Filamentary structures in NGC 1097
The left image shows the same central region as imaged in ESO Press Photo eso0534a but this time as seen in the J-Ks colour. It clearly shows the nucleus, the central spiral arms extending up to 1,300 light-years from the centre, and the star-forming ring. The right image shows the same but...
The colossal cosmic eye NGC 1350
Colour-composite of the spiral galaxy NGC 1350 taken with FORS2 at the ESO Very Large Telescope. The image, totalling 16 minutes of observations, clearly reveals the delicate structures in this gigantic "eye" as well as many background galaxies.
Variability of GRB 050709
Two images taken with the 1.5-m telescope at La Silla of the short gamma-ray burst afterglow. The panel (a) is the image taken on July 11, while panel (b) shows the same field one week later, on July 18. Only the galaxy is now visible: the afterglow has faded away in the time span of one week....
New population of distant galaxies
Small patch of the sky surveyed by the VVDS team in the Cetus (The Whale) constellation. This colour-composite image based on observations made with Megacam at the CFHT indicates a few of the newly found distant galaxies (encircled ones) based on VIMOS/VLT data. In this field of view of about 3...
Two quasars with their host galaxy
Two examples of quasars from the sample studied by the astronomers, where the host galaxy is obvious. In each case, the quasar is the bright central spot. The host of HE1239-2426 (left), a z=0.082 quasar, displays large spiral arms, while the host of HE1503+0228 (right), having a redshift of...
Mosaic of galaxies in the background of NGC 1350
It shows some of the background galaxies. One can see a wide variety of island universes.
The distant gamma-ray burst GRB 050904
Observations of the Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 050904 in different filters in the visible (z- and I-band) and near-infrared (J-, H-, and K-band). The observations were done with FORS2 and ISAAC on the 8.2m Antu (UT1) telescope, which is part of ESO's VLT at Paranal. The burst is seen in the lower...
Supernova 2005dh and spiral galaxy NGC 1559
Colour-composite image of the spiral galaxy NGC 1559 in the Reticulum constellation, obtained with the multi-mode FORS1 instrument on ESO's 8.2m VLT. The supernova, SN 2005df, is visible as the bright star just above the galaxy. Many background galaxies can also be seen in this image.
The distant gamma-ray Burst GRB 050904
Position of the distant Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 050904. The image is a colour-composite based on images obtained with ISAAC on the VLT in three different bands in the near-infrared (J, H and K).
Orbits of twin moonlets around 87 Sylvia
Composite image showing the positions of Remus and Romulus around 87 Sylvia on 9 different nights as seen on NACO images. It clearly reveals the orbits of the two moonlets. The inset shows the potato shape of 87 Sylvia. The field of view is 2 arcsec. North is up and East is left.
Spiral galaxy NGC 4565
The first galaxy pictured here is NGC 4565, which for obvious reasons is also called the Needle Galaxy. First spotted in 1785 by Uranus' discoverer, Sir William Herschel (1738-1822), this is one of the most famous example of an edge-on spiral galaxy and is located some 30 million light-years...
Spiral galaxy Messier 83
If our Milky Way were to resemble this one, we certainly would be proud of our home ! The beautiful spiral galaxy Messier 83 [4] is located in the southern constellation Hydra (the Water Snake) and is also known as NGC 5236 and as the Southern Pinwheel galaxy. Its distance is about 15 million...
NGC 2467 and surroundings*
Area surrounding the stellar cluster NGC 2467, located in the southern constellation of Puppis ("The Stern"). With an age of a few million years at most, it is a very active stellar nursery, where new stars are born continuously from large clouds of dust and gas. The image, looking like a...
Observed fields in NGC 300
Location of the three fields in the Sculptor spiral galaxy NGC 300 for which deep imaging in the near-infrared J and K filters was obtained with VLT/ISAAC. The fields contain together 16 Cepheids with periods from 6 to 83 days.
Evolution of comet Tempel 1 (FORS2/VLT)
This image shows the evolution of Comet Tempel 1 as observed with the FORS2 instrument on Antu (VLT).
Evolution of comet Tempel 1
The images obtained at the VLT show that after the impact, the morphology of Comet Tempel 1 had changed, with the appearance of a new plume-like structure, produced by matter being ejected with a speed of about 700 to 1,000 km/h. This structure, however, diffused away in the following days,...
