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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. |
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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) |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 |
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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) |
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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) |
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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) |
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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) |
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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. |
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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) |
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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. |
