EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY (ESO)

ATTRACT, a Horizon 2020 research and innovation project funded by the European Union and backed by a consortium of 9 partners including ESO, has announced 170 breakthrough ideas which will each receive €100,000 to develop technologies that have the potential to change society. The project called 3D-CANCER-SPEC will bring astronomical technology to bear against cancer, one of the leading cause of death worldwide. This project — coordinated by Martin Roth of innoFSPEC at the Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam — will combine the expertise of two partners involved in the development of the innovative MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1909c/ Credit: ATTRACT

ATTRACT, a Horizon 2020 research and innovation project funded by the European Union and backed by a consortium of 9 partners including ESO, has announced 170 breakthrough ideas which will each receive €100,000 to develop technologies that have the potential to change society. The project called Single Photon Visible Light Image Sensors for Science and Technology, coordinated by Konstantin Stefanov of the Open University in partnership with ESO detector specialist Mark Downing, aims to develop single-photon visible-light imagers, suitable for adaptive optics systems and low-light level spectroscopic and imaging applications. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1909b/ Credit: ATTRACT

ATTRACT, a Horizon 2020 research and innovation project funded by the European Union and backed by a consortium of 9 partners including ESO, has announced 170 breakthrough ideas which will each receive €100,000 to develop technologies that have the potential to change society. Two ESO-related projects were among those selected. One — 3D-CANCER-SPEC — will bring astronomical technology to bear against cancer, one of the leading cause of death worldwide. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1909a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO. Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Laura Hiscott and Lars Lindbergh Christensen. Music: tonelabs - The Red North (www.tonelabs.com). Footage and photos: ESO, innoFSPEC Potsdam, NASA, ESA, M. Kornmesser, J. Pérez, R. Bacon, M. Fumagalli, L. Calçada, B.Tafreshi (twanight.org). Scientific consultant: Paola Amico. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

The Gaia spacecraft, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), surveys the sky from Earth orbit to create the largest, most precise, three-dimensional map of our Galaxy ever. Observations from ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST), have captured Gaia in motion as a faint series of dots trailing across the night sky. These observations were taken as part of an ongoing collaborative effort to measure Gaia’s orbit and improve the accuracy of its unprecedented star map. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1908a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Herbert Zodet and Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Laura Hiscott and Calum Turner. Music: Tim Turusov - Final Light (www.turusov.com). Footage and photos: ESO, ESA, Y. Beletsky, C. Carreau, ATG medialab, L. Calçada. Scientific consultant: Paola Amico. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This artist's impression shows the orbit of the ESA spacecraft Gaia around a region in space known as Lagrangian Point 2 — L2. Gaia surveys the sky from orbit to create the largest, most precise, three-dimensional map of our Galaxy. One year ago, the Gaia mission produced its much-awaited second data release, which included high-precision measurements — positions, distance and proper motions — of more than one billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy. This catalogue has enabled transformational studies in many fields of astronomy, addressing the structure, origin and evolution the Milky Way and generating more than 1700 scientific publications since its launch in 2013.  In order to reach the accuracy necessary for Gaia’s sky maps, it is crucial to pinpoint the position of the spacecraft from Earth. Therefore, while Gaia scans the sky, gathering data for its stellar census, astronomers regularly monitor its position using a global network of optical telescopes, including the VST at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. The VST is currently the largest survey telescope observing the sky in visible light, and records Gaia’s position in the sky every second night throughout the year. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1908b/ Credit: ESO/L. Calçada

