ESO Astronomy

07/09/2026

It’s a new MOON(S)!

Suspended here in darkness are two infrared cameras belonging to MOONS, a new instrument of ESO’s Very Large Telescope that recently performed its first observations.

MOONS will create an accurate 3D map of the centre of our galaxy. To do this, it captures infrared light from stars in that region — light that, unlike visible light, can pass through the dust shrouding the centre of the Milky Way.

What else will MOONS study? Find out: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2636a/

Want to discover the secrets of MOONS? Check out this ESO blog post: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/moons/

📷 L. Sbordone/ESO

03/09/2026

The first light of MOONS!

Mounted on ESO’s Very Large Telescope, the scientific instrument Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) has successfully made its first observations.

MOONS will be able to capture the chemical fingerprint of 1000 objects at once. During its ten-year design lifetime, it is expected to observe up to ten million objects, covering multiple scientific projects at a time. It will observe red and infrared light, allowing astronomers to peer into the heart of our galaxy and construct an accurate 3D map of the Milky Way, as well as study how distant galaxies formed.

MOONS was built by an international consortium led by the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Discover more: https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann26007/

📷 UK ATC/M. Black

02/09/2026

Experience spring at the Paranal Observatory!

ESO is opening reservations for daytime, free public tours for the southern-hemisphere 2026 spring season (October through December) at its Paranal Observatory in Chile.

As part of the tour, visitors can walk across the Very Large Telescope platform and get an inside look at some of its individual telescopes. They also have the opportunity to visit other scientific and support facilities at Paranal, and the Residence, a place of rest for staff working at the observatory.

🔔 This new opening for registrations marks a change in the way ESO operates its public visits programme. Going forward, reservations for each quarter of the year will open during the first week of the month preceding its start.

Read more and reserve your spot: https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/annlang26009-es-cl/

📷 ESO/N.Schafer

01/09/2026

Today, 1 September 2026, Andreas Kaufer begins his term as ESO's Director General.

He succeeds Xavier Barcons, who has served as ESO’s Director General from 2017 until the end of his term on 31 August 2026.

Andreas takes up the role as the construction of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) approaches its final stages, ALMA undergoes a major upgrade, and ESO begins the search for its next programme.

Discover what his priorities will be directly from him here ➡️

In this video, featuring an interview filmed at ESO’s office in Vit...

31/08/2026

A rare snowy day for the ELT ❄️

Two weeks ago northern Chile was affected by severe weather. It caused damage to several cities and brought snow to ESO's observatories, leaving stunning imagery like this drone video of our Extremely Large Telescope.

These are extremely infrequent weather events, but even under normal conditions the Atacama Desert is still a harsh environment. Thankfully the domes of our telescopes, including the ELT, shield them from their surroundings.

Learn more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2635a/

📹 E. Sech/Cimolai/ESO

24/08/2026

A bubbling Betelgeuse ⭐️ 🫧

Taken with ALMA Observatory, this is one of the most detailed views yet of the surface of the iconic star Betelgeuse.

The star's surface is uneven and lumpy, with peaks and troughs originating from giant bubbles of hot gas rising from deep within the star to its surface.

Yet something is puzzling astronomers — and Betelgeuse's close companion star, recently suggested by observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope, could be behind it.

Discover more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2634a/

📷 ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/W. Dent et al.

20/08/2026

Nature can be fierce and unexpected. Over the past days, unusually severe weather has affected northern Chile, where ESO's observatories are located.

This severe weather brought snow to Paranal and to the Extremely Large Telescope's construction site. It left stunning images like the ones below, while causing severe flooding and other damage to several cities within the Antofagasta Region.

This weather also affected ESO’s La Silla observing site, leading to the temporary suspension of scientific operations.

As weather conditions are now finally improving, operations are slowly returning to normal at all sites.

📷 Enrico Sech
📷 Enrico Sech
📷 Armando Canu
📷 Cristian Soto
📷 VLT we**am
📷 Armando Canu
📷 Armando Canu

20/08/2026

ICYMI Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, astronomers have found a star that’s breaking records!

➡️ It’s the fastest star known in our galaxy
➡️ It comes closer to the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole than any other star found before.

This makes it the first star that could allow astronomers to measure the black hole’s spin.

Check out our video summary 🎥 👇

Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF3017r3dV4

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2612/

19/08/2026

One for the record books 🏅

ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer has discovered the fastest known star in our galaxy. Named S301, it orbits Sagittarius A* — the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way — reaching speeds of 25 000 kilometres per second.

S301 also comes closer to Sagittarius A* than any other star observed so far, at around the distance of Saturn to the Sun.

This is close enough for its orbit to be influenced by the black hole's rotation, making S301 the first star that could be used to directly measure the spin of Sagittarius A*.

Read the full story: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2612/

Image by ESO/GRAVITY collaboration

17/08/2026

A lovely read!

For last week’s , ESO Fellow Mar Carretero Castrillo returned to her remote village in Spain, right in the path of totality — and brought the wonder of the eclipse closer to the local community.

The New York Times has told this story:

Mar Carretero-Castrillo, an astrophysicist, returned to her remote village in Spain to be in the path of totality. Hundreds of partygoers came too.