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Beta Pictoris d
VLT image of the Beta Pictoris d exoplanet
This 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,...
Beta Pictoris d
The Beta Pictoris d exoplanet observed over the years
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...
3I/ATLAS
VLT image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (18 January 2026)
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.
3I/ATLAS
VLT image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (18 February 2026)
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.
3I/ATLAS
VLT spectrum of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
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...
NGC 6723
Starry chandelier
The subject of today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month is an ancient inhabitant of our galaxy. This sparkling scene is of a globular cluster: a collection of tens of thousands to millions of stars, all tightly bound together under the influence of gravity. Astronomers know of more than 150...
NGC 4594
Sombrero Galaxy: The Universe’s Dusty Brimmed Hat
Messier 104, nicknamed the Sombrero galaxy, is a popular target for amateur observing and astronomical research. Its recognizable extended halo and dust-filled disk are captured in this image from the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the U.S. National...
Gum 10
Celebrating the birth of new stars... and the VST!
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? These pareidolia-inducing clouds are a pair of nebulae —...
NGC 4594
Close-up of the central parts of the Sombrero Galaxy
Messier 104, nicknamed the Sombrero galaxy, is a popular target for amateur observing and astronomical research. Its recognizable extended halo and dust-filled disk are captured in this image from the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the U.S. National...
NGC 1514: The Crystal Ball Nebula
The 8.1-meter Gemini North telescope, located on the summit of Maunakea in Hawai‘i, has captured NGC 1514, nicknamed the Crystal Ball Nebula, in awe-inspiring detail. This nebula, with its mesmerizing glow of gas, harbors hints of a past stellar death, and its asymmetrical shell is now being...
Gemini North image of the field around "Shadow Blaster"
This image shows the field around the gravitationally lensed galaxy nicknamed "Shadow Blaster." This galaxy lies 11 billion light-years away and sits just behind the bright red galaxy at the center of this image. The red foreground galaxy acts like a cosmic magnifying glass, enlarging and...
Gemini North and ALMA image of "Shadow Blaster"
This image shows the gravitationally lensed galaxy nicknamed "Shadow Blaster," which astronomers have identified as the likely source of the high-energy neutrino event IC 210922A, detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in 2021. Gravitational lensing occurs when a very massive foreground...
Featured from the Archive
DR21
Spitzer IRAC view of Star Formation in the DR21 Region
Hidden behind a shroud of dust in the constellation Cygnus is an exceptionally bright source of radio emission called DR21. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope allows us to peek behind the cosmic veil and pinpoint one of the most massive natal stars yet seen in our Milky Way galaxy.