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) — a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration — was designed to capture images of a black hole. In coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers revealed that they succeeded, unveiling the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole and its shadow. This 17-minute film explores the efforts that led to this historic image, from the science of Einstein and Schwarzschild to the struggles and successes of the EHT collaboration. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907a/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Lars Lindberg Christensen Art Direction, Production Design: Martin Kornmesser Written by: Sarah Leach, Laura Hiscott, Lars Lindberg Christensen and Calum Turner 3D animations and graphics: Martin Kornmesser and Luis Calçada Editing: Martin Kornmesser Producer: Herbert Zodet Music: Johan B. Monell – Shadow of the Universe Part I-Shadow Of The Universe (parts 1-5) (www.johanmonell.com) and Stellardrone – Galaxies. Footage and photos: ESO, Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), IRAM/Diverticimes/Cinedia, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, BlackHoleCam/Radboud University/Cristian Afker/Cafker Productions, Digitized Sky Survey 2, De Gasperin et al., Kim et al.,  mediomix, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/General Dynamics C4 Systems, Nicolle R. Fuller/NSF, Jordy Davelaar et al., B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), C. Malin (christophmalin.com), Glen Petitpas/SMA,P. Horálek, James Lowenthal (Dept. of Astronomy, Smith College), J. Weintroub, SMT/Used with permission from University of Arizona, David Harvey, photographer, William Montgomerie/JCMT/EAO,LMT/INAOE Archive, M. Druckmüller, P. Aniol SMT/University of Arizona by Bob Demers /©2019 Arizona Board of Regents, Junhan Kim (Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona), Spaceengine.org, L. Calçada, Y. Beletsky (LCO), M. Kornmesser, H. Zodet, ESA/Hubble,Onsala Space Observatory, Historische Museum Bern/Albert-Einstein-Archiv, Jerusalem, Ferdinand Schmutzer, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Jonathan Riley,Luca Micheli, Karl Schwarzschild image courtesy AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Afshin Darian/The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Submillimeter Array, Thalia Traianou (Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy), Steven H. Keys and http://www.keysphotography.com, and Robert Schwarz (www.antarctic-adventures.de). Scientific consultants: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova.  Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This video explores magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the environment around the black hole at the heart of M87. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907o/ Credit: Weih, Fromm, Younsi, Rezzolla

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) -- a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration -- was designed to capture images of a black hole. In coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers revealed that they succeeded, unveiling the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole and its shadow. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907b/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann and Herbert Zodet. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Laura Hiscott and Calum Turner. Music: John Stanford — Deep Space (johnstanfordmusic.com). Footage and photos: ESO, Event Horizon Collaboration, IRAM/Cinedia, Digitized Sky Survey 2, De Gasperin et al., Kim et al., Jordy Davelaar et al., William Montgomerie/JCMT/EAO, James Lowenthal (Dept. of Astronomy, Smith College), SMT/University of Arizona by Bob Demers, Arizona Board of Regents, Junhan Kim (Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona), L. Calçada, B. Tafreshi (twanight.org) and J. Weintroub. Scientific consultants: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova.  Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This artist’s impression delves into the surroundings of a black hole, showing an accretion disc of superheated plasma and a relativistic jet. It also depicts the paths of photons in the vicinity of a black hole. The gravitational bending and capture of light by the event horizon is the cause of the shadow captured by the Event Horizon Telescope. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907n/ Credit: Nicolle R. Fuller/NSF

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) — a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration — was designed to capture images of a black hole. In coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers revealed that they succeeded, unveiling the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole and its shadow. This zoom video starts with a view of ALMA and zooms in on the heart of M87, showing successively more detailed observations and culminating in the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole’s shadow. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907c/ Credit: ESO/L. Calçada, Digitized Sky Survey 2, ESA/Hubble, RadioAstron, De Gasperin et al., Kim et al., EHT Collaboration. Music: Niklas Falcke

In anticipation of the first image of a black hole, Jordy Davelaar and colleagues built a virtual reality simulation of one of these fascinating astrophysical objects. Their simulation shows a black hole surrounded by luminous matter. This matter disappears into the black hole in a vortex-like way, and the extreme conditions cause it to become a glowing plasma. The light emitted is then deflected and deformed by the powerful gravity of the black hole. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907d/ Credit: Jordy Davelaar et al./Radboud University/BlackHoleCam

In anticipation of the first image of a black hole, Jordy Davelaar and colleagues built a virtual reality simulation of one of these fascinating astrophysical objects. Their simulation shows a black hole surrounded by luminous matter. This matter disappears into the black hole in a vortex-like way, and the extreme conditions cause it to become a glowing plasma. The light emitted is then deflected and deformed by the powerful gravity of the black hole. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907h/ Credit: Jordy Davelaar et al./Radboud University/BlackHoleCam

This animation shows the locations of some of the telescopes making up the EHT, as well as the long baselines between the telescopes. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907g/ Credit: ESO/ L. Calçada

This artist’s impression depicts the black hole at the heart of the enormous elliptical galaxy M87. This black hole was chosen as the object of paradigm-shifting observations by the Event Horizon Telescope. The superheated material surrounding the black hole is shown, as is the relativistic jet launched by M87’s black hole. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907e/ Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

This B-roll footage contains footage of interviews with members of the EHT collaboration. The material has been edited especially for broadcast use, without commentary or music. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907k/ Credit: ESO/BlackHoleCam/Radboud University/ Cristian Afker/Cafker Productions/ Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. Produced by: Cristian Afker/Cafker Productions /ESO.

