts the Rolf Chini Cerro Murphy Observatory. Taken on 19 August 2026, the image shows an unusually wintry side of the Atacama Desert, where snow is a rare and fleeting sight.
","Credit":"C. Desgrange/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-08-31T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_87-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":61,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_87-cc.tif","FileSize":35586620,"Dimensions":[5184,3456],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_87-cc.jpg","FileSize":3795518,"Dimensions":[5184,3456],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_87-cc.jpg","FileSize":208807,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_87-cc.jpg","FileSize":11003,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_87-cc.jpg","FileSize":4801,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"20260819Paranal_neige_49","Title":"Snow and clouds at Cerro Armazones","Description":"Snow covers the hills around ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope on Cerro Armazones as low clouds spill over the summit. The lower hill to the right of Armazones hosts the Rolf Chini Cerro Murphy Observatory. Taken on 19 August 2026, the image captures unusual and short-lived weather conditions in Chile’s otherwise extremely dry Atacama Desert.
\r\nA blanket of snow covers the rocky slopes around ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, with the observatory’s telescopes visible on the summit under a clear blue sky. Taken on 19 August 2026, the image captures ephemeral and unusually wintry conditions in one of the driest regions on Earth.
","Credit":"C. Desgrange/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-08-31T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Cerro Paranal"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_41-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":61,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_41-cc.tif","FileSize":34328492,"Dimensions":[5184,3456],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_41-cc.jpg","FileSize":6012259,"Dimensions":[5184,3456],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_41-cc.jpg","FileSize":285455,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_41-cc.jpg","FileSize":13741,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2026-08-19_Paranal_neige_41-cc.jpg","FileSize":5097,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC08945-cc","Title":"The ELT hidden in the clouds","Description":"ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is almost completely hidden by a blanket of clouds on the snow-covered Cerro Armazones. Taken on 19 August 2026, the image shows unusually cloudy conditions at the ELT construction, that quickly returned to the usual dryness typical of Chile’s Atacama Desert.
","Credit":"A. Canu/Cimolai/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-08-31T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC08945-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":41,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC08945-cc.tif","FileSize":62017628,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC08945-cc.jpg","FileSize":1973537,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC08945-cc.jpg","FileSize":146975,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC08945-cc.jpg","FileSize":8446,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC08945-cc.jpg","FileSize":4730,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC08962-cc","Title":"A snow-covered Paranal landscape","Description":"Snow stretches across the mountains surrounding ESO’s Paranal Observatory, with the Very Large Telescope domes visible on the summit beneath a clear blue sky. ESO’s VISTA telescope stands alone on a separate hill to the right. Taken on 19 August 2026, the image shows the usually dry Atacama landscape transformed by a strikingly heavy covering of snow.
","Credit":"A. Canu/Cimolai/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-08-31T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Cerro Paranal"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC08962-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":61,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC08962-cc.tif","FileSize":62016132,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC08962-cc.jpg","FileSize":2438696,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC08962-cc.jpg","FileSize":203444,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC08962-cc.jpg","FileSize":9478,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC08962-cc.jpg","FileSize":4596,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2635a","Title":"A rare snowy day for the world's biggest eye on the sky","Description":"An unusual sight greets Cerro Armazones, in Chile’s Atacama Desert, in this drone image, taken on 19 August 2026. Snow blankets parts of the mountain while low clouds drift around the dome of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), glowing in the light of a low Sun.
\r\nCerro Armazones was chosen as the ELT's home for its exceptionally dry conditions, clear skies and rock-steady atmosphere — conditions among the best on Earth for observing the Universe. That's exactly what makes a scene like this so rare: snow and thick clouds briefly turned the usually bare desert into a white landscape, before the mountain's typical dry, cloudless weather quickly returned.
\r\nThese are extremely infrequent weather events, but even under normal conditions the Atacama Desert is still a harsh environment. To protect the telescope from its surroundings, the ELT sits inside an enormous dome built to shield its most delicate components, including its huge mirrors and scientific instruments, yet to be installed.
\r\nOnce construction is complete and the ELT achieves first light later this decade, it will use the mountain's exceptional skies to explore the Universe in unprecedented detail, tackling some of astronomy's biggest open questions, from exoplanets to the first galaxies that ever formed.
\r\nVisit by Chilean Minister of Science Ximena Lincolao to the construction site of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). From left to right: Itziar de Gregrorio-Monsalvo, ESO representative in Chile; Andreas Kaufer, future Director General of ESO and current Director of Operations; Ximena Lincolao, Chile’s Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation; Héctor Bravo, science regional ministerial secretariat of Antofagasta.
","Credit":"Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología, Conocimiento e Innovación de Chile","PublicationDate":"2026-08-26T14:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/annlang26008a-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":19,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlang26008a-es-cl.tif","FileSize":4585376,"Dimensions":[2048,1152],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlang26008a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":769251,"Dimensions":[2048,1152],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlang26008a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":259861,"Dimensions":[1280.0,720.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlang26008a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":16103,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlang26008a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5919,"Dimensions":[60.0,34.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlang26008b-es-cl-en","Title":"Visit by Chilean Minister of Science","Description":"Visit by Chilean Minister of Science Ximena Lincolao to the construction site of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
","Credit":"Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología, Conocimiento e Innovación de Chile","PublicationDate":"2026-08-26T14:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/annlang26008b-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":19,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlang26008b-es-cl.tif","FileSize":4056182,"Dimensions":[2000,1127],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlang26008b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":676345,"Dimensions":[2000,1127],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlang26008b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":255432,"Dimensions":[1280.0,722.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlang26008b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":17668,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlang26008b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5929,"Dimensions":[60.0,34.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlang26008c-es-cl-en","Title":"Visit by Chilean Minister of Science","Description":"Visit by Chilean Minister of Science Ximena Lincolao to the Very Large Telescope (VLT).
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-08-26T14:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/annlang26008c-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":19,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlang26008c-es-cl.tif","FileSize":3124298,"Dimensions":[2000,1126],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlang26008c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":690170,"Dimensions":[2000,1126],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlang26008c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":290354,"Dimensions":[1280.0,721.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlang26008c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":13873,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlang26008c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5164,"Dimensions":[60.0,34.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26005c","Title":"Prototyping the WIFP units","Description":"This image shows an Agilex 9 development kit from Altera, which is currently being used to prototype the future wideband intermediate frequency processor (WIFP) for ALMA. The WIFP project aims to develop and deliver the equipment needed to digitise the analogue intermediate-frequency signals from the antennas and prepare them for transportation to the correlator, where the signals are combined. The WIFP is a critical component of the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade, an ongoing major revamp of ALMA.
","Credit":"Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux","PublicationDate":"2026-08-24T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology"],"Name":["Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26005c/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26005c.tif","FileSize":13662184,"Dimensions":[4032,1816],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26005c.jpg","FileSize":1927340,"Dimensions":[4032,1816],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26005c.jpg","FileSize":240757,"Dimensions":[1280.0,577.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26005c.jpg","FileSize":19655,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26005c.jpg","FileSize":5722,"Dimensions":[60.0,28.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26005b","Title":"Rendering of a WIFP unit","Description":"This image shows an engineering rendering of a unit on the new ALMA wideband intermediate frequency processor (WIFP). The WIFP project aims to develop and deliver the equipment needed to digitise the analogue intermediate-frequency signals from the antennas and prepare them for transportation to the correlator, where the signals are combined. The WIFP is a critical component of the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade, an ongoing major revamp of ALMA.
","Credit":"Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux","PublicationDate":"2026-08-24T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology"],"Name":["Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26005b/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26005b.tif","FileSize":4371278,"Dimensions":[4714,3270],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26005b.jpg","FileSize":1951049,"Dimensions":[4714,3270],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26005b.jpg","FileSize":173377,"Dimensions":[1280.0,888.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26005b.jpg","FileSize":12494,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26005b.jpg","FileSize":5199,"Dimensions":[60.0,42.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"http://www.eso.org/","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"uhd_beletsky_alma_09","Title":"ALMA antennas","Description":"A whole group of ALMA antennas was collected on this UHD image, while they are observing the night sky.
","Credit":"ESO/Y. Beletsky","PublicationDate":"2026-08-24T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/uhd_beletsky_alma_09/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":79,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/uhd_beletsky_alma_09.tif","FileSize":30083198,"Dimensions":[5072,3272],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/uhd_beletsky_alma_09.jpg","FileSize":4589571,"Dimensions":[5072,3272],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/uhd_beletsky_alma_09.jpg","FileSize":257011,"Dimensions":[1280.0,826.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/uhd_beletsky_alma_09.jpg","FileSize":9909,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/uhd_beletsky_alma_09.jpg","FileSize":4710,"Dimensions":[60.0,39.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2634a","Title":"A bubbling Betelgeuse","Description":"Today’s Picture of the Week, taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), reveals one of the most detailed views yet of the surface of Betelgeuse — the famous orange star in the constellation of Orion, 600 light-years away. Unlike our own Sun, which is relatively smooth and spherical, Betelgeuse is a red supergiant almost 800 times larger, with a highly uneven, lumpy surface.
\r\nBetelgeuse’s peaks and troughs originate from the motion of giant bubbles of hot gas rising from deep within the star to its surface. The team behind these observations suggest that this large-scale movement of gas leads to these ‘hotspots’ on the star’s surface. Surprisingly, however, the brightest hotspot seen in the new observations also appears in data recorded seven years earlier, much longer than the lifetimes predicted by current models.
\r\nThe persistent nature of these hotspots may be connected to the orbit of a close companion star recently suggested by observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The team was motivated to study the star’s surface to see whether hotspots could be related to events such as the dramatic dimming of Betelgeuse in 2020. As a star nearing the end of its life, there's another reason Betelgeuse draws astronomers. “Its eventual fate as a supernova makes it fascinating to know what it actually looks like now,” says lead author of the study Bill Dent, an astronomer at ESO. When Betelgeuse does eventually explode, it will be bright enough to see from Earth even in broad daylight.
\r\nThis sequence of images, taken with the GRAVITY instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), show several stars orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. One of these stars, known as S301, was recently found to pass much closer to the black hole than any other known star.