Zoom-in on the Einstein ring on a region in Fornax
Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, Remi Cabanac and his European colleagues discovered an amazing cosmic mirage, known to scientists as an Einstein Ring. Dubbed FOR J0332-3557, this phenomenon is seen towards the southern constellation Fornax (the Furnace), and is remarkable on at least two...
Deep image of a region in Fornax
Composite image taken in two bands (B and R) with VLT/FORS1 of a small portion of the sky (field-of-view 7x7' or 1/15th of the area of the full moon). The faintest object seen in the image has a magnitude 26 ; that is, it is 100 million times fainter than what can be observed with the unaided...
Einstein ring in distant universe
The left image is magnified and centred on the newly discovered Einstein ring. The image quality ("seeing") of the R-band image is exceptional (0.5") and the image reveals the lensing system in stunning details. The central dot is the lens, a quiescent massive galaxy that distort the light...
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 (NTT/EMMI)
False-colour composite image of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 taken with EMMI on the ESO 3.5m New Technology Telescope, during the night from 2005 May 4 to 5. North is up, East is left; the field of view is 2.5 arcmin.
The star AB Pictoris and its companion
Coronagraphic image of AB Pictoris showing its tiny companion (bottom left). The data was obtained on 16 March 2003 with NACO on the VLT, using a 1.4 arcsec occulting mask on top of AB Pictoris.
The LMC HII region N214C
Zoom-in on the LMC H II region N214C. The field size is 193"x 201" corresponding to roughly 160 x 170 light-years. The brightest object, situated toward the middle of the nebula, is the Sk-71 51 cluster. The striking compact H II blob lies ~ 60" (~ 50 light-years) north of Sk-71 51.
The brown dwarf 2M1207 and its planetary companion
This composite image shows the first planet outside of our solar system (right) found orbiting a brown dwarf, dubbed 2M1207 (centre). The fainter planetary companion is at an angular distance of 778 milliarcsec from 2M1207. The exoplanet orbits at a distance from the brown dwarf that is nearly...
Part of the LMC H II region N214
Composite six-colour image of a part of the LMC H II region N214. The image, taken with the ESO NTT/SuSI2, results from the co-addition of several individual exposures taken through various narrow and broadband filters (see Technical Information below). The field size is 248"x 332"...
The Nebular Blob in N214C
Zoom-in on the nebular blob lying ~ 60" (50 light-years) north of the Sk-71 51 cluster. The image is based on individual exposures taken through narrow-band filters around H-alpha (red), [O III] (green) and H-beta (blue). The field size is 104" x 101" on the sky, corresponding to roughly 85 by...
The super star cluster Westerlund 1
Composite image of the super star cluster "Westerlund 1" from 2.2-m MPG/ESO Wide-Field Imager (WFI) observations. The image covers a 5 x 5 arcmin sky region and is based on observations made in the V-band (550 nm, 2 min exposure time, associated to the blue channel), R-band (650nm, 1 min, green...
The Sub-stellar companion to GQ Lupi
VLT NACO image, taken in the Ks-band, of GQ Lupi. The feeble point of light to the right of the star is the newly found cold companion. It is 250 times fainter than the star itself and it located 0.73 arcsecond west. At the distance of GQ Lupi, this corresponds to a distance of roughly 100...
"First Fringes" with two ATs
The "First Fringes" obtained with the first two VLTI Auxiliary Telescopes, as seen on the computer screen during the observation. The fringe pattern arises when the light beams from the two 1.8-m telescopes are brought together inside the VINCI instrument. The pattern itself contains...
False colour image of XMMU J2235.3-2557
False colour image of the XMMU J2235.3-2557 cluster of galaxies, overlaid with the X-ray intensity contours derived from the ESA XMM-Newton data. The red channel is a VLT-ISAAC image (exposure time: 1 hour) obtained in the near-infrared Ks-band (at wavelength 2.2 microns); the green channel is...
Map of Titan's surface
Map of Titan taken with NACO at 1.28 micron (a methane window allowing it to probe down to the surface). On the leading side of Titan, the bright equatorial feature ("Xanadu") is dominating. On the trailing side, the landing site of the Huygens probe is indicated.
Evolution of the atmosphere of Titan
Image of Titan's atmosphere at 2.12 microns as observed with NACO on the VLT at three different epochs from 2002 till now. Titan's atmosphere exhibits seasonal and meteorological changes which can clearly be seen here : the North-South asymmetry - indicative of changes in the chemical...