This artist’s impression depicts the black hole at the heart of the enormous elliptical galaxy M87. This black hole was chosen as the object of paradigm-shifting observations by the Event Horizon Telescope. The superheated material surrounding the black hole is shown. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907f/ Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

This B-roll footage contains footage of interviews with members of the EHT collaboration. The material has been edited especially for broadcast use, without commentary or music. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907l/ Credit: ESO/BlackHoleCam /Radboud University/ Cristian Afker/Cafker Productions/Goethe University Frankfurt. Produced by: Cristian Afker/Cafker Productions /ESO.

This B-roll footage contains footage of the science and technology behind the Event Horizon Telescope. The material has been edited especially for broadcast use, without commentary or music. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907m/ Credit: ESO/BlackHoleCam/Radboud University/CristianAfker/CafkerProductions/mediomix, IRAM/Cinedia/Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy/Junhan Kim (Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)/Thalia Traianou (Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy)/ ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO). Produced by: Cristian Afker/Cafker Productions /ESO.

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) — a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration — was designed to capture images of a black hole. In coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers revealed that they succeeded, unveiling the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole and its shadow. This video highlights the European contributions to this project, ranging from infrastructures such as ALMA, APEX, and the IRAM 30-meter Telescope to funding from ESO. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1907j/ Credit: ESO, IRAM, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), C. Malin (christophmalin.com), William Montgomerie/JCMT/EAO, B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), P. Horálek. BlackHoleCam/Radboud University/Cristian Afker/Cafker Productions, Junhan Kim (Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona), Glen Petitpas/SMA, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, IRAM/Cinedia, SMT/Used with permission from University of Arizona, David Harvey, photographer, James Lowenthal (Dept. of Astronomy, Smith College). Produced by: ESO

Since its inauguration in 1969, ESO’s La Silla Observatory has been at the forefront of astronomy. Its suite of state-of-the-art instruments has allowed astronomers to make ground-breaking discoveries and paved the way for future generations of telescopes. Even after 50 years of observations, ESO’s telescopes at La Silla continue to push the boundaries of astronomy, discovering alien worlds and unveiling the cosmos in breathtaking detail. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1906a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO. Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Laura Hiscott and Calum Turner. Music: John Stanford — The Edge (johnstanfordmusic.com). Footage and photos: ESO, G. Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com), L. Calçada, J. Pérez, Liam Young/Unknown Fields. Scientific consultant: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

The HR 8799 system harbors four super-Jupiters orbiting with periods that range from decades to centuries. HR 8799e is the innermost planet in this video. This footage consists of 7 images of HR 8799 taken with the Keck Telescope over 7 years. The video was made by Jason Wang, data was reduced by Christian Marois, and the orbits were fit by Quinn Konopacky. Bruce Macintosh, Travis Barman, and Ben Zuckerman assisted in the observations. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1905b/ Credit: J. Wang et al.

The GRAVITY instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) has made the first direct observation of an exoplanet using optical interferometry. This method revealed a complex exoplanetary atmosphere with clouds of iron and silicates swirling in a planet-wide storm. The technique presents unique possibilities for characterising many of the exoplanets known today. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1905a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Sarah Leach & Calum Turner. Music: John Stanford — Aurora (johnstanfordmusic.com) Footage and photos: ESO, L. Calçada, Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org), , D. Gasparri (www.astroatacama.com). Scientific consultants: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

Hidden in one of the darkest corners of the Orion constellation, this Cosmic Bat is spreading its hazy wings through interstellar space two thousand light-years away. It is illuminated by the young stars nestled in its core — despite being shrouded by opaque clouds of dust, their bright rays still illuminate the nebula. Too dim to be discerned by the naked eye, NGC 1788 reveals its soft colours to ESO's Very Large Telescope in this image — the most detailed to date. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1904a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Sarah Leach & Calum Turner. Music: tonelabs — The Red North. Footage and photos: ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org). Scientific consultants: Paola Amico & Mariya Lyubenova. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This zoom video starts with a wide view of the Milky Way and ends with a close-up look at NGC 1788. Hidden in one of the darkest corners of the Orion constellation, this Cosmic Bat is spreading its hazy wings through interstellar space two thousand light-years away. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1904c/ Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org)/XXX. Music: XXX