\r\nS301 orbits Sagittarius A* every 8.7 years. At its closest approach — similar to the distance between the Sun and Saturn — the star moves at more than 8% the speed of light. The size of Neptune’s orbit is shown as a reference.
\r\nS301 passes so close to Sagittarius A* that its orbit could be affected by the rotation of the black hole, which twists space-time around it. The effect is small, but could be potentially measured in the next few years with the VLTI and ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction.
\r\nThe orbit of S301 is displayed here with an elliptical curve. In each frame, the solid curve shows the path that the star has already completed up to that point, whereas the dashed one marks the path it will follow afterwards.
","Credit":"ESO/GRAVITY collaboration","PublicationDate":"2026-08-19T15:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole"],"Name":["S301","Sagittarius A*"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2612b/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2612b.tif","FileSize":1839058,"Dimensions":[2576,2983],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2612b.jpg","FileSize":414408,"Dimensions":[2576,2983],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2612b.jpg","FileSize":111863,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1483.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2612b.jpg","FileSize":7736,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2612b.jpg","FileSize":5434,"Dimensions":[60.0,70.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2612c","Title":"VLT images of S301 and other S-stars orbiting Sagittarius A*","Description":"This sequence of images, taken with the GRAVITY instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), shows several stars orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. These stars are collectively known as S-stars. The arrows in these images indicate their observed motion around the black hole. One of the stars, S301, was recently found to pass much closer to the black hole than the other S-stars.
\r\nIts orbit is shown here with an elliptical curve. In each frame, the solid curve shows the path that the star has already completed up to that point, whereas the dashed one marks the path it will follow afterwards.
","Credit":"ESO/GRAVITY collaboration","PublicationDate":"2026-08-19T15:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole"],"Name":["S301","Sagittarius A*"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2612c/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2612c.tif","FileSize":1875002,"Dimensions":[2576,2983],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2612c.jpg","FileSize":436178,"Dimensions":[2576,2983],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2612c.jpg","FileSize":121160,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1483.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2612c.jpg","FileSize":7882,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2612c.jpg","FileSize":5314,"Dimensions":[60.0,70.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2612a","Title":"VLT images of the S301 star orbiting Sagittarius A*","Description":"This sequence of images, taken with the GRAVITY instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), show several stars orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. One of these stars, known as S301, was recently found to pass much closer to the black hole than any other known star.
\r\nS301 orbits Sagittarius A* every 8.7 years. At its closest approach — similar to the distance between the Sun and Saturn — the star moves at more than 8% the speed of light. The size of Neptune’s orbit is shown as a reference.
\r\nS301 passes so close to Sagittarius A* that its orbit could be affected by the rotation of the black hole, which twists space-time around it. The effect is small, but could be potentially measured in the next few years with the VLTI and ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction.
\r\nThe orbit of S301 is displayed here with an elliptical curve. In each frame, the solid curve shows the path that the star has already completed up to that point, whereas the dashed one marks the path it will follow afterwards.
","Credit":"ESO/GRAVITY collaboration","PublicationDate":"2026-08-19T15:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole"],"Name":["S301","Sagittarius A*"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2612a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2612a.tif","FileSize":2768700,"Dimensions":[4716,1765],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2612a.jpg","FileSize":518954,"Dimensions":[4716,1765],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2612a.jpg","FileSize":62451,"Dimensions":[1280.0,480.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2612a.jpg","FileSize":6763,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2612a.jpg","FileSize":4170,"Dimensions":[60.0,23.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2612d","Title":"Illustration of the Lense-Thirring effect","Description":"This illustration shows how a spinning black hole drags space-time around it, a phenomenon known as Lense-Thirring effect. If a star gets close enough to a spinning black hole, its orbit will change in a way that can be measured over long timescales with sufficiently precise telescopes and instruments.
","Credit":"ESO/M. Kornmesser","PublicationDate":"2026-08-19T15:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole"],"Name":["S301","Sagittarius A*"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2612d/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2612d.tif","FileSize":8369724,"Dimensions":[3900,2194],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2612d.jpg","FileSize":1466875,"Dimensions":[3900,2194],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2612d.jpg","FileSize":206837,"Dimensions":[1280.0,721.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2612d.jpg","FileSize":16771,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2612d.jpg","FileSize":5468,"Dimensions":[60.0,34.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2612e","Title":"Effect of a spinning black hole on the orbit of the S301 star","Description":"This image shows the path of the S301 star around Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. The diamonds show measurements performed with the GRAVITY instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The size of Neptune’s orbit is shown as a reference.
\r\nS301 orbits Sagittarius A* every 8 years. As it does so, its orbit rotates forming a rosette. This effect, known as Schwarzschild precession, had already been measured around Sagittarius A*, and it happens regardless of whether the black hole rotates or not.
\r\nHowever, if the black hole rotates there’s a different effect at play. As the black hole spins it drags and twists space-time around it, a phenomenon known as Lense-Thirring effect.
\r\nThe S301 star ventures so close to the black hole that it could be affected by this phenomenon. The twisted space-time around the black hole would slightly change the orbit of S301 at each close passage. After several years, the difference between the predicted orbits for a non-rotating black hole and a rotating one would be small, about the size of Earth’s orbit around the Sun, but large enough that it could be measured with the VLTI and ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction.
","Credit":"ESO/GRAVITY collaboration/L. Calçada","PublicationDate":"2026-08-19T15:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole"],"Name":["S301","Sagittarius A*"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2612e/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":25,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2612e.tif","FileSize":24910086,"Dimensions":[3840,2160],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2612e.jpg","FileSize":684048,"Dimensions":[3840,2160],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2612e.jpg","FileSize":81658,"Dimensions":[1280.0,720.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2612e.jpg","FileSize":7461,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2612e.jpg","FileSize":4217,"Dimensions":[60.0,34.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2633a","Title":"A giant made of many","Description":"At first glance, one antenna seems to tower over the rest. In reality, perspective makes the nearest dish dominate this Picture of the Week, while a line of antennas appears to shrink into the distance beneath the clear blue sky. They belong to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international observatory in northern Chile in which ESO is a partner.
\r\nALMA consists of 66 antennas that work together rather than as separate telescopes. They combine the signals they receive using a technique called interferometry, creating a virtual telescope as large as the distance between the outermost antennas. The antennas can be repositioned across the site: placed close together, they are well suited to map broad cosmic structures, while spreading them across larger distances – of up to 16 kilometers – allows astronomers to distinguish much finer details.
\r\nInstead of visible light, ALMA detects millimetre and submillimetre radiation, which lies between infrared and radio waves. This light comes from some of the coldest material in the Universe, including clouds of gas and dust where stars are born and discs where planets take shape. Seen in this image, the antennas show that ALMA’s strength lies not in the single dishes, but in the way all 66 of them, work together as one.
","Credit":"A. Russell/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-08-17T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope"],"Name":["Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2633a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/potw2633a.tif","FileSize":272692786,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"ceea33f7f3f722d8e1e7d3954177977c19ed05a187367fcb332e1bae8dc40a30"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/potw2633a.jpg","FileSize":4662420,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/potw2633a.jpg","FileSize":167118,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/potw2633a.jpg","FileSize":10161,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/potw2633a.jpg","FileSize":4911,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2632a","Title":"The night shift begins","Description":"At ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile, sunset does not mark the end of the day. Instead, it signals the beginning of a night under the stars. Today’s Picture of the Week comes from the Residencia, a home away from home for astronomers and other staff members working in shifts at the remote Atacama Desert site. In this photo, the last rays of sunlight slice through one of the Residencia’s corridors, casting lines of light and shadow across the concrete interior. At the far end of the ramp, a solitary figure stands in the light, framed between day and night.
\r\nESO staff astronomer and photographer Luca Sbordone spotted this scene as he returned from dinner before heading to the telescopes for a night of observing. Knowing that the angle of the shadows would only last a few minutes, he ran to fetch his camera and recruited a colleague to add a human element to the image.
\r\nThe Residencia is the part-time home for the people who keep Paranal running. Built partly below ground and designed to blend into the Atacama Desert, it offers shelter from one of the driest environments on Earth. Natural daylight reaches its central spaces through a 35-metre-wide dome and several skylights. Each day as daylight fades, a night of observations begins.
","Credit":"L. Sbordone/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-08-10T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Facility"],"Name":["Paranal Residencia"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2632a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/potw2632a.tif","FileSize":238951504,"Dimensions":[5152,7728],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"03c8ba6ca8b532ea53da47f2326642910481bb0005a664783689b851c0c73281"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/potw2632a.jpg","FileSize":16604707,"Dimensions":[5152,7728],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/potw2632a.jpg","FileSize":652191,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1920.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/potw2632a.jpg","FileSize":13474,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/potw2632a.jpg","FileSize":6174,"Dimensions":[60.0,90.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2631a","Title":"Unmasking an unusual asteroid","Description":"Today's Picture of the Week depicts different angles of a very peculiar asteroid named (44) Nysa. Asteroids are leftovers from the formation of planets in the Solar System, with the majority found in a circular belt between Mars and Jupiter. These rocky bodies come in various shapes and sizes, but new images of (44) Nysa, located at the inner edge of the asteroid belt, reveal an unusual structure unlike anything observed before!
\r\nTo resolve (44) Nysa’s shape, a team of astronomers used the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, and SHARK-VIS, an instrument by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics on the Large Binocular Telescope in the USA. Both instruments use adaptive optics to correct atmospheric blur and obtain crisp images of this asteroid.
\r\nThe data shows that the asteroid is 80 km across and is composed of three distinct blobs, or ‘lobes’, joined by two narrower sections that encircle the asteroid, or ‘necks’. All previous identifications of asteroids with a neck have been interpreted as ‘bilobates’, having just two lobes, but (44) Nysa has a unique ‘trilobate’ structure.
\r\nThe team has two possible explanations for how (44) Nysa got its odd shape. Either the asteroid originates from a single object that was heavily deformed though collisions, or is a composite of three objects that impacted and merged, forming necks at the point of contact.
\r\nFurther research is needed to clarify which hypothesis holds true, but for now astronomers are delighted to have determined the structure of (44) Nysa, which had long evaded attempts to identify its true nature. The asteroid is named after the mythical birthplace of the ancient Greek god Dionysus, who is associated with theatre and masks. “The name is quite fitting, after the land of a god known for concealing his true nature,” says Kate Minker, lead author of the study announcing the discovery. “We’ve managed to finally unmask (44) Nysa”.
\r\nThis image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting Betelgeuse. The image was taken with the SPHERE instrument in December 2024, when the companion was predicted to be furthest apart from Betelgeuse as seen from Earth. The circle indicates the size of Betelgeuse, which has been removed. The bright source to the left, marked with a crosshair, is consistent with being Betelgeuse B.
","Credit":"ESO/M. Montargès et al.","PublicationDate":"2026-07-28T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Binary"],"Name":["Betelgeuse B"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2611b/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2611b.tif","FileSize":699714,"Dimensions":[1009,1006],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2611b.jpg","FileSize":125589,"Dimensions":[1009,1006],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2611b.jpg","FileSize":100486,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1277.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2611b.jpg","FileSize":9119,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2611b.jpg","FileSize":5914,"Dimensions":[60.0,60.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Spatial":{"ReferenceDimension":[1009.0,1006.0]}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2611a","Title":"VLT images of Betelgeuse and its companion","Description":"Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have obtained the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting Betelgeuse.
\r\nBetelgeuse is a red supergiant star in the Orion constellation. Its brightness changes periodically, and for decades astronomers had suspected that some of these variations could be due to a companion star orbiting around it.
\r\nThe image in the middle inset in this image was taken in January 2019 with the SPHERE instrument at ESO’s VLT, and shows Betelgeuse itself. The image in the inset on the left was taken in December 2024, when the companion was predicted to be furthest apart from Betelgeuse as seen from Earth. In this inset Betelgeuse has been removed, revealing a source (marked with a crosshair) consistent with being Betelgeuse B.
","Credit":"ESO/M. Montargès et al. Background: N. Rissinger (skysurvey.org)","PublicationDate":"2026-07-28T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Binary"],"Name":["Betelgeuse","Betelgeuse B"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2611a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2611a.tif","FileSize":23830788,"Dimensions":[4204,2499],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2611a.jpg","FileSize":4930291,"Dimensions":[4204,2499],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2611a.jpg","FileSize":394099,"Dimensions":[1280.0,761.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2611a.jpg","FileSize":12980,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2611a.jpg","FileSize":5202,"Dimensions":[60.0,36.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2630a","Title":"Watching our cosmic neighbourhood","Description":"Today’s Picture of the Week shows the stunning night sky above three of the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory, in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Conditions at the site make it one of the best places on Earth for astronomical observations, with the band of the Milky Way, as well as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, visible to the naked eye.
\r\nThe Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, at distances of about 160 000 and 200 000 light-years, respectively. They are irregular dwarf galaxies, gravitationally bound to our more massive home galaxy. The Small Magellanic Cloud and the lowest part of the Milky Way appear here bathed in green airglow, very faint light emitted by oxygen atoms high up in the atmosphere.
\r\nWhile only three telescopes are pictured in this image, there are, in total, four ATs feeding light into the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). These telescopes, each with a 1.8-metre main mirror, can be moved along tracks to 30 different observing points. They all look at the same target, creating a single ‘virtual’ telescope the size of the separation between the telescopes. Different separations allow the VLTI to discern different levels of detail. Among other breakthroughs, the ATs have taken the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy: WOH G64, a red supergiant star in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
","Credit":"ESO/N. Schafer","PublicationDate":"2026-07-27T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Sky Phenomenon : Night Sky : Milky Way","Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Irregular","Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Auxiliary Telescopes","Large Magellanic Cloud","Milky Way","Paranal","Small Magellanic Cloud"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2630a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/potw2630a.tif","FileSize":19497198,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/potw2630a.jpg","FileSize":2860681,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/potw2630a.jpg","FileSize":319292,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/potw2630a.jpg","FileSize":10854,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/potw2630a.jpg","FileSize":4875,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2610b","Title":"Artist’s impression of the CD-35 2722 system","Description":"This illustration shows the system around the star CD-35 2722, with the newly found moon-like object to the right. The star –– the point source at the top –– has about half the mass of our Sun, and it is orbited by a brown dwarf, the reddish-brown object seen here in the foreground (bottom). The brown dwarf has about 37 times the mass of Jupiter: too massive to be a planet, but not massive enough to have sustained nuclear fusion like stars. This brown dwarf is, in turn, orbited by a newly discovered object at least as massive as Jupiter, seen to the right of this image.
\r\nThis new object, found with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), is difficult to label. It behaves like a moon in the sense that it orbits an object that orbits a star. But this ‘moon’ is massive enough to be a planet, and the object it orbits, a brown dwarf, is neither a planet nor a star.
","Credit":"ESO/M. Kornmesser","PublicationDate":"2026-07-22T15:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Planet : Satellite"],"Name":["CD-35 2722"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2610b/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2610b.tif","FileSize":9274724,"Dimensions":[2516,3366],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2610b.jpg","FileSize":632346,"Dimensions":[2516,3366],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2610b.jpg","FileSize":133254,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1713.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2610b.jpg","FileSize":7106,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2610b.jpg","FileSize":5278,"Dimensions":[60.0,81.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2610a","Title":"Artist’s impression of CD-35 2722, a system with a moon-like object","Description":"This illustration shows the system around the star CD-35 2722, with the newly found moon-like object at the centre. The star –– the point source to the left –– has about half the mass of our Sun, and it is orbited by a brown dwarf, the reddish-brown object seen here in the foreground (right). The brown dwarf has about 37 times the mass of Jupiter: too massive to be a planet, but not massive enough to have sustained nuclear fusion like stars. This brown dwarf is, in turn, orbited by a newly discovered object at least as massive as Jupiter, seen at the centre of this image.
\r\nThis new object, found with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), is difficult to label. It behaves like a moon in the sense that it orbits an object that orbits a star. But this ‘moon’ is massive enough to be a planet, and the object it orbits, a brown dwarf, is neither a planet nor a star.
","Credit":"ESO/M. Kornmesser","PublicationDate":"2026-07-22T15:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Planet : Satellite"],"Name":["CD-35 2722"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2610a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2610a.tif","FileSize":18562594,"Dimensions":[5120,3084],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2610a.jpg","FileSize":1392301,"Dimensions":[5120,3084],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2610a.jpg","FileSize":94103,"Dimensions":[1280.0,771.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2610a.jpg","FileSize":7793,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2610a.jpg","FileSize":4544,"Dimensions":[60.0,37.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2610c","Title":"Wide-field view around the CD-35 2722 system","Description":"This image shows the region in the sky around CD-35 2722, a star orbited by a brown dwarf, which is itself orbited by an object at least as massive as Jupiter.
\r\nCD-35 2722 is the star right at the centre of this image. The brown dwarf is not visible here, as it is embedded in the glare of the star, but it has been directly imaged by other telescopes. The ‘moon’ orbiting the brown dwarf is not visible either, but it has been detected via the gravitational pull it exerts on the brown dwarf.
","Credit":"ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2","PublicationDate":"2026-07-22T15:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Star"],"Name":["CD-35 2722"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2610c/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2610c.tif","FileSize":77955026,"Dimensions":[7000,7000],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2610c.jpg","FileSize":10961464,"Dimensions":[7000,7000],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2610c.jpg","FileSize":467735,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1280.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2610c.jpg","FileSize":10802,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2610c.jpg","FileSize":4792,"Dimensions":[60.0,60.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Spatial":{"ReferenceDimension":[7000.0,7000.0]}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2606_Z8_9416-cc","Title":"The ELT’s main structure","Description":"At the heart of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) lies its main structure, an enormous frame intended to hold the ELT’s five mirrors and instruments. In this photo from June 2026, we see the structure from the top: the large horizontal cell at the bottom will hold the main mirror (M1), while the M3, M4 and M5 mirrors will be inside the vertical tower in the middle. M2, the secondary mirror, will be hanging upside down from the spider structure towards the top of the image. Engineers — from Italian consortium ACe (Cimolai, Astaldi) — had to resolve challenging requirements to design the structure, ensuring it was both stiff enough to be stable and light enough to not buckle under its own weight. Recently, this giant structure was successfully rotated about its vertical axis, a key test to ensure the ELT can point at all areas of the southern sky.
","Credit":"ESO/A. Russell","PublicationDate":"2026-07-16T11:53:18Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2606_Z8_9416-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2606_Z8_9416-cc.tif","FileSize":272717148,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"1d1317f02822da5d0f9341dd85bff6588894978065b3aa12d878ee3fbdddae7d"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2606_Z8_9416-cc.jpg","FileSize":13223229,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2606_Z8_9416-cc.jpg","FileSize":365343,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2606_Z8_9416-cc.jpg","FileSize":15916,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2606_Z8_9416-cc.jpg","FileSize":5315,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2606_Z8_9853-cc","Title":"Perfecting mirror segments for the ELT","Description":"The colossal 39-metre-diameter main mirror of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will consist of 798 individual mirror segments. Before the segments can work together as a single mirror, they undergo a complex coating process at the ELT Technical Facility at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, a few kilometres from the ELT’s construction site. Each segment is coated with a shiny silver layer for reflectivity, as well as nickel chromium and silicon nitride to limit tarnishing and to help the coating stick. Here technicians watched over a segment as it undergoes one step in a process that takes about two hours overall.
","Credit":"ESO/A. Russell","PublicationDate":"2026-07-16T11:53:01Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology"],"Name":["ELT Technical Facility"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2606_Z8_9853-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2606_Z8_9853-cc.tif","FileSize":272695624,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"21ad808f1215193f4b525350db3b77235eb364543df55d09e752b1abcf4598e9"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2606_Z8_9853-cc.jpg","FileSize":7581484,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2606_Z8_9853-cc.jpg","FileSize":223064,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2606_Z8_9853-cc.jpg","FileSize":14299,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2606_Z8_9853-cc.jpg","FileSize":5729,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2606_Z8_8123-cc","Title":"Family portrait at La Silla","Description":"This image portrays a few of the telescopes situated at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. Like in a family portrait, the telescopes show similarities in their appearance, but also have unique features that set them apart. For instance, the distinctive silver dome of the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope or the narrow stands and spherical heads of the BlackGEM Array triplets. Another eye-catching feature of this photograph is the blue tinge of the mountains in the background, created due to the preferential scattering of blue light compared to other colours by the atmosphere.
