Very Large Telescope

Artist's impression of an exoplanet being evaporated by a white dwarf

Space

Evaporating Neptune-like giant exoplanet found orbiting dying star

Scientists have discovered a massive planet evaporating as it orbits the remains of a Sun-like star. This is the first time evidence of a huge planet orbiting a white dwarf has been observed, and it could help reveal the fate of our own solar system.

Astronomers have discovered 39 ancient, massive galaxies so faint that they can't be seen by telescopes like Hubble

Space

Astronomers discover 39 ancient, massive galaxies hiding in invisible light

A galaxy seems like a hard thing to miss – let alone 39 of them – but that’s exactly what a team of astronomers has just discovered. So where have these countless stars been hiding? About 11.5 billion light-years away, in a part of the light spectrum that’s invisible to many telescopes.

An artist's illustration of an asteroid passing close by Earth

Space

Asteroid that had a chance to hit Earth in September is a no-show

A few months ago, the asteroid 2006 QV89 grabbed headlines thanks to a slim chance of striking Earth this September. But now the potentially-hazardous space rock has missed its appointment. ESA has confirmed that the asteroid hasn’t appeared in the sky yet, ruling out an impact any time soon.

Space

Astronomers pinpoint location of mysterious radio signal across the universe

Scientists have been unable to figure out what fast radio bursts are or where they’re even coming from. Now, a team of astronomers has finally managed to trace one of the signals back to its home galaxy billions of light-years away, meaning we’re closing in on the culprit.

Thermal images taken of Uranus, showing the planet's rings clearly

Space

Thermal vision highlights Uranus's rarely-seen rings

Saturn sports an impressive ring system, but Uranus also has some, although they’re usually too faint to see without a powerful telescope. Striking new images shows these rings in very clear detail thanks to thermal imaging, allowing astronomers to measure their temperature for the first time.

Astronomers have snapped the first confirmed image of a planet still in the process of forming, seen clearly as the bright splotch just to the right of the center of the image

Space

Baby pictures: Very Large Telescope snaