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My work for ESO
 
Here is a selection of images officially released by ESO, the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere. I have collaborated to the production of these images serving as an image processor.
 

A Sparkling Spray of Stars
16 Dicember 2008

The festive season has arrived for astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in the form of this dramatic new image. It shows the swirling gas around the region known as NGC 2264 — an area of sky that includes the sparkling blue baubles of the Christmas Tree star cluster.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-48-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)


Astronomers Dissect a Supermassive Black Hole with Natural Magnifying Glasses
12 Dicember 2008

Combining a double natural "magnifying glass" with the power of ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have scrutinised the inner parts of the disc around a supermassive black hole 10 billion light-years away. They were able to study the disc with a level of detail a thousand times better than that of the best telescopes in the world, providing the first observational confirmation of the prevalent theoretical models of such discs.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-47-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/F. Courbin et al.


Unprecedented 16-Year Long Study Tracks Stars Orbiting Milky Way Black Hole
10 Dicember 2008

In a 16-year long study, using several of ESO's flagship telescopes, a team of German astronomers has produced the most detailed view ever of the surroundings of the monster lurking at our Galaxy's heart — a supermassive black hole. The research has unravelled the hidden secrets of this tumultuous region by mapping the orbits of almost 30 stars, a five-fold increase over previous studies. One of the stars has now completed a full orbit around the black hole.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-46-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/S. Gillessen et al.


Omega Centauri — the glittering giant of the southern skies
02 Dicember 2008

Omega Centauri is one of the finest jewels of the southern hemisphere night sky, as ESO's latest stunning image beautifully illustrates. Containing millions of stars, this globular cluster is located roughly 17 000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-44-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/EIS


Astronomers detect matter torn apart by black hole
18 November 2008

Astronomers have used two different telescopes simultaneously to study the violent flares from the supermassive black hole in the centre of the Milky Way. They have detected outbursts from this region, known as Sagittarius A*, which reveal material being stretched out as it orbits in the intense gravity close to the central black hole.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-41-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)


APEX reveals glowing stellar nurseries
11 November 2008

Illustrating the power of submillimetre-wavelength astronomy, an APEX image reveals how an expanding bubble of ionised gas about ten light-years across is causing the surrounding material to collapse into dense clumps that are the birthplaces of new stars. Submillimetre light is the key to revealing some of the coldest material in the Universe, such as these cold, dense clouds.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-40-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)


A Pool of Distant Galaxies
The deepest ultraviolet image of the Universe yet
07 November 2008

Anyone who has wondered what it might be like to dive into a pool of millions of distant galaxies of different shapes and colours, will enjoy the latest image released by ESO. Obtained in part with the Very Large Telescope, the image is the deepest ground-based U-band image of the Universe ever obtained.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-39-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)


Gone with the Wind
05 November 2008

M1-67 is the youngest wind-nebula around a Wolf-Rayet star, called WR124, in our Galaxy. These Wolf-Rayet stars start their lives with dozens of times the mass of our Sun, but loose most of it through a powerful wind, which is ultimately responsible for the formation of the nebula.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/gallery/v/ESOPIA/Nebulae/wr124-fullres.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)


A claret-coloured cloud with a massive heart
21 October 2008

A new image released by ESO shows the amazing intricacies of a vast stellar nursery, which goes by the name of Gum 29. In the centre, a small cluster of stars — called Westerlund 2 — has been found to be the home of one of the most massive double star systems known to astronomers.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-37-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Astronomical data reduction has been done with THELI.


The Wild, Hidden Cousin of SN 1987A
25 September 2008

Colour image of the Circinus Galaxy based on ESO SuSI New Technology Telescope data obtained in April 1993.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-32-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)


The Thousand-Ruby Galaxy
2 September 2008

A prodigious pinwheel shines in the darkness

ESO's Wide Field Imager has captured the intricate swirls of the spiral galaxy Messier 83, a smaller look-alike of our own Milky Way. Shining with the light of billions of stars and the ruby red glow of hydrogen gas, it is a beautiful example of a barred spiral galaxy, whose shape has led to it being nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel.

Official release page:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/pr-25-08.html

High-res image at:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2008/phot-25-08.html

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Astronomical data reduction has been done with THELI.
Thanks to Mischa Schirmer who kindly assisted me and gave to me many invaluable information about data reduction.

 

All images presented in this site are © Davide De Martin (2005-2008) otherwise noted. Reproduction or distribution of these images is not permitted without written consent. See also commercial use of the images for further details or email us. We welcome comments.
The astronomical images in this site were created with the help of the ESA/ESO/NASA FITS Liberator. - 3D Animated Flags Courtesy of 3DFlags.com.