","Credit":"ESO/A. Russell","PublicationDate":"2026-07-16T11:52:36Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["BlackGEM","La Silla","MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2606_Z8_8123-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2606_Z8_8123-cc.tif","FileSize":272710846,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"dc67fb5ada5a8bd30922a0466b734f3bd4913e0f4a4fe48e268d2aed196efef2"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2606_Z8_8123-cc.jpg","FileSize":12179495,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2606_Z8_8123-cc.jpg","FileSize":305877,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2606_Z8_8123-cc.jpg","FileSize":13501,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2606_Z8_8123-cc.jpg","FileSize":5314,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2606_Z8_8084-cc","Title":"Welcome to La Silla","Description":"This image shows the entrance to the hotel at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. As the Sun sets, astronomers staying at the hotel will likely be preparing for a long night of observations with the many telescopes at the site.
","Credit":"ESO/A. Russell","PublicationDate":"2026-07-16T11:52:24Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified"],"Name":["La Silla"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2606_Z8_8084-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2606_Z8_8084-cc.tif","FileSize":272692664,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"a0c7faae6122a6a4b94f96bdd3ab924cb018681e8cc072102533ec52283e4d31"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2606_Z8_8084-cc.jpg","FileSize":9058004,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2606_Z8_8084-cc.jpg","FileSize":149809,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2606_Z8_8084-cc.jpg","FileSize":11942,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2606_Z8_8084-cc.jpg","FileSize":5495,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2606_Z8_9708-cc","Title":"Groundwork for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory","Description":"This image shows the construction site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory’s (CTAO’s) southern facility in Chile’s Atacama Desert, where the ground is being prepared for the Observatory’s foundations. A worker walking past is well covered up to protect from the harsh and dusty surroundings. The CTAO’s southern facility will be around 10 kilometres from both ESO’s Paranal Observatory, home to the Very Large Telescope (VLT), and the site of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
","Credit":"ESO/A. Russell","PublicationDate":"2026-07-16T11:52:08Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Cherenkov Telescope Array"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2606_Z8_9708-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2606_Z8_9708-cc.tif","FileSize":272689860,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"36464ea45ae53ce2c4b04dd745835ebeffadecfe1a1edd2f1ed2860cb2c584f5"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2606_Z8_9708-cc.jpg","FileSize":4481879,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2606_Z8_9708-cc.jpg","FileSize":189462,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2606_Z8_9708-cc.jpg","FileSize":11304,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2606_Z8_9708-cc.jpg","FileSize":4913,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2606_Z8_8718-cc","Title":"The ELT’s altitude structure","Description":"The vertical part, or altitude structure, of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is 50 metres tall and controls the vertical position of the telescope. Giant semicircular plates on either side of the altitude structure will allow the ELT to point to targets high and low in the southern sky. A giant ESO flag, put up on the occasion of a visit by the ESO Council in mid June 2026, is seen below the structure.
","Credit":"ESO/A. Russell","PublicationDate":"2026-07-16T11:51:52Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2606_Z8_8718-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2606_Z8_8718-cc.tif","FileSize":272708832,"Dimensions":[5504,8256],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"268b5771c9f564218563cfe836758650f76ffdf586a9ec2885d7531b5d73e615"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2606_Z8_8718-cc.jpg","FileSize":11999079,"Dimensions":[5504,8256],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2606_Z8_8718-cc.jpg","FileSize":710357,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1920.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2606_Z8_8718-cc.jpg","FileSize":15345,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2606_Z8_8718-cc.jpg","FileSize":7827,"Dimensions":[60.0,90.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2606_Z8_9754-cc","Title":"Tunnels for telescopes","Description":"This photograph shows ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) tunnels, where the light beams collected by multiple telescopes are combined to produce exceptionally detailed astronomical images. A complex process takes place in these tunnels to ensure the light is combined correctly, where the path of each beam is adjusted using mirrors on moveable carriages that travel along tracks, called delay lines, shown here.
","Credit":"ESO/A. Russell","PublicationDate":"2026-07-16T11:51:30Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Very Large Telescope Interferometer"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2606_Z8_9754-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2606_Z8_9754-cc.tif","FileSize":258463960,"Dimensions":[8038,5358],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"29d5b2e0b38ce561f46944009aa731debade5b108a1133154c8bc9d60ad0945e"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2606_Z8_9754-cc.jpg","FileSize":7619356,"Dimensions":[8038,5358],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2606_Z8_9754-cc.jpg","FileSize":246602,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2606_Z8_9754-cc.jpg","FileSize":14511,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2606_Z8_9754-cc.jpg","FileSize":5629,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"2606_Z8_9275-cc","Title":"Inside the dome of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope","Description":"The orange and white cones scattered around the floor of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in the Chilean Atacama Desert, reveal the scale of the future facility. The world’s biggest eye on the sky is progressing fast in preparation for its first light in 2029. A giant ESO flag, put up on the occasion of a visit by the ESO Council in mid June 2026, is seen below the structure.
","Credit":"ESO/A. Russell","PublicationDate":"2026-07-16T11:51:19Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/2606_Z8_9275-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/2606_Z8_9275-cc.tif","FileSize":272709938,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"d1e23bae47bc8d0633a22d9ba7c31e19fa35ce503c1b9d6970091ea0f8302407"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/2606_Z8_9275-cc.jpg","FileSize":12151115,"Dimensions":[8256,5504],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/2606_Z8_9275-cc.jpg","FileSize":331020,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/2606_Z8_9275-cc.jpg","FileSize":14759,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/2606_Z8_9275-cc.jpg","FileSize":5238,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2609b","Title":"The Beta Pictoris d exoplanet observed over the years","Description":"This series of images shows observations of the exoplanet Beta Pictoris d over more than a decade. This planet was first discovered using the ERIS instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Astronomers were then able to find it in archival data taken with the SPHERE instrument, also at the VLT, and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
\r\nThe new planet, marked with an arrow, is the third planet discovered around the star Beta Pictoris. The other two planets are Beta Pictoris b ––the brighter spot seen in the top three images–– and Beta Pictoris c, not seen here as it orbits much closer to the star.
\r\nThe star itself is not visible here: in the ERIS image it was subtracted when processing the data, whereas in the JWST and SPHERE images it was blocked with a special mask.
\r\nAs time goes by the planets orbit around the star, and their position on these images changes. In the 2014 observations, planets d and b appeared almost exactly aligned as seen from Earth. It was only after removing the light of planet b that the much fainter planet d could be seen.
\r\nThe diffuse diagonal band in these images is a debris disc around the star, seen here edge-on, the leftover material of planetary formation.
\r\nThis image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) shows Beta Pictoris d, a new planet found orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. The star is at the centre of the frame, and was subtracted when processing the data, revealing the environment around it. The new planet, indicated with an arrow, is the third one found around this star. The other two are Beta Pictoris b –– the bright source to the left, and Beta Pictoris c, orbiting much closer to the star and not seen here.
\r\nThe image was taken with the ERIS instrument at the VLT. Based on its infrared brightness and colour, the new planet appears to be a gas giant, about 2.4 times more massive than Jupiter.
\r\nThe diffuse horizontal band in this image is a debris disc around the star, seen here edge-on, the leftover material of planetary formation.
","Credit":"ESO/B. Sutlieff, M. Bonse et al.","PublicationDate":"2026-07-15T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Planet"],"Name":["Beta Pictoris d"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2609a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2609a.tif","FileSize":858916,"Dimensions":[1600,1000],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2609a.jpg","FileSize":208541,"Dimensions":[1600,1000],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2609a.jpg","FileSize":93680,"Dimensions":[1280.0,800.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2609a.jpg","FileSize":9837,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2609a.jpg","FileSize":5086,"Dimensions":[60.0,38.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Facility":["Very Large Telescope"],"Instrument":["ERIS"],"Spectral":{"ColorAssignment":["Orange"],"Band":["L'"],"Bandpass":["L'"],"CentralWavelength":[3790]},"Spatial":{"CoordinateFrame":"ICRS","ReferenceValue":[86.821208,-51.066511],"ReferenceDimension":[1600.0,1000.0],"ReferencePixel":[800.5,800.5],"Scale":[-9.3e-07,9.3e-07],"Rotation":59.5,"CoordsystemProjection":"TAN","Equinox":"J2000"}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"http://www.eso.org/","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso0927e","Title":"Digitized Sky Survey image of Betelgeuse","Description":"This image is a colour composite made from exposures from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2). The field of view is approximatelly 2.0 x 1.5 degrees.
","Credit":"ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2. Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin.","PublicationDate":"2026-07-14T10:18:50.098655Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Red Supergiant"],"Name":["Betelgeuse"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0927e/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":12,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso0927e.tif","FileSize":72782830,"Dimensions":[7106,5332],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso0927e.jpg","FileSize":11340338,"Dimensions":[7106,5332],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso0927e.jpg","FileSize":341386,"Dimensions":[1280.0,961.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso0927e.jpg","FileSize":8705,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso0927e.jpg","FileSize":4409,"Dimensions":[60.0,46.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Facility":["Digitized Sky Survey 2","Digitized Sky Survey 2"],"Distance":[650.0,null],"Spectral":{"ColorAssignment":["Blue","Red"],"Band":["B","R"],"Bandpass":["B","R"]},"Spatial":{"CoordinateFrame":"ICRS","ReferenceValue":[88.793286,7.406972],"ReferenceDimension":[1280.0,960.0],"ReferencePixel":[640.47091495,482.851501252],"Scale":[-0.0015530125,0.0015530125],"Rotation":0.04438761716,"CoordsystemProjection":"TAN","Equinox":"J2000"}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2628a","Title":"Small but mighty","Description":"As the Sun sets, a telescope opens its eye, preparing to peer beyond its shiny dome into the sky above. Today’s Picture of the Week was taken at La Silla, ESO’s first observatory, located near the outskirts of Chile’s Atacama Desert at 2400 metres above sea level. It features the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope — originally constructed by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and installed by ESO at La Silla Observatory — which has been observing the cosmos since 1983.