ESO is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of one of the VLT’s most versatile instruments, the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph -- FORS2. FORS2 — which was originally accompanied by its twin FORS1 — is an instrument mounted on one of the VLT's 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes at Paranal. Its ability to image large areas of the sky in exceptional detail has made it a coveted member of ESO's fleet of cutting-edge scientific instruments. Since its first light twenty years ago, FORS2 has become known as “the Swiss army knife of instruments”. This moniker originates from its uniquely broad set of functions. FORS2’s versatility extends beyond purely scientific uses — its ability to capture beautiful high-quality images makes it a particularly useful tool for public outreach. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1904b/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Laura Hiscott & Calum Turner. Music: John Stanford — The Watchers (johnstanfordmusic.com). Footage and photos: ESO, D. Gasparri (astroatacama.com), H. Zodet, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org). Scientific consultants: Paola Amico & Mariya Lyubenova. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This video pans across NGC 1788. Hidden in one of the darkest corners of the Orion constellation, this Cosmic Bat is spreading its hazy wings through interstellar space two thousand light-years away. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1904d/ Credit: ESO. Music: Mat Javis — The Shape of Things to Come.

On 19 April 2019, the young Munich-based "electronic-jazz-collective" Ark Noir will play under the planetarium dome at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. The group’s original compositions, which blend synth-heavy improvisation and beats, will be accompanied by 360-degree visuals, immersing fans in a unique, cosmic experience. The young Munich-based "electronic-jazz-collective" Ark Noir draws inspiration from different styles like Jazz, Hip-Hop, Dub, Beatmusic and Techno to create their fresh and undogmatic sound. Their original compositions, by saxophonist Moritz Stahl, drummer Marco Dufner and keyboarder Sam Hylton, blend synth-heavy improvisation and beats. To reserve a place at Ark Noir — Live in the Universe, on 19 April 2019, from 20:00, please book your tickets here https://supernova.eso.org/programme/booking/3dq29/. The ticket price is 20 euro and places are limited to 109 seats. Credit: ESO/Ark Noir

In this ESOcast, six astronomers tell us about the hottest topics in contemporary astronomy. Covering topics ranging from dark matter to exoplanets, these astronomers make the case for why these cutting-edge fields deserve time at ESO's telescopes. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/esocast194a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO.   Directed by: Herbert Zodet. Editing: Herbert Zodet. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Stephen Molyneux and Calum Turner. Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa. Music: Tomaz Vital (trilhavital.com) — Horizontes and Nuclearmetal/New Horizons — Planetarium. Footage and photos: ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, spaceengine.org, S. Brunier, ESA, Hubble, NASA, G. Bacon, L. Frattare, Z. Levay, J. Anderson (STScI), P. Horálek, D. Elbaz, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), Westerlund 2 Science Team, F. Ferraro (University of Bologna),  T. Matsopoulos, Daniele Gasparri, F. Kamphues, Frank Summers, Space Telescope Science Institute, Martin White, UC Berkeley, Lars Hernquist, Harvard University, C. Malin (christophmalin.com), B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), Gianluca Lombardi (glphoto.it) and The Illustris Project (visualization by Dylan Nelson). Scientific consultant: Paola Amico. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This zoom video starts with a wide view of the Milky Way and ends with a close-up look at a dazzling region of newly-forming stars in the HII region LHA 120-N 180B — also known as N180. This glowing region of newborn stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was captured by the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The relatively small amount of dust in the LMC and MUSE’s acute vision allowed intricate details of the region to be picked out in visible light. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1903b/ Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org). Music: Astral Electronic

This pan video explores a dazzling region of newly-forming stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The HII region LHA 120-N 180B — also known as N180 — was captured by the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The relatively small amount of dust in the LMC and MUSE’s acute vision allowed intricate details of the region to be picked out in visible light. Deep within the glowing cloud of N180, MUSE spotted a jet emitted by a fledgling star — a massive young stellar object. This is the first time such a jet has been observed in visible light outside the Milky Way. Usually, such jets are obscured by their dusty surroundings, meaning they can only be detected at infrared or radio wavelengths by telescopes such as ALMA. However, the relatively dust-free environment of the LMC allowed this jet — named Herbig–Haro 1177, or HH 1177 for short — to be observed at visible wavelengths. At nearly 33 light-years in length, it is one of the longest such jets ever observed. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1903c/ Credit: ESO, A McLeod et al. Music: tonelabs — The Red North

