ESO, Archives

Continuum-subtracted spectra of comet 3I obtained on August 28 and September 3+4. Three narrow FeI lines are detected on August 28 in this spectral range, FeI λ3719.93Å being the brightest iron line detected in our spectra. On the average spectrum obtained in September 3+4 (shifted vertically for clarity), the FeI lines are brighter, and four of them are detected. Broad emission features due to background [OII] emission at 3727Å and 3729Å are also observed. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

Extreme NiI/FeI Abundance Ratio In The Coma Of The Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

by Keith CowingOctober 2, 2025October 2, 2025

Emission lines of FeI and NiI are commonly found in the coma of solar system comets, even at large heliocentric distances.

The WISPIT 2 system as seen by the Magellan Telescope in Chile and the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona. The protoplanet WISPIT 2b appears as a purple dot in a dust-free gap between a bright, white dust ring around the star and a fainter, outer ring, orbiting at about 56 times the average distance between the Earth and the sun. The other potential planet, CC1, appears as the red object inside the dust free cavity and is estimated to be about 15 Earth-sun distances from its host star. Credit Laird Close, University of Arizona

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

A Growing Baby Planet Photographed For First Time

by Keith CowingAugust 28, 2025August 28, 2025

A team of astronomers has detected for the first time a growing planet outside our solar system, embedded in a cleared gap of a multi-ringed disk of dust and gas.

The image to the left, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows a possible planet being born around the young star HD 135344B.

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

A Newborn Planet Observed Sculpting The Dust Around It

by Keith CowingJuly 21, 2025

Astronomers may have caught a still-forming planet in action, carving out an intricate pattern in the gas and dust that surrounds its young host star.

Spectrum of C/2025 N1 (3I/ATLAS) showing the wavelength ranges where the emissions should appear above the noise level. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

X-SHOOTER Spectrum Of Comet C/2025 N1 (3I/ATLAS): Insights Into A Distant Interstellar Visitor

by Keith CowingJuly 20, 2025

Comets are primitive remnants of the early Solar System whose composition offers fundamental clues to their formation and evolution. High-resolution, broad-wavelength spectroscopy is crucial for identifying volatile species and constraining […]

This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. The image was taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. Together with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), these observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify. -- ESO

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

The Dawn Of A New Solar System Observed

by Keith CowingJuly 17, 2025July 17, 2025

International researchers have, for the first time, pinpointed the moment when planets began to form around a star beyond the Sun.

ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has obtained new images of 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object discovered last week.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

VLT Timelapse Of 3I/ATLAS, A New Interstellar Object

by Keith CowingJuly 13, 2025

ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has obtained new images of 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object discovered last week. Identified as a comet, 3I/ATLAS is only the third visitor from outside the […]

Close-up of the star RIK 113, seen here surrounded by a cloud of gas and dust called a protoplanetary disc. These discs are a common feature around young stars, containing all the building blocks needed to make a new planet. Over time, these dusty discs will fragment and condense under the influence of gravity, forming larger objects like protoplanets. These planetary embryos carve out gaps in the dust around them, forming the intricate, ring-like structures that we can see in this disc. -- ESO

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

RIK 113: The Likely Site Of A New Planet Forming

by Keith CowingJune 10, 2025June 10, 2025

An international team of astronomers led by University of Galway, has discovered the likely site of a new planet in formation, most likely a gas giant planet up to a […]

This image shows the precise location in the night sky of the galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0, an extremely tiny dot in the Fornax constellation. As of today, this is the most distant confirmed galaxy we know of. Its light took 13.4 billion years to reach us and shows the conditions of the Universe when it was only 300 million years old. The inset of the image shows a close-up of this primordial galaxy as seen with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The inset is overlaid on an image taken with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Carniani et al./S. Schouws et al/JWST: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), Ben Johnson (CfA), Sandro Tacchella (Cambridge), Phill Cargile (CfA) Larger image

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Oxygen Has Been Discovered In The Most Distant Known Galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0

by Keith CowingMarch 20, 2025March 20, 2025

Two different teams of astronomers have detected oxygen in the most distant known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0. The discovery, reported in two separate studies, was made possible thanks to the Atacama Large […]

Tylos (or WASP-121b) is a gaseous, giant exoplanet located some 900 light-years away in the constellation Puppis. Using the ESPRESSO instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), scientists have been able to prove into its atmosphere, revealing its 3D structure. This is the first time that this has been possible on a planet outside of the Solar System. The atmosphere of Tylos is divided into three layers, with iron winds at the bottom, followed by a very fast jet stream of sodium, and finally an upper layer of hydrogen winds. This kind of climate has never been seen before on any planet. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

First 3D Observations Of An Exoplanet’s Atmosphere Reveal A Unique Climate

by Keith CowingFebruary 18, 2025February 18, 2025

Astronomers have peered through the atmosphere of a planet beyond the Solar System, mapping its 3D structure for the first time. By combining all four telescope units of the European […]

This artist’s visualisation of WASP-127b, a giant gas planet located about 520 light-years from Earth -- ESO

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Extreme Supersonic Winds Measured On Exoplanet WASP-127b

by Keith CowingJanuary 21, 2025January 21, 2025

Astronomers have discovered extremely powerful winds pummeling the equator of WASP-127b, a giant exoplanet. Reaching speeds up to 33 000 km/h, the winds make up the fastest jetstream of its […]