\r\nThough the 2.2-metre is small by today’s standards, it still does a lot of excellent work. The telescope hosts three instruments: a camera to pinpoint the location of gamma-ray bursts (the most energetic explosions in the Universe), a spectrograph that studies stars in detail, and a Wide Field Imager (WFI) to capture stunning images of celestial objects. The WFI, in particular, has produced dramatic visuals of colourful nebulae as well as inky black dust clouds hosting early star formation.
\r\nSince 2013 the 2.2-metre telescope has been solely used by the Max Planck Society plus Chilean astronomers. With its long-standing presence and distinctive silver dome, it still holds a special place in the hearts of many ESO astronomers, including the photographer Luca Sbordone: “I saw it first when I was an ESO student and spent a few weeks in La Silla and has been dear to me ever since.”
","Credit":"L. Sbordone/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-13T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2628a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/potw2628a.tif","FileSize":185636094,"Dimensions":[4541,6812],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"94f7d5cea61145b3b3c655f3172bcff112617a127adc889ccca1bbfdd02dce89"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/potw2628a.jpg","FileSize":4870712,"Dimensions":[4541,6812],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/potw2628a.jpg","FileSize":210113,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1921.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/potw2628a.jpg","FileSize":4986,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/potw2628a.jpg","FileSize":5050,"Dimensions":[60.0,91.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlang26007b-es-cl-en","Title":"Minister Lincolao and ESO Director General Barcons during a visit to ESO Headquarters","Description":"From left to right: Ximena Lincolao, Minister for Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation and ESO Director General Xavier Barcons.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-10T14:45:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/annlang26007b-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/original/annlang26007b-es-cl.tif","FileSize":203243544,"Dimensions":[7106,4766],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"d244aa791b7457193e251353ed69c1f8436874fb21cacadf2d508f685c1246d2"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/large/annlang26007b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5382289,"Dimensions":[7106,4766],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/screen/annlang26007b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":170411,"Dimensions":[1280.0,859.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlang26007b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":11956,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlang26007b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5342,"Dimensions":[60.0,41.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlang26007a-es-cl-en","Title":"Group photo taken during Minister Lincolao’s visit to ESO Headquarters","Description":"From left to right: Adrian Russell, ESO Director of Programmes, Beatrice Kioko, ESO Institutional Affairs Officer, Eduardo Garcés, ESO engineer, Felipe Pedreros, ESO Engineer, Javiera Cuevas, Minister Chief of Staff, Ximena Lincolao, Chile's Minister for Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, Xavier Barcons, ESO Director General, Jarle Brinchmann, ESO Director for Science, Sebastian Lemp, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Chile in Germany, and Sara Krauss, ESO Director of Engineering.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-10T14:45:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/annlang26007a-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/original/annlang26007a-es-cl.tif","FileSize":53180148,"Dimensions":[3840,2306],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/large/annlang26007a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":2149541,"Dimensions":[3840,2306],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/screen/annlang26007a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":206472,"Dimensions":[1280.0,769.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlang26007a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":13670,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlang26007a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5572,"Dimensions":[60.0,37.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlang26007c-es-cl-en","Title":"Minister Lincolao at the Large Integration Hall","Description":"Ximena Lincolao, Chilean Minister of Science Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, at the Large Integration Hall as part of her visit to ESO Headquarters.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-10T14:45:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/annlang26007c-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlang26007c-es-cl.tif","FileSize":268607078,"Dimensions":[8192,5464],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"e4fa922a02642de9f4d2c247cf7834a674765d8cbcc2f20a3f18e4ff45c77675"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlang26007c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":8363953,"Dimensions":[8192,5464],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlang26007c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":160834,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlang26007c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":11828,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlang26007c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5384,"Dimensions":[60.0,41.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26004a","Title":"Cover of the Annual Report 2025","Description":"Cover of the Annual Report 2025.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-08T14:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26004a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":10,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26004a.tif","FileSize":7579414,"Dimensions":[2480,3508],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26004a.jpg","FileSize":1124583,"Dimensions":[2480,3508],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26004a.jpg","FileSize":222598,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1811.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26004a.jpg","FileSize":8959,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26004a.jpg","FileSize":6057,"Dimensions":[60.0,85.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"_DSF9891-cc","Title":"Preparing for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory","Description":"The site of the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory’s (CTAO’s) southern facility is being prepared in Chile’s Atacama Desert, following the groundbreaking ceremony that took place in December 2025. The CTAO, in which ESO is a founding partner, will be the world’s largest and most powerful gamma-ray observatory, providing new insights into the high-energy Universe. The southern array will also be the first gamma-ray observatory to be built in Chile. In the distance is ESO’s Paranal Observatory, the site of the Very Large Telescope and the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:14:31.855612Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Cherenkov Telescope Array","Paranal"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/_DSF9891-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/_DSF9891-cc.tif","FileSize":144043750,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"45862053b650a3e34d4021be0dd9cd1b3bbc229820763e158d903ae8065ff0c8"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/_DSF9891-cc.jpg","FileSize":6790587,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/_DSF9891-cc.jpg","FileSize":283548,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/_DSF9891-cc.jpg","FileSize":12317,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/_DSF9891-cc.jpg","FileSize":5017,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC07594-cc","Title":"On top of the ELT!","Description":"ESO Directors and ELT team members stand on one of the platforms atop ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). From left to right, these are: Davide Deiana (ELT Deputy Site Manager), Pascal Martinez (ELT Dome & Main Structure Project Manager), Guido Vecchia (ELT Site Manager), Xavier Barcons (ESO’s Director General), Adrian Russel (Director of Programmes), Thomas Klein (Director of La Silla Paranal Observatory), Andreas Kaufer (Director of Operations, upcoming ESO Director General), Roberto Tamai (ELT Programme Manager), Sara Kraus (Director of Engineering), Claudia Burger (Director of Administration), and Jarle Brinchmann (Director of Science). ESO’s Paranal Observatory is visible as the peak in the distance.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:12:27Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC07594-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC07594-cc.tif","FileSize":196493784,"Dimensions":[7008,4672],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"54fef1586c3d3929c44cd21a8d9d0bb68833dd2e5bbb58f040331fc6786341c9"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC07594-cc.jpg","FileSize":7540493,"Dimensions":[7008,4672],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC07594-cc.jpg","FileSize":217588,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC07594-cc.jpg","FileSize":11810,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC07594-cc.jpg","FileSize":4978,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"_DSF9609-cc","Title":"The home of ELT construction","Description":"ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) looms just 320 metres above the ELT basecamp, where construction staff are staying during the build. The flags of ESO’s member state and of ESO’s partner countries Chile and Australia, visible at the basecamp, were up on the occasion of the ESO Council visit in June 2026.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:11:49.326879Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/_DSF9609-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/_DSF9609-cc.tif","FileSize":144041976,"Dimensions":[4000,6000],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"1d4b8521c47fba2f99e1fd10a47aa9bb8cf1c2870973b9e0acc06e3eca5877da"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/_DSF9609-cc.jpg","FileSize":8357683,"Dimensions":[4000,6000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/_DSF9609-cc.jpg","FileSize":630676,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1920.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/_DSF9609-cc.jpg","FileSize":11360,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/_DSF9609-cc.jpg","FileSize":6728,"Dimensions":[60.0,90.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"_DSF8413-cc","Title":"Ready to hold the ELT’s main mirror","Description":"Behind a grid of metal support beams lies the giant structure that will hold the main mirror of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), as well as the other mirrors of the telescope. The 3500-tonne structure was recently rotated for the first time — a key test to ensure the telescope will be able to point at all areas of the southern sky. The structure is dominated by the horizontal cell that will hold the 39-metre main mirror (M1) of the ELT. The vertical tower will hold the third, fourth and fifth mirrors in the ELT light path (M3, M4 and M5) while the secondary mirror (M2) will hang upside down from the metallic structure seen at the very top of the image. Once equipped with mirrors, and with science instruments on its side platforms, the full structure will weigh about 4600 tonnes.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:10:25.010268Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/_DSF8413-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/_DSF8413-cc.tif","FileSize":144057612,"Dimensions":[4000,6000],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"c406d872417a6040dbd192d99bbd9828ab99ffc1cf4e49cea74496945596c95a"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/_DSF8413-cc.jpg","FileSize":5802532,"Dimensions":[4000,6000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/_DSF8413-cc.jpg","FileSize":547334,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1920.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/_DSF8413-cc.jpg","FileSize":16455,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/_DSF8413-cc.jpg","FileSize":7796,"Dimensions":[60.0,90.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"_DSF0776-cc","Title":"The dome of the ELT","Description":"ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Work is progressing fast and several milestones have already been reached, including the movement of the ELT’s doors and the rotation of the main telescope structure.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:09:31.711810Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/_DSF0776-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/_DSF0776-cc.tif","FileSize":144042240,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"f2b3946879b8fdcd16bec6f3d68bfd45d9374e52aa6968a248ad116302efc52e"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/_DSF0776-cc.jpg","FileSize":6077562,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/_DSF0776-cc.jpg","FileSize":238610,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/_DSF0776-cc.jpg","FileSize":12077,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/_DSF0776-cc.jpg","FileSize":5216,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"_DSF0406-cc","Title":"ELT Technical Facility","Description":"The ELT Technical facility at Paranal Observatory is the maintenance hub for ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The facility currently stores the mirror segments that will comprise the main mirror of the ELT. This giant warehouse, built on a 6500-square-metre parcel of land, was designed and constructed by Abengoa Chile.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:09:04.547399Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Facility"],"Name":["ELT Technical Facility"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/_DSF0406-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/_DSF0406-cc.tif","FileSize":144055520,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"980234e287a63717d08f1a152b41be03601cbd5463f9ff26a3d43a3a919b3fdc"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/_DSF0406-cc.jpg","FileSize":5806440,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/_DSF0406-cc.jpg","FileSize":341091,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/_DSF0406-cc.jpg","FileSize":17254,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/_DSF0406-cc.jpg","FileSize":5712,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC07668-cc","Title":"The ELT against a stunning sky","Description":"A beautiful sky of pinks, blues, and purples provides a perfect backdrop to ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The ELT sits atop the mountain Cerro Armazones, at an incredible altitude of 3046 metres above sea level. An extra 18-metre height of rock was blasted off the top of the mountain to create the ELT’s level platform.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:07:42.293454Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Extremely Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC07668-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC07668-cc.tif","FileSize":196497918,"Dimensions":[7008,4672],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"a0f3e603e3203511f16bfdb71a22e5f73693dedc3af97ac8d1f676c4916e5910"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC07668-cc.jpg","FileSize":3205852,"Dimensions":[7008,4672],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC07668-cc.jpg","FileSize":78129,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC07668-cc.jpg","FileSize":6186,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC07668-cc.jpg","FileSize":4249,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"_DSF8171-cc","Title":"Moments before dusk at Paranal","Description":"The setting Sun peeks out between flagposts and Unit Telescope 2 of ESO’s Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:07:06.156134Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Very Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/_DSF8171-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/_DSF8171-cc.tif","FileSize":144049852,"Dimensions":[4000,6000],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"fd1a1129fe8106526d8de08eddecd9e96e5bc5d04c5b355149243c6afe5aed5e"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/_DSF8171-cc.jpg","FileSize":4969483,"Dimensions":[4000,6000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/_DSF8171-cc.jpg","FileSize":346665,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1920.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/_DSF8171-cc.jpg","FileSize":9967,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/_DSF8171-cc.jpg","FileSize":5997,"Dimensions":[60.0,90.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"_DSF8169-cc","Title":"Sunset at Paranal","Description":"The setting Sun peeks out between flagposts and Unit Telescope 2 of ESO’s Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert. To the left and right are Unit Telescopes 1 and 3, respectively. The flags of ESO’s member state and of ESO’s partner countries Chile and Australia, visible in the background, were up on the occasion of the ESO Council visit in June 2026.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-07-07T13:06:43.757011Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Very Large Telescope"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/_DSF8169-cc/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/_DSF8169-cc.tif","FileSize":144044590,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"562943df68be82cb11dc3dbb88834d7c152c46dbbd01c78286e51b7b516b8cfc"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/_DSF8169-cc.jpg","FileSize":3331039,"Dimensions":[6000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/_DSF8169-cc.jpg","FileSize":139876,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/_DSF8169-cc.jpg","FileSize":9843,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/_DSF8169-cc.jpg","FileSize":5044,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2608a","Title":"VLT image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (18 January 2026)","Description":"This image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was taken on 18 January 2026 with the FORS2 instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It is a stack of several images spanning 14 minutes. As the comet moves on the sky, the stars appear as trails in the background.
