Photo: ESO’s Very Large Telescope’s Sphere instrument obtain the sharpest images of a double asteroid as it flew by Earth on 25 May. The left-hand image shows SPHERE observations of Asteroid 1999 KW4, artist impression right. Image-ESO VLT observes a passing double asteroid hurtling by Earth at 44,000 MPH The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) […]
This spectacular image — the second instalment in ESO’s R Aquarii Week — shows intimate details of the dramatic stellar duo making up the binary star R Aquarii. Though most binary stars are bound in a graceful waltz by gravity, the relationship between the stars of R Aquarii is far less serene. Despite its diminutive size, the smaller of […]
After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets – more planets even than stars – NASA’s Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations. NASA has decided to retire the spacecraft within its current, safe orbit, away from […]
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured part of the wondrous Serpens Nebula, lit up by the star HBC 672. This young star casts a striking shadow — nicknamed the Bat Shadow — on the nebula behind it, revealing telltale signs of its otherwise invisible protoplanetary disc. The Serpens Nebula, located in the tail of the […]