ESOcast 202 Light: ESO helps protect Earth from dangerous asteroids

The unique capabilities of the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope have enabled it to obtain the sharpest images of a double asteroid as it flew by Earth on 25 May. While this double asteroid was not itself a threatening object, scientists used the opportunity to rehearse the response to a hazardous Near-Earth Object (NEO), proving that ESO’s front-line technology could be critical in planetary defence.

The video is available in 4K UHD.

The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases.

Credit:

ESO.

Directed by: Nico Bartmann.
Editing: Nico Bartmann.
Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida.
Written by: Laura Hiscott and Calum Turner.
Music: tonelabs - Orion Fog (www.tonelabs.com).
Footage and photos: ESO, D. Gasparri (www.astroatacama.com), M. Kornmesser, NASA, ESA.
Scientific consultant: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova.

About the Video

Id:eso1910a
Release date:3 June 2019, 12:00
Related releases:eso1910
Duration:01 m 25 s
Frame rate:25 fps

About the Object

Name:Asteroid
Type:Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Asteroid
Category:ESOcast

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