","Credit":"ESO/O. Hainaut","PublicationDate":"2026-07-06T09:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Comet"],"Name":["3I/ATLAS"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2608a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2608a.tif","FileSize":11677424,"Dimensions":[3236,1801],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2608a.jpg","FileSize":420978,"Dimensions":[3236,1801],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2608a.jpg","FileSize":55350,"Dimensions":[1280.0,713.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2608a.jpg","FileSize":5563,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2608a.jpg","FileSize":3866,"Dimensions":[60.0,34.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Spatial":{"ReferenceDimension":[3236.0,1801.0]}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2608c","Title":"VLT image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (18 February 2026)","Description":"This image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was taken on 18 February 2026 with the FORS2 instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It is a stack of several images spanning 13 minutes. As the comet moves on the sky, the stars appear as trails in the background.
","Credit":"ESO/O. Hainaut","PublicationDate":"2026-07-06T09:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Comet"],"Name":["3I/ATLAS"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2608c/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2608c.tif","FileSize":11809094,"Dimensions":[3238,1820],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2608c.jpg","FileSize":386313,"Dimensions":[3238,1820],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2608c.jpg","FileSize":62511,"Dimensions":[1280.0,720.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2608c.jpg","FileSize":7963,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2608c.jpg","FileSize":4267,"Dimensions":[60.0,34.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Spatial":{"ReferenceDimension":[3238.0,1820.0]}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2608b","Title":"VLT spectrum of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS","Description":"This image shows part of the spectrum of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, captured between 6 and 26 December 2025 with the UVES instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Using UVES, astronomers studied the spectral signatures of cyanide, a molecule comprised of a carbon atom and a nitrogen one. More precisely, they looked at their isotopic ratios: the relative amounts of different forms of the same atoms. These ratios are sensitive to the conditions under which 3I/ATLAS formed, and are not expected to change much as the comet travels through space.
\r\nThe spectrum shown here contains spectral features produced by 12C, an isotope of carbon with 6 protons and 6 neutrons, and 13C, which has 7 neutrons instead. These features are very faint, but astronomers know the exact wavelength regions where to look for them in the spectrum of the comet. Adding together several of these wavelength regions averages out the noise, making the real features pop out.
\r\nThe team performed similar measurements with two isotopes of nitrogen, 14N and 15N. By comparing the 12C/13C and 14N/15N ratios with those measured in Solar System comets and in the discs of material around young stars, the team concluded that 3I/ATLAS likely formed in the outskirts of the disc around a star older than the Sun.
","Credit":"ESO/C. Opitom, J. Manfroid et al. Comet image: O. Hainaut","PublicationDate":"2026-07-06T09:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Comet"],"Name":["3I/ATLAS"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2608b/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2608b.tif","FileSize":5169500,"Dimensions":[3672,2196],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2608b.jpg","FileSize":570765,"Dimensions":[3672,2196],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2608b.jpg","FileSize":89789,"Dimensions":[1280.0,766.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2608b.jpg","FileSize":8975,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2608b.jpg","FileSize":4626,"Dimensions":[60.0,36.0],"ProjectionType":"Observation"}],"ObservationData":{"Spatial":{"ReferenceDimension":[3672.0,2196.0]}}}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2627a","Title":"And yet it moves!","Description":"Looking almost like an optical illusion, today’s Picture of the Week highlights why ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is called that. This image was taken inside the telescope’s dome, with some of the ELT’s team standing above the massive structure that will hold its main mirror. This 39-metre-diameter reflective surface will comprise 798 mirror segments that will work together as a single mirror, in what will be the biggest optical telescope on Earth.
\r\nThis photo was taken when the ELT construction reached a momentous milestone. For the first time, the telescope’s structure was rotated around its vertical axis. ESO staff at the construction site, together with Ace/Cimolai’s team, who are leading the construction of the dome and main structure, rotated the telescope first by hand by a few centimetres, and then a full rotation using auxiliary motors. While this may seem small, the entire structure currently weighs around 3500 tonnes, which will further increase up to 4600 tonnes once the mirrors and science instruments are installed. The structure rests on a layer of oil just 80 microns thin that allows the telescope to rotate smoothly. Testing this motion is thus key to ensuring that this massive telescope can point at all areas of the southern sky.
\r\n“For me, this is a beautiful reminder of what can be achieved when people push in the same direction, literally and figuratively,” says Roberto Tamai, the ELT’s Programme Manager at ESO, shown on the right in this image. Marco Sciarra, Executive President of Cimolai, stands in the centre with Pascal Martinez, ESO Project Manager for the Dome and Main Structure, to the left.
\r\nThe ELT, expected for first light later this decade, will be a gamechanger in astronomical research, as the world’s ‘biggest eye on the sky’. Besides its exceptional size, its cutting-edge instruments will allow us to understand our Universe better than ever before.
\r\nThis image shows satellites crossing the night sky above the northern Atacama Desert in Chile, over a period of just one hour. It is a stack of a time-lapse video taken on 15 October 2025 about two hours after sunset. A few streaks are caused by planes, and can be easily identified by their blinking-coloured lights, but most trails are due to satellites.
\r\nIn the foreground we see the dome of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the world’s largest optical/infrared telescope, currently under construction atop Cerro Armazones. Behind it we see the lasers of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal Observatory, 22 km away from the ELT.
","Credit":"F. Kamphues, ESO/M. Kornmesser","PublicationDate":"2026-07-01T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Sky Phenomenon : Night Sky : Trail : Satellite"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2607a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2607a.tif","FileSize":41246368,"Dimensions":[6048,4024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2607a.jpg","FileSize":6388275,"Dimensions":[6048,4024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2607a.jpg","FileSize":359230,"Dimensions":[1280.0,852.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2607a.jpg","FileSize":10762,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2607a.jpg","FileSize":4687,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2607b","Title":"Predicted number of satellites above the VLT with 1 million SpaceX satellites in orbit","Description":"This diagram shows the number of satellites that would be visible above ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) if SpaceX launches their planned constellation of 1 million satellites.
\r\nThe calculations were done about two hours after sunset, well into the truly dark part of the night. The grey dots are satellites in the Earth’s shadow and therefore invisible, whereas the coloured dots are illuminated satellites. The orange dots, almost 2000 of them, correspond to satellites brighter than magnitude 7 –– the faintest brightness visible to the naked eye from extremely dark locations. The red dots, more than 200, are satellites brighter than magnitude 5, which corresponds to the faintest objects visible to the naked eye from a suburban location.
","Credit":"ESO/O. Hainaut","PublicationDate":"2026-07-01T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Sky Phenomenon : Night Sky : Trail : Satellite"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2607b/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":25,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2607b.tif","FileSize":8700888,"Dimensions":[4000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2607b.jpg","FileSize":4523080,"Dimensions":[4000,4000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2607b.jpg","FileSize":478419,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1280.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2607b.jpg","FileSize":19530,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2607b.jpg","FileSize":6539,"Dimensions":[60.0,60.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"eso2607c","Title":"Predicted amount of scattered light caused by Reflect Orbital’s planned 50 000 satellites","Description":"This image illustrates how sunlight scattered by Reflect Orbital’s space mirrors would increase the overall brightness of the sky above ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).
\r\nThe left image was captured with an all-sky camera on a moonless night on 16 May 2026. North is up, and West is to the right. The domes hosting the four 8-m telescopes of the VLT can be seen to the top-right.
\r\nThe image to the right is a simulation showing how much brighter the sky would be with Reflect Orbital’s full constellation of 50 000 mirrors. Even though the mirrors are not pointing directly at the observatory, they still diffuse light sideways, which is then further scattered by the atmosphere. As a result, the sky would be up to three to four times brighter.
