ESOcast HD

ESOcast 40: When Speed Matters - Discovery of the Accelerating Universe Wins 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:30:29 +0100

In the past two decades, astronomers have made a truly revolutionary discovery: that the cosmos is not only expanding, but is doing so at an ever-faster rate. The discovery of the accelerated expansion of the Universe was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.

ESOcast 39: A Black Hole’s Dinner is Fast Approaching

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:00:00 +0100

Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have discovered a gas cloud with several times the mass of the Earth accelerating towards the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. This is the first time ever that the approach of such a doomed cloud to a supermassive black hole has been observed. This ESOcast explains the new results and includes spectacular simulations of how the cloud will break up over the next few years.

ESOcast 38: Faraway Eris is Pluto’s twin

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:00:00 +0200

This ESOcast describes how astronomers have accurately measured the diameter of the faraway dwarf planet Eris for the first time by catching it as it passed in front of a faint star. This event was seen at the end of 2010 by telescopes in Chile, including the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. The observations show that Eris is an almost perfect twin of Pluto in size. Eris seems to have a very reflective surface, suggesting that it is covered in ice, probably a frozen atmosphere.

ESOcast 37: Full-size Mock-up of World's Largest Telescope Mirror Built at ESO's Open House Day

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0200

On Saturday 15 October 2011 ESO opened the doors of its headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany, to the public. Throughout the day, thousands of visitors had the chance to help build a full-size mock-up mirror of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) -- the largest planned telescope in the world -- and to experience many other aspects of ESO's work.

ESOcast 36: ALMA Opens Its Eyes

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:30:00 +0200

The most complex ground-based astronomy observatory in the world, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), has officially opened for astronomers. The first released image, from a telescope still under construction, reveals a view of the Universe that cannot be seen at all by visible-light and infrared telescopes.

ESOcast 35: Fifty New Exoplanets

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:00:00 +0200

Astronomers using ESO’s leading exoplanet hunter HARPS have today announced more than fifty newly discovered planets around other stars. Among these are many rocky planets not much heavier than the Earth. One of them in particular seems to orbit in the habitable zone around its star. This ESOcast we look at how astronomers discover these distant worlds and what the future may hold for finding rocky worlds like the Earth that may support life.

ESOcast 34: How To Stop a Star's Twinkle - The astronomy podcast exploring the cosmic frontier with Dr J

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:15:00 +0200

We have all looked up at the sky at night and seen the stars twinkle. It may be pretty and romantic, but it is also a big problem for astronomers, as the shimmering starlight blurs observations.

ESOcast 33: Under Chilean Skies

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0200

In the pursuit of pristine skies, ESO, the European Southern Observatory, operates its telescopes far beyond Europe, in the remote and arid landscape of the Atacama Desert in Chile. Check why in this ESOcast episode.

ESOcast 32: Most Distant Quasar Found

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:00:00 +0200

This ESOcast is about the discovery of the most distant quasar found to date. This brilliant beacon is powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun. It is by far the brightest object yet discovered in the early Universe.

ESOcast 31: Pandora's Cluster

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:00:00 +0200

This joint episode of the Hubblecast and ESOcast presents Abell 2744, an unusual cluster of galaxies nicknamed "Pandora's Cluster" by the astronomers who have studied it. Looking at the galaxies, gas and dark matter in the cluster, scientists have reconstructed the series of huge collisions that created it, and have uncovered some strange phenomena never seen together before.

ESOcast 30: First Images from the VLT Survey Telescope -- VST and 268 megapixel OmegaCAM start work

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0200

This ESOcast introduces the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), the latest addition to ESO's Paranal Observatory. This new telescope has just made its first release of impressive images of the southern sky. The VST is a state-of-the-art 2.6-metre telescope, with the huge 268-megapixel camera OmegaCAM at its heart. It is designed to map the sky both quickly and with very fine image quality. It is a visible-light telescope that perfectly complements ESO's VISTA infrared survey telescope. New images of the Omega Nebula and the globular cluster Omega Centauri demonstrate the VST's power.

ESOcast 29: Running a Desert Town

Thu, 12 May 2011 17:00:00 +0200

The Atacama Desert in northern Chile -- one of the driest and most hostile environments in the world. Under the blazing Sun, only a few species of animals and plants have evolved to survive. Yet, this is where the European Southern Observatory operates its Very Large Telescope. Running this technological oasis in the barren desert, and making it a comfortable place for people to live, poses many challenges.

ESOcast 28: ESO Hidden Treasures Competition

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:00:00 +0200

The observations from ESO's powerful ground-based telescopes are veritable treasures, stored in a huge archive usually only visited by professional astronomers on a mission. And yet, an amateur astrophotographer from Russia managed to uncover a veritable gem from ESO's Hidden Treasures, winning a trip to Chile to observe with the Very Large Telescope.

