ESOcast SD

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found a unique disc of debris around the white dwarf J1328−1450 -- the dead core of a star similar to our Sun. The star is surrounded not by one but two discs of gas, which are likely maintained by planetesimals that survived the star’s death. As these planetesimals orbit the star, they interact with dust grains around the star, releasing gas that ends up arranged in two discs. This video summarises the discovery.

Astronomers have finally obtained firm evidence that Betelgeuse, a famous star in the Orion constellation, is not alone. Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) they have obtained the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting Betelgeuse and which could explain some of its brightness variations. This video summarises the discovery.

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found an object in another planetary system that challenges astronomical labels. The object resembles a moon in that it orbits another object which in turn orbits a star. But the newly found ‘moon’ is itself as massive as a planet, and the object it orbits is neither a planet nor a star. This video summarises the discovery.

Astronomers have discovered a third planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The new planet, Beta Pictoris d, is among the lightest exoplanets ever to be imaged from the ground. After the initial discovery, the team found it had been hiding in archive observations spanning more than a decade. This video summarises the study.

Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have studied the relative abundances of carbon and nitrogen in 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar comet discovered so far. Their findings suggest that the comet likely formed in the outskirts of the disc around a star older than the Sun. This video summarises the discovery.

Astronomers have found the strongest evidence yet that some planets outside our Solar System may have magnetic fields. Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope and the Gemini North telescope, the researchers measured wind speeds on seven very hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets.

Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have observed two exoplanets forming around the young star WISPIT 2. Both planets are gas giants, more massive than Jupiter, and are carving out gaps in the disc of gas and dust around their host star. The WISPIT 2 system could therefore resemble a young Solar System. This video summarises the discovery.

Astronomers are surprised by a mysterious shock wave around the dead star RXJ0528+2838, studied with ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The dead star moves through space creating a so-called bow shock, as the surrounding material is pushed away. Structures like this one are typically caused by a strong outflow from the star. However, in the case of RXJ0528+2838, no known mechanism could be causing the outflow. A hidden energy source, perhaps magnetic fields, might be the answer to this mystery.

Astronomers have observed a supernova just a day after it was first detected. In the early stages of the blast, the explosion has not yet interacted with the material around the star, retaining its true shape. This initial shape has now been revealed for the first time. This video summarises the discovery.

Astronomers have found an intense ‘growth spurt’ in a rogue planet –– a planet that doesn’t orbit a star. Observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) reveal that this free-floating planet is eating up gas and dust from its surroundings at a rate of six billion tonnes a second, the strongest ever found for a planet of any kind. This video summarises the discovery.