","Credit":"ESO/O. Hainaut","PublicationDate":"2026-07-01T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Sky Phenomenon : Night Sky : Trail : Satellite"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2607c/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":25,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/eso2607c.tif","FileSize":97173248,"Dimensions":[17500,8750],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/eso2607c.jpg","FileSize":21090975,"Dimensions":[17500,8750],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/eso2607c.jpg","FileSize":95328,"Dimensions":[1280.0,640.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/eso2607c.jpg","FileSize":6973,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/eso2607c.jpg","FileSize":4194,"Dimensions":[60.0,30.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2626a","Title":"Gateway to the Milky Way","Description":"At first glance, it may look as though we’re about to enter the Milky Way. However, today’s Picture of the Week actually features the road sign indicating the entrance to the ALMA Observatory, in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which is operated by ESO together with international partners, studies the light from the coldest corners of the Universe.
\r\nWater vapour in Earth’s atmosphere readily absorbs the millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths of radiation that ALMA observes. This is why ALMA is located in one of the driest and highest places on Earth, on the Chajnantor Plateau in the Andes, at an impressive altitude of 5000 metres.
\r\nALMA has given us some of the most detailed images of our Milky Way, showing among other things filaments of dense clouds of gas and dust at its core. Unlike our eyes, or a camera like the one that took this photo, ALMA uses a technique called interferometry that allows us to see fine details of distant celestial objects. By combining the light captured with each of the 66 high-precision antennas in its array, ALMA works as a single telescope with a diameter equal to the farthest distance between antennas.
\r\nWhile not being able to physically reach the glowing band of our galaxy seen in this picture, images like the ones produced by ALMA are some of the closest \"gateways” we have to admire the Milky Way and its constituents.
","Credit":"J. Looten/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-29T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Milky Way : Sky Phenomenon : Night Sky : Milky Way","Unspecified : Technology : Observatory"],"Name":["Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2626a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/potw2626a.tif","FileSize":62695800,"Dimensions":[4480,6720],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/potw2626a.jpg","FileSize":9763127,"Dimensions":[4480,6720],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/potw2626a.jpg","FileSize":718090,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1920.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/potw2626a.jpg","FileSize":11566,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/potw2626a.jpg","FileSize":6315,"Dimensions":[60.0,90.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlocal26004b-es-cl","Title":"Autoridades en premiación “Universo STEM”","Description":"De izquierda a derecha: Javiera Vergara, encargada de alianzas y movilización de recursos de ONU Mujeres en Chile; Eevamaija Voullo, encargada y coordinadora de cultura y comunicaciones de la Embajada de Finlandia en Chile; Embajadora Andrea Droppelman, jefa de división de energía, educación, innovación, y astronomía del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile; Carolina Rossi, subsecretaria de ciencia, tecnología, conocimiento e innovación; Itziar de Gregorio, representante de ESO en Chile; Zandra Maulén, alcaldesa de El Monte.
","Credit":"N. Schafer/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-26T16:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/chile/images/annlocal26004b-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlocal26004b-es-cl.tif","FileSize":16109218,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlocal26004b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":2283969,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlocal26004b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":193238,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlocal26004b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":13838,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlocal26004b-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":6138,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlocal26004c-es-cl","Title":"Paulina Bocaz de PROVOCA recibiendo premio “Universo STEM”","Description":"Paulina Bocaz, representante de AUI/NRAO en Chile y líder de la iniciativa PROVOCA, recibiendo su reconocimiento de “Universo STEM”, presentado por María Teresa Ruiz, astrónoma y premio nacional de ciencias exactas.
","Credit":"N. Schafer/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-26T16:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/chile/images/annlocal26004c-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlocal26004c-es-cl.tif","FileSize":9249092,"Dimensions":[3008,2000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlocal26004c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":1446253,"Dimensions":[3008,2000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlocal26004c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":196321,"Dimensions":[1280.0,852.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlocal26004c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":13372,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlocal26004c-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":6055,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlocal26004d-es-cl","Title":"Niñas Pro recibiendo premio “Universo STEM”","Description":"Organización Niñas Pro recibiendo reconocimiento “Universo STEM”, otorgado por Gabriela Castillo, directora ejecutiva de ONG Ingeniosas.
","Credit":"N. Schafer/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-26T16:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/chile/images/annlocal26004d-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlocal26004d-es-cl.tif","FileSize":18165402,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlocal26004d-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":2878614,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlocal26004d-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":236046,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlocal26004d-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":14594,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlocal26004d-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":6133,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlocal26004f-es-cl","Title":"Francisca Calderón de Bakanas de Taltal recibiendo premio “Universo STEM”","Description":"Francisca Calderón, de la organización Bakanas de Taltal, recibiendo reconocimiento “Universo STEM”, otorgado por Küyenray Rupayan, creadora de KüMente.
","Credit":"N. Schafer/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-26T16:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/chile/images/annlocal26004f-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlocal26004f-es-cl.tif","FileSize":16073764,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlocal26004f-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":2459280,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlocal26004f-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":203559,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlocal26004f-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":13429,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlocal26004f-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5930,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlocal26004g-es-cl","Title":"Cooperativa Ciencia recibiendo premio “Universo STEM”","Description":"Emilia Aguilar y Javiera Mateluna de Cooperativa Ciencia, recibiendo reconocimiento “Universo STEM”, otorgado por Nadia Politis, directora de comunicaciones del Instituto Milenio BASE.
","Credit":"N. Schafer/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-26T16:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/chile/images/annlocal26004g-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlocal26004g-es-cl.tif","FileSize":17006150,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlocal26004g-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":2583626,"Dimensions":[3936,2624],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlocal26004g-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":215905,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlocal26004g-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":13963,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlocal26004g-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":6024,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlocal26004e-es-cl","Title":"INACAP Mujeres STEM recibiendo premio “Universo STEM”","Description":"INACAP Mujeres STEM recibiendo reconocimiento “Universo STEM”, otorgado por Patricia Guajardo, ingeniera de instrumentación en ESO.
","Credit":"N. Schafer/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-26T16:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/chile/images/annlocal26004e-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlocal26004e-es-cl.tif","FileSize":10239068,"Dimensions":[3008,2000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlocal26004e-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":1637509,"Dimensions":[3008,2000],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlocal26004e-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":237442,"Dimensions":[1280.0,852.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlocal26004e-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":15274,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlocal26004e-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":6168,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"annlocal26004a-es-cl","Title":"Ganadoras, autoridades e invitadas en las oficinas de Vitacura de ESO","Description":"Ganadoras de reconocimiento “Universo STEM”, autoridades e invitadas posando juntos a las banderas de los Estados Miembros de ESO en las oficinas de ESO en Vitacura, Santiago.
","Credit":"N. Schafer/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-26T16:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/chile/images/annlocal26004a-es-cl/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/annlocal26004a-es-cl.tif","FileSize":14483060,"Dimensions":[3296,2197],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/annlocal26004a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":2546231,"Dimensions":[3296,2197],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/annlocal26004a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":303806,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/annlocal26004a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":15211,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/annlocal26004a-es-cl.jpg","FileSize":5712,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DJI_0700","Title":"ELT METIS Adaptive Optics undergoes tests at Heidelberg, Germany","Description":"The Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS), a first-generation instrument that will operate on ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is being built by an international consortium of scientific institutions. Here we see the METIS Adaptive Optics Module at the integration hall of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA, in Heidelberg, Germany), a leading METIS consortium member. Two MPIA staff members working on this project, Markus Feldt and Thomas Bertram, stand next to a telescope simulator (in black) and the METIS Adaptive Optics test stand.
","Credit":"D. Elsässer","PublicationDate":"2026-06-23T07:30:03.957937Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Instrument"],"Name":["METIS (Mid-infrared ELT Imager)"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DJI_0700/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DJI_0700.tif","FileSize":68269576,"Dimensions":[3894,2920],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DJI_0700.jpg","FileSize":2727710,"Dimensions":[3894,2920],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DJI_0700.jpg","FileSize":298873,"Dimensions":[1280.0,960.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DJI_0700.jpg","FileSize":15596,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DJI_0700.jpg","FileSize":6034,"Dimensions":[60.0,45.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DJI_0696","Title":"ELT METIS Adaptive Optics undergoes tests at Heidelberg, Germany (top view)","Description":"The Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS), a first-generation instrument that will operate on ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is being built by an international consortium of scientific institutions. Here we see the METIS Adaptive Optics Module at the integration hall of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA, in Heidelberg, Germany), a leading METIS consortium member. Two MPIA staff members working on this project, Markus Feldt and Thomas Bertram, stand next to a telescope simulator (in black) and the METIS Adaptive Optics test stand.
","Credit":"D. Elsässer","PublicationDate":"2026-06-23T07:29:15.946476Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Instrument"],"Name":["METIS (Mid-infrared ELT Imager)"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DJI_0696/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DJI_0696.tif","FileSize":69053582,"Dimensions":[3916,2937],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DJI_0696.jpg","FileSize":2821584,"Dimensions":[3916,2937],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DJI_0696.jpg","FileSize":286732,"Dimensions":[1280.0,960.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DJI_0696.jpg","FileSize":14421,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DJI_0696.jpg","FileSize":5974,"Dimensions":[60.0,45.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26003b","Title":"Participants at the 2GDSM contract signature","Description":"On 22 June 2026, Daniele Gallieni of A.D.S. International (centre right), Roberto Biasi of Microgate (centre left) and ESO Director General Xavier Barcons (centre) signed a contract between ESO and AdOptica, a consortium made up of Microgate and A.D.S. International, for the production of a next-generation deformable secondary mirror for ESO’s Very Large Telescope. Many ESO staff members involved in this project were present at the ceremony.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-22T14:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26003b/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26003b.tif","FileSize":200849812,"Dimensions":[7499,4463],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"8d8e0dbb6bd9e6c1435a6185879d39844ad6b8e26ed50ee41992849a7cbc090d"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26003b.jpg","FileSize":8366946,"Dimensions":[7499,4463],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26003b.jpg","FileSize":222213,"Dimensions":[1280.0,762.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26003b.jpg","FileSize":14485,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26003b.jpg","FileSize":5449,"Dimensions":[60.0,36.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"ann26003a","Title":"Signing of the 2GDSM contract","Description":"On 22 June 2026, Daniele Gallieni of A.D.S. International (left), Roberto Biasi of Microgate (centre) and ESO Director General Xavier Barcons signed a contract between ESO and AdOptica, a consortium made up of Microgate and A.D.S. International, for the production of a next-generation deformable secondary mirror for ESO’s Very Large Telescope.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-22T14:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann26003a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/ann26003a.tif","FileSize":194944942,"Dimensions":[7022,4626],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"9adf28b2b68a4ba5fdd07093e387b88eb54f5496b90cf415e69b1e35e12a09f5"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/ann26003a.jpg","FileSize":7995018,"Dimensions":[7022,4626],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/ann26003a.jpg","FileSize":267415,"Dimensions":[1280.0,844.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/ann26003a.jpg","FileSize":13219,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/ann26003a.jpg","FileSize":5472,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2625a","Title":"Unblurring the skies above the ELT","Description":"While this might look like a frame from a sci-fi movie, today’s Picture of the Week displays one of the very real lasers built for ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), under construction in Chile. This laser, shown here undergoing tests at ESO’s Headquarters in Germany, will be an essential part of the ELT.