This dazzling region of newly-forming stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was captured by the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The relatively small amount of dust in the LMC and MUSE’s acute vision allowed intricate details of the region to be picked out in visible light. Deep within the glowing cloud of the HII region LHA 120-N 180B, MUSE spotted a jet emitted by a fledgling star — a massive young stellar object. This is the first time such a jet has been observed in visible light outside the Milky Way. Usually, such jets are obscured by their dusty surroundings, meaning they can only be detected at infrared or radio wavelengths by telescopes such as ALMA. However, the relatively dust-free environment of the LMC allowed this jet — named Herbig–Haro 1177, or HH 1177 for short — to be observed at visible wavelengths. At nearly 33 light-years in length, it is one of the longest such jets ever observed. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1903a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Laura Hiscott and Calum Turner. Music: Tim Turusov — Final Light (www.turusov.com). Footage and photos: ESO, J. Colosimo, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org), A McLeod et al. Scientific consultant: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

The GRAVITY instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) has seen what seems an impossible sight... The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. ### Links * Research paper — First Resolution of Microlensed Images: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aaeffb * Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 * Watch more ESOcast episodes http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ * Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages. http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/soft_subtitles More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/esocast192a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Ivana Kurečić, Mariya Lyubenova, and Calum Turner. Music: John Stanford – The Edge (johnstanfordmusic.com). Footage and photos: ESO, UHD Team, M. Kornmesser, B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), MPE, F. Kamphues, MATISSE consortium, P. Horálek. Scientific Consultants: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

The faint, ephemeral glow emanating from the planetary nebula ESO 577-24 persists for only a short time -- around 10,000 years, a blink of an eye in astronomical terms. ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured this shell of glowing ionised gas -- the last breath of the dying star whose simmering remains are visible at the heart of this image. As the gaseous shell of this planetary nebula expands and grows dimmer, it will slowly disappear from sight. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1902a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Ivana Kurečić and Calum Turner. Music: Thomas Edward Rice — Phantasm Retro. Footage and photos: ESO, Liam Young/Unknown Fields, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org). Scientific consultant: Paola Amico. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This video zooms in from a view of the Milky Way to the planetary nebula ESO 577-24. ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured this shell of glowing ionised gas — the last breath of the dying star whose simmering remains are visible at the heart of this image. As the gaseous shell of this planetary nebula expands and grows dimmer, it will slowly disappear from the sight of even ESO’s powerful telescopes. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1902c/ Credit: ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org). Music: Astral Electronic.

This pan video explores the planetary nebula ESO 577-24. ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured this shell of glowing ionised gas — the last breath of the dying star whose simmering remains are visible at the heart of this image. As the gaseous shell of this planetary nebula expands and grows dimmer, it will slowly disappear from sight. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1902b/ Credit: ESO. Music: Thomas Edward Rice — Phantasm Retro.

In Chile Chill 12 the evocative tunes of ESO’s Music Ambassador Dimitris Polychroniadis are set to stunning visuals from ESO’s expansive video archive. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a stellar walk through the Universe on the border between science and art. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/esocast190a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO. Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Music: Dimitris Polychroniadis — Fire in the Heavens. Footage and photos: ESO, ESA, Hubble. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next-generation ground-based instrument designed to detect very high energy gamma rays, with sites in both the southern and northern hemispheres. Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation of a very high energy, emitted by the hottest and most extreme objects in the Universe — supermassive black holes, supernovae and maybe even remnants of the Big Bang. The material has been edited especially for broadcast use, without commentary or music. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1841b/ Credit: ESO/ P. Horálek

CTA is a global initiative to build the world’s largest and most sensitive high energy gamma-ray observatory. Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation of very high energy, emitted by the hottest and most extreme objects in the Universe — supermassive black holes, supernovae and maybe even remnants of the Big Bang. Read more about CTA on its dedicated web page. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1841c/ Credit: G. Perez, IAC

More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1841a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO. Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Lauren Fuge and Calum Turner. Music: Colin Rayment & Stan Dart – Less Gravity. Footage and photos: ESO, M-A. Besel, G. Perez, IAC (G.P. Diaz), CTAO, NAOJ, L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser. Scientific consultant: Paola Amico. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This animation shows a red giant, slowly expelling its outer layers into space. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1840e/ Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

When a white dwarf in a binary star system acquires more material than it can handle it creates a violent outburst of surplus gas. With this outburst the white dwarf attempts to correct the imbalance. Channelled by the magnetic field of the star, the ejecta take the form of spectacular symmetric jets extending hundreds of billions of kilometres from the white dwarf’s polar regions. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1840h/ Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