Titan's surface
Titan's trailing hemisphere with the Huygens landing site marked as an "X". The left image was taken with NACO and a narrow-band filter centred at 2 microns. On the right is the NACO/SDI image of the same location showing Titan's surface through the 1.6 micron methane window. A spherical...
Imaging Titan with a tunable filter
Series of images of Titan taken around the 2.0 micron methane window probing different layers of the atmosphere and the surface. The images are currently under thorough processing and analysis so as to reveal any subtle variations in wavelength that could be indicative of the spectral response...
NGC 2108 stellar cluster in the LMC
NGC 2108 is a rich "mid-aged" cluster, about 600 million years old. A careful comparison with its neighbour NGC 2093 shows that the brightest stars of NGC 2108 are fainter and whiter than the brightest members of NGC 2093; this indicates that NGC 2108 is older. Note also the distinctly red star...
N 164 nebula in the LMC
N 164, a bright nebula, the glow of which is caused by hot stars inside it. The heating of the gas by these stars increases the pressure and causes such nebulae to expand, pushing outwards against their surroundings. A careful look at this nebula reveals locations where the expansion is...
Titan, the enigmatic Moon, and Huygens landing site
Comparison between the NACO/SDI image and an image taken by Cassini/ISS while approaching Titan. The Cassini image shows the Huygens landing site map wrapped around Titan, rotated to the same position as the January NACO SDI observations. The yellow "X" marks the landing site of the ESA Huygens...
Near-infrared image of AB Doradus A and its companion
Enhanced, false-colour near-infrared image of AB Dor A and C. The faint companion "AB Dor C" — seen as the pink dot at 8 o'clock — is 120 times fainter than its primary star. The tiny separation between A and C, only 0.156 arcsec, is smaller than a one Euro coin seen at 20 km distance....
SNR 0543-689 in the LMC
This is a bright, compact nebula that is located on the North-Western rim of the ringshaped nebula DEM L 299. It is known as SNR 0543-689 and it is the remnant of a more recent supernova explosion. The sky field measures 3.6 x 3.5 arcmin. North is up and East is left.
DEM L 297 Nebula in the LMC
DEM L 297 is a diffuse nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud that glows due to stars embedded in it. Its "divided" appearance is due to the presence of obscuring dust lanes. The sky field measures 6.5 x 5.7 arcsec. North is up and East is left.
Stellar cluster NGC 2093 in the LMC
Stellar cluster NGC 2093 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a comparatively rich aggregate of young stars, a few tens of millions of years old. The hot temperature of the most massive of such young stars is responsible for its predominantly blue colour. The sky field measures 5.6 x 5.1 arcmin....
Filaments in the Tarantula Nebula
Filaments of ionized gas in the proximity of the R136 cluster, which lies beyond the lower left edge of the photo. The different hues are due to different physical conditions that manifest themselves in the spectrum of the light emitted by the gas. Note also the dark lanes running roughly from...
Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 7424
Composite colour-coded image of another magnificent spiral galaxy, NGC 7424, at a distance of 40 million light-years. It is based on images obtained with the multi-mode VIMOS instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) in three different wavelength bands. The image covers 6.5 x 7.2 square...
Spiral galaxy NGC 6118
These are almost-true colour composites based on images made with the multi-mode VIMOS instrument on the 8.2-m Melipal (Unit Telescope 3) of ESO's Very Large Telescope. In each case, exposures were taken in three different wavebands which were associated to a given colour: R-band (centred...
Spiral galaxy NGC 6118 and SN 2004dk
Composite colour-coded image of the "grand design" spiral galaxy NGC 6118, at a distance of 80 million light-years. It is based on images obtained with the multi-mode VIMOS instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) in three different wavebands. The image covers 6.7 x 5.8 square...
Spiral galaxy NGC 1097
It is an almost-true colour composite based on images made with the multi-mode VIMOS instrument on the 8.2-m Melipal (Unit Telescope 3) of ESO's Very Large Telescope. Exposures were taken in three different wavebands which were associated to a given colour : R-band (centred around 652 nm; red),...
Spiral galaxy NGC 7424 and SN2001ig
These are colour composites based on FORS 2 and VIMOS images taken in the R-band (15 sec), V (60 sec) and B (90 sec). Two composite colour-coded image of a part of NGC 7424. The left image was made from an exposure taken with the FORS 2 instrument on VLT Yepun on June 16, 2002. In this, the...