ESOcast 27: An ESO Astronomer at Work

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0100

Life as an ESO astronomer is demanding, but working on one of the world's most powerful telescopes is also immensely rewarding. In this episode of the ESOcast, come with us as we follow ESO astronomer Henri Boffin through his day-to-day life. Learn all about what it takes to be a professional astronomer producing top-notch science, and see what it's like working in exotic locations and collaborating with astronomers from around the world. Get a glimpse behind the scenes at the Very Large Telescope at Cerro Paranal, and see the site's famous Residencia, a home-from-home for staff on duty at the observatory.

ESOcast 26: Life and Leisure at Paranal

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:00:00 +0100

The barren landscape surrounding the Paranal Observatory in Chile is stunning, but for the ESO staff who work there, on-site recreational activities are important for entertainment and general wellbeing. In this episode of the ESOcast, we follow three staff members in a unique behind-the-scenes look at the Paranal Residencia at the observatory's base camp -- a remarkable hotel that has won architectural design awards -- to see some of their leisure activities.

ESOcast 25: Chasing Gamma Ray Bursts at Top Speed: The VLT’s Rapid Response Mode

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:00:00 +0100

This video podcast explains the ESO Very Large Telescope’s Rapid Response Mode, which makes it possible to observe gamma-ray bursts only a few minutes after they are first spotted. As the optical afterglow of a gamma-ray burst fades extremely rapidly, observations must start as quickly as possible. And the Very Large Telescope has the capability to master this time critical issue better than any other telescope.

ESOcast 24: First planet of extragalactic origin

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0100

An exoplanet orbiting a star that entered our galaxy, the Milky Way, from another galaxy has been detected by a European team of astronomers using the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. The Jupiter-like planet is particularly unusual, as it is orbiting a star nearing the end of its life and could be about to be engulfed by it, giving clues about the fate of our own planetary system in the distant future.

ESOcast 23: A telescope's wire to the world

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:30:00 +0100

In this episode of the ESOcast, we travel to the inhospitable but dramatic landscape of the Atacama Desert. Beneath the ground there, a new high-speed data cable is helping connect Paranal, the world’s most advanced astronomical observatory, with scientists and engineers based at ESO headquarters in Germany. Dr J presents this new project and explains its impact on scientific research at ESO.

ESOcast 22: The most distant galaxy ever measured

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:00:00 +0200

A European team of astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has measured the distance to the most remote galaxy so far. By carefully analysing the very faint glow of the galaxy they have found that they are seeing it when the Universe was only about 600 million years old (a redshift of 8.6). These are the first confirmed observations of a galaxy whose light is clearing the opaque hydrogen fog that filled the cosmos at this early time.

ESOcast 21: The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS)

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:00:00 +0200

Today's telescopes study the sky across the electromagnetic spectrum. Each part of the spectrum tells us different things about the Universe, giving us more pieces of the cosmic jigsaw puzzle. The most powerful telescopes on the ground and in space have joined forces over the last decade in a unique observing campaign, known as the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey, or GOODS, which reaches across the spectrum and deep back into cosmic time.

ESOcast 20: Richest planetary system discovered

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0200

Astronomers using ESO instruments have discovered a remarkable extrasolar planetary system that has some striking similarities to our own Solar System. At least five planets are orbiting the Sun-like star HD 10180, and the regular pattern of their orbits is similar to that observed for our neighbouring planets. One of the new extrasolar worlds could be only 1.4 times the mass of the Earth, making it the least massive exoplanet ever found.

ESOcast 19: Photographers of the Night

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:00:00 +0200

The Sun sets behind Cerro Paranal in the Chilean Atacama desert. While astronomers get ready to observe with ESO's Very Large Telescope, Nature prepares for her own grand display. As night falls over the desert, the southern sky reveals its nocturnal beauty, leaving the spectator in silent amazement. Some people, however, don’t just stare at the spectacle. With great skill, they record these unique moments for everyone to see - they are the photographers of the night.

ESOcast 18: Exoplanet Caught on the Move

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0200

For the first time, astronomers have been able to directly follow the motion of an exoplanet as it moves to the other side of its host star. The planet has the smallest orbit so far of all directly imaged exoplanets, lying as close to its host star as Saturn is to the Sun. Scientists believe that it may have formed in a similar way to the giant planets in the Solar System. This discovery proves that gas giant planets can form within discs in only a few million years, a short time in cosmic terms.

ESOcast 17: Constructing ALMA — The World's Largest Observatory

Fri, 28 May 2010 13:00:00 +0200

High on the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes, the first antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/ submillimeter Array, or ALMA for short, move in unison.

ESOcast 16: E-ELT Site Chosen

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0200