\r\nOne of the biggest obstacles that ground-based telescopes have to overcome is the turbulence in Earth's atmosphere. Even for telescopes on sites with the clearest night skies, this turbulence distorts images and blurs details of the cosmic objects we observe. To counter this, scientists developed a method called adaptive optics, where deformable mirrors adjust their shape to correct for distortion in real time. To accurately measure the distortion, powerful 22-watt laser beams are shone through the Earth’s atmosphere, exciting sodium atoms around 90 kilometres high, creating artificial “stars” close to the observed object. By correcting the blurriness, the finer details of very faint objects can be studied.
\r\nThese lasers are the result of years of collaboration between ESO and industrial partners. The laser sources were built by TOPTICA (Germany) and MPBC (Canada), whereas the projection systems that beam the lasers into the sky are built by TNO and Demcon (The Netherlands). Three of these lasers are already in operation at our Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), while the remaining 6 will be installed on the ELT, aiming for first light later this decade.
\r\nFrom left to right: Fred Kamphues (TNO), Raquel Shida (ESO, Department of Communication), and Bart Speet (TNO).
","Credit":"ESO/TNO/Demcon/Fred Kamphues","PublicationDate":"2026-06-22T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology"],"Name":["Laser Guide Star"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2625a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/potw2625a.tif","FileSize":43238282,"Dimensions":[6048,4024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/potw2625a.jpg","FileSize":5282161,"Dimensions":[6048,4024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/potw2625a.jpg","FileSize":254361,"Dimensions":[1280.0,852.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/potw2625a.jpg","FileSize":16376,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/potw2625a.jpg","FileSize":6458,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2624a","Title":"Tunnel vision","Description":"This evocative Picture of the Week transports you into one of the tunnels found below ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The black and white lines draw you to focus on a lone figure at the end, a member of a group that forms one of the cornerstones of ESO: our observatories’ engineers. Whether they are inspecting the tunnels, shown here, maintaining the mirrors of the telescopes, or fixing the instruments that can capture faint cosmic objects, they are indispensable in the development and running of ESO’s facilities.
\r\nTunnels such as this one connect the Unit Telescopes (UTs), which comprise the Very Large Telescope (VLT), to the control building where the VLT and its instruments are operated by observing teams. Each tunnel carries power and network cables, as well as pipes that channel liquid to cool various systems inside each UT. The tunnels can be also used to access the UTs when it is too windy outside. This photograph points towards the wall of UT1, also named ‘Antu’, meaning Sun in the Mapuche language of the indigenous people of central-southern Chile.
\r\nThe pipes on the ceiling, concealed cabling on the walls, and reflections on the floor also convey a slightly eerie atmosphere. The photographer, ESO astronomer Luca Sbordone, says “as a science fiction fan, I love the tunnels, they have a very ‘spaceship’ feeling. For the best experience, go through them with lights off and just a flashlight. So far, no drooling, man-eating aliens in the Paranal tunnels. But I'm not giving up hope!”
","Credit":"L. Sbordone/ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-15T04:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : Technology : Observatory","Unspecified : People : Scientist"],"Name":["VLT Unit Telescopes"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2624a/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":70,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/potw2624a.tif","FileSize":238924408,"Dimensions":[5152,7728],"ProjectionType":"Tan","Checksum":"fc28f4dd5daf27e4cd8a742279cab8abffd8645c6b037e07c69195aa183aff3d"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/potw2624a.jpg","FileSize":16235821,"Dimensions":[5152,7728],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/potw2624a.jpg","FileSize":501086,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1920.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/potw2624a.jpg","FileSize":15111,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/potw2624a.jpg","FileSize":6659,"Dimensions":[60.0,90.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC01326","Title":"ESO Council in Chile in June 2026","Description":"Representatives from the ESO Council and ESO management met in Vitacura, Santiago, Chile in June 2026.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-10T10:38:50.002217Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC01326/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC01326.tif","FileSize":19500210,"Dimensions":[3119,2079],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC01326.jpg","FileSize":1905643,"Dimensions":[3119,2079],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC01326.jpg","FileSize":312718,"Dimensions":[1280.0,854.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC01326.jpg","FileSize":15602,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC01326.jpg","FileSize":5858,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"potw2623a","Title":"Celebrating the birth of new stars... and the VST!","Description":"Imagine for a moment you are lying back, gazing up at the red-orange celestial clouds in today’s Picture of the Week. What shapes do you see? A chicken pecking seeds on the ground, the head of a dragon, or something else entirely?
\r\nThese pareidolia-inducing clouds are a pair of nebulae — collections of dust and gas in interstellar space — called Gum 10 and Gum 11. Visible mostly from the southern hemisphere, they are part of a larger complex, in which stars are born. Gum 10 is the brightest cloud that occupies most of the image, whereas Gum 11 is the fainter, detached cloud to the bottom-left. Their bright glow comes from a special interaction between hydrogen and the hot massive stars in each nebula. These stars emit ultraviolet light, which has enough energy to tear electrons away from their atoms, forming ions. These electrons eventually recombine with hydrogen ions, which causes the emission of the specific shade of red light seen in this image. The black lines in the nebula come from dust that blocks the light behind it.
\r\nThis image was taken with the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), which celebrates the 15th anniversary of its first light today! The VST project was a joint venture between ESO and the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory (OAC), part of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF). Today the VST is solely managed by INAF and is hosted by ESO at its Paranal Observatory in Chile. The data behind this picture comes from a project called VPHAS+, which uses the VST to scan across the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, intended to better understand the lifecycle of stars.
\r\nESO engineer Jalo Nousiainen working with ESO’s GPU-based High-order adaptive OpticS Testbench (GHOST), a system designed to improve the performance of adaptive optics corrections to counteract atmospheric blur.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-03T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People : Scientist"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC_1393/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC_1393.tif","FileSize":53327326,"Dimensions":[5357,3316],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC_1393.jpg","FileSize":3497611,"Dimensions":[5357,3316],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC_1393.jpg","FileSize":187986,"Dimensions":[1280.0,793.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC_1393.jpg","FileSize":14193,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC_1393.jpg","FileSize":5646,"Dimensions":[60.0,38.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC_1353","Title":"ESO’s NGCII detector controller","Description":"ESO engineer Mathias Richerzhagen working on ESO’s New General Controller 2 (NGCII), designed to control all types of astronomical detectors, both optical and infrared ones.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-03T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People : Scientist"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/germany/images/DSC_1353/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC_1353.tif","FileSize":73046856,"Dimensions":[6048,4024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC_1353.jpg","FileSize":4291691,"Dimensions":[6048,4024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC_1353.jpg","FileSize":182281,"Dimensions":[1280.0,852.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC_1353.jpg","FileSize":13770,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC_1353.jpg","FileSize":5700,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC_1273","Title":"ESO’s NGCII detector controller","Description":"ESO engineer Mathias Richerzhagen working on ESO’s New General Controller 2 (NGCII), designed to control all types of astronomical detectors, both optical and infrared ones.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-03T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People : Scientist"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC_1273/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC_1273.tif","FileSize":73043168,"Dimensions":[6048,4024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC_1273.jpg","FileSize":3611366,"Dimensions":[6048,4024],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC_1273.jpg","FileSize":147729,"Dimensions":[1280.0,852.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC_1273.jpg","FileSize":12554,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC_1273.jpg","FileSize":5540,"Dimensions":[60.0,40.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC_1411","Title":"ESO’s GPU-based adaptive optics","Description":"ESO engineer Jalo Nousiainen working with ESO’s GPU-based High-order adaptive OpticS Testbench (GHOST), a system designed to improve the performance of adaptive optics corrections to counteract atmospheric blur.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-03T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People : Scientist"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/images/DSC_1411/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC_1411.tif","FileSize":73049948,"Dimensions":[4024,6048],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC_1411.jpg","FileSize":4779391,"Dimensions":[4024,6048],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC_1411.jpg","FileSize":366077,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1924.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC_1411.jpg","FileSize":15671,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC_1411.jpg","FileSize":8592,"Dimensions":[60.0,91.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]},{"Creator":"European Southern Observatory","URL":"https://www.eso.org","Contact":{"Address":"Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2","City":"Garching bei München","Country":"Germany","PostalCode":"D-85748"},"ID":"DSC_1284","Title":"ESO’s NGCII detector controller","Description":"ESO engineer Mathias Richerzhagen working on ESO’s New General Controller 2 (NGCII), designed to control all types of astronomical detectors, both optical and infrared ones.
","Credit":"ESO","PublicationDate":"2026-06-03T12:00:00Z","Subject":{"Category":["Unspecified : People : Scientist"]},"ReferenceURL":"https://www.eso.org/public/germany/images/DSC_1284/","Rights":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License","Priority":50,"Assets":[{"MediaType":"Image","Resources":[{"ResourceType":"Original","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/original/DSC_1284.tif","FileSize":67924668,"Dimensions":[3982,5683],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Large","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/large/DSC_1284.jpg","FileSize":3997373,"Dimensions":[3982,5683],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Small","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/DSC_1284.jpg","FileSize":325609,"Dimensions":[1280.0,1827.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Thumbnail","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/potwmedium/DSC_1284.jpg","FileSize":12845,"Dimensions":[220.0,140.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"},{"ResourceType":"Icon","MediaType":"Image","URL":"https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/newsmini/DSC_1284.jpg","FileSize":7705,"Dimensions":[60.0,86.0],"ProjectionType":"Tan"}]}]}]}