Intracluster planetary nebulae in the SUC field in the Virgo Cluster
Zoomed in view of the pointing relative to the SUC field. The image shows a 30 x 30 arcminute field centred on the Messier 86/ Messier 84 region of the Virgo cluster. The brighter galaxies in the field are (clockwise from the left) M86, M84 and NGC 4388. Their systemic velocities are -244, 1060...
Asteroid (4179) Toutatis passes the Earth
Composite, false-colour image showing asteroid (4179) Toutatis moving in front of background stars, as seen from Paranal (red trail) and La Silla (green trail). The two photos used for this combination were obtained nearly simultaneously in the morning of September 29, at 02:30 hrs UT, when the...
Asteroid (4179) Toutatis passes the Earth
These photos were obtained nearly simultaneously in the morning of September 29, at 02:30 hrs UT, when the asteroid was passing through the constellation of Triangulum Australe ("The Southern Triangle"). The offset between the two trails corresponds to the difference of the lines-of-sight from...
LMC region near the Tarantula Nebula
Turbulent region around the ring-shaped nebula DEM L 299 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way system. It was produced by combining three monochromatic images obtained in December 2001 with the Wide-Field-Imager (WFI) at the ESO/MPG 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla...
Asteroid Toutatis with the VLT
The telescope was set to follow the predicted motion of the asteroid during 60 seconds (beginning on September 28, 2004, 23:34 hrs UT) and the images of the background stars in the sky field therefore appear as long trails.
Asteroid (4179) Toutatis passes the Earth
These photos were obtained nearly simultaneously in the morning of September 29, at 02:30 hrs UT, when the asteroid was passing through the constellation of Triangulum Australe ("The Southern Triangle"). The offset...
Asteroid (4179) Toutatis passes the Earth
The asteroid (4179) Toutatis, as photographed with the FORS1 multimode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT Kueyen telescope at the ESO Paranal Observatory. At the time of these exposures, the asteroid was about 1,640,000 km from the Earth and moving rapidly across the sky in the southern constellation...
"First Light" image from the SINFONI Adaptive Optics Module
"First Light" image obtained with the SINFONI AO Module and a high-angular-resolution near-infrared Test Camera during the night of May 31 - June 1, 2004. The magnitude of the observed star is 11 and the seeing conditions median. The diffraction limit at wavelength 2.2 µm of the 8.2-m telescope...
AO-corrected image of a 17.5-magnitude star
Image of a very faint guide star (visual magnitude 17.5), obtained with the SINFONI AO Module. To the right, the seeing-limited K-band image (FWHM 0.38 arcsec). To the left, the AO-corrected image (FWHM 0.145 arcsec). The ability to perform AO corrections on very faint guide objects is...
The orbital motion of Linus around (22) Kalliope
The best-ever images of the moon Linus orbiting Asteroid (22) Kalliope. It was obtained with the SINFONI Adaptive Optics Module and a high-angular-resolution near-infrared Test Camera during commissioning in June 2004. At minimum separation, the satellite approaches Kalliope to 0.33 arcsec,...
SINFONI observations of the Circinus galaxy
The Circinus galaxy - one of the nearest galaxies with an active centre (AGN) - was observed in the K-band (wavelength 2 µm) using the nucleus to guide the SINFONI AO Module. The seeing was 0.5 arcsec and the width of each slitlet 0.025 arcsec; the total integration time on the galaxy was 40...
SINFONI observations of the young starforming galaxies BX 404/405
The distant galaxy pair BX 404/405, as recorded in the K-band (wavelength 2 µm, centered on the redshifted H-alpha line), without AO-correction because of the lack of a nearby, sufficiently bright "guide" star. The width of each slitlet was 0.25 arcsec and the seeing about 0.6 arcsec. The...
SINFONI observations of NGC 6240
The galaxy merger system NGC 6240 was observed with SINFONI in the K-band (wavelength 2 µm). This object has two nuclei; the image of the southern one is also shown enlarged, together with the corresponding spectrum. The width of each slitlet was 0.025 arcsec and the seeing was 0.8 arcsec. The...
SINFONI Observations of the AGN Galaxy NGC 7469
NGC 7469 was observed in K band (wavelength 2 µm) using the nucleus to guide the adaptive optics. The width of each slitlet was 0.025 arcsec and the seeing was 1.1 arcsec. The total integration time on the galaxy was 70 min "on-source". To the upper left is a K-band image (2 µm) of the central...
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