Richard Hook | ESO Public Information

Spinning Black Hole Swallowing Star Explains Superluminous Event

By Giorgos Leloudas | Niels Bohr Institute-University of Copenhagen, Richard Hook | ESO Public Information on Dec 12, 2016 Featured, Science/Education

In 2015, the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) detected an event, named ASASSN-15lh, that was recorded as the brightest supernova ever — and categorised as a superluminous supernova, the explosion of an extremely massive star at the end of its life. It was twice as bright as the previous record holder, and at […]

Three Potentially Habitable Worlds Found Around Nearby Ultracool Dwarf Star

By Richard Hook | ESO Public Information on May 3, 2016 Featured, Science/Education

Astronomers using the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory have discovered three planets orbiting an ultracool dwarf star just 40 light-years from Earth. These worlds have sizes and temperatures similar to those of Venus and Earth and are the best targets found so far for the search for life outside the Solar System. They […]