This animation shows the artist’s impression of a vampiric star. The red giant in this system is slowly expelling its outer layers into space. Here the second star in the system, a white dwarf, is siphoning this material into a disc surrounding it. The material then spirals down from this disc onto the white dwarf. Occasionally, more material will fall onto the white dwarf than it can handle. When this occurs, a violent outburst of surplus gas from the white dwarf attempts to correct the imbalance. Channelled by the magnetic field of the star, the ejecta take the form of spectacular symmetric jets extending hundreds of billions of kilometres from the white dwarf’s polar regions. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1840f/ Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

This video shows the evolution of a chaotic and fascinating binary star system named R Aquarii. The time lapse begins with observations from the Nordic Optical Telescope taken in 1997. In the 15 years since that image was taken the system has been observed by many other telescopes, including ESO’s Very Large Telescope. This video lapses between a selection of these images, showing the expansion and evolution of the material surrounding R Aquarii. R Aquarii is a so-called “symbiotic binary”, comprising two stars surrounded by a large, dynamic cloud of gas (a nebula). Systems like this contain two stars in an unequal and complex relationship. R Aquarii is made up of one hot white dwarf and one red giant. The red giant is losing matter to its small companion and occasionally ejecting matter in weird spurts, loops and trails, forming the intriguing shapes seen here. There is a lot going on between the performers in this cosmic double act. The red giant is a variable star, with a brightness that changes by a factor of 750 every year and three weeks. The faint nebula is named Cederblad 211 and is thought to be the result of a violent nova 250 years ago. Also visible is a narrow, vertical, S-shaped feature, with blobs of superheated material. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/potw1850a/ Credit: T. Liimets et al./ESO/M. Kornmesser

This animation shows the artist’s impression of a vampiric star. The two stars in this binary system are extremely different: A tiny white dwarf and a gigantic red giant star. The latter is expelling its outer layers into space where the white dwarf is siphoning this material into a disc of material surrounding it. The material then spirals down from this disc onto the white dwarf. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1840d/ Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

This zoom video starts with a wide view of the Milky Way and ends with a close-up look at the chaotic and fascinating binary star system R Aquarii. The image shown in this final image of this video is data from the SPHERE/ZIMPOL instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), and shows the binary star itself, as well as the jets of material spewing from the interacting stellar couple. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1840b/ Credit: ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, ESA/Hubble, Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org). Music: astral electronic

While testing a new subsystem on the SPHERE planet-hunting instrument on ESO’s Very Large telescope, astronomers were able to capture dramatic details of the turbulent stellar relationship in the binary star R Aquarii with unprecedented clarity — even compared to observations from Hubble. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1840a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Sara Rigby and Calum Turner. Music: tonelabs – Orion Fog (http://www.tonelabs.com). Footage and photos: ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org), Schmid et al., ESA, Hubble, M. Kornmesser, T. Liimets et al. Scientific consultant: Paola Amico. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

Already in 1810 astronomers discovered that the brightness of the star R Aquarii periodically changes and it has subsequently been found to vary with a period of approximately a year. During these cycles, R Aquarii has been seen to fade into obscurity and then become so bright as to almost be visible to the naked eye. This animation is an artistic representation of this change in brightness. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1840g/ Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

The SPECULOOS Southern Observatory sits in the vast Atacama Desert at Cerro Paranal, Chile. The project’s four planet-hunting telescopes are neighbours of ESO's Very Large Telescope and VISTA . SPECULOOS will focus on detecting Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1839d/ Credit: tau-tec GmbH /Michael Ruder /ESO

The SPECULOOS project has made its first observations at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in northern Chile. SPECULOOS will focus on detecting Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1839a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Sara Rigby and Calum Turner. Music: John Stanford - The Edge (johnstanfordmusic.com). Footage and photos: ESO, tau-tec GmbH, M. Ruder, P. Horálek, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, spaceengine.org. Scientific consultant: Paola Amico. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

The SPECULOOS Southern Observatory sits in the vast Atacama Desert at Cerro Paranal, Chile. The project’s four planet-hunting telescopes are neighbours of ESO's Very Large Telescope and VISTA . SPECULOOS will focus on detecting Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby ultra-cool stars and brown dwarfs. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1839c/ Credit: tau-tec GmbH/ Michael Ruder /ESO