Although the asteroid did not pose a serious threat, it was used as an important training exercise for the future
Black hole’s flaring hot spots prove decade-old theory
The recent detection of flares circling the heavy-weight objects has revealed how they grow and consume matter
Einstein’s theory successfully tested near supermassive black hole
This result is the culmination of 26 years of observations made by the Very Large Telescope in Chile
Very Large Telescope uses new optics to gather strikingly sharp images
ESO commemorate the newly installed adaptive optics on the Very Large Telescope by imaging celestial objects in remarkable detail
Astronomers capture a vibrant array of celestial colours
During a test of the HAWK-I camera, the Very Large Telescope captured this amazing image of a young generation of stars blossoming with colour
A planet being born has been directly imaged for the first time ever
This young planet is shaping its host primordial disk and its atmosphere appears to be cloudy
Protoplanetary discs finally seen in unrivalled detail
Courtesy of a Very Large Telescope instrument, there has now been an influx of fantastic images unmasking the dusty discs that surround young stars
Very Large Telescope to begin hunt for worlds around Alpha Centauri
ESO has signed an agreement to adapt the Very Large Telescope instrumentation in Chile to conduct a search for planets in the nearby star system
Super Earth-based telescope gets first views of ‘pillars of destruction’
New observations of structures within the Carina Nebula have been made using ESO’s Very Large Telescope
Astronomers discover galaxy’s ‘cosmic gas barcode’ eight billion light years away
Researchers have confirmed that electromagnetism in a distant galaxy has the same strength as here on Earth
Large telescope captures baby planets sculpting dusty discs
Sharp new observations have revealed striking features in planet-forming regions around young stars
Astronomers find planet with triple sunrises and sunsets
The exoplanet HD 131399Ab is unlike any other known world
Baby ‘flickering’ stars provide link to how hungry black holes feed
A previously unknown link between the way young stellar objects grow and the way black holes feast on their surroundings has been discovered
Mysterious ripples found in planet-forming disc around nearby star
Moving features within the dusty disc surrounding young star AU Microscopii have been discovered
New image release: astronomers capture dragon’s life and death
An unfamiliar region of one of our closest neighbours – the Large Magellanic Cloud – has been imaged for the very first time.
Very Large Telescope sees signs of planet birth in action
Could the disc of gas and dust surrounding a star 335 light years away be the construction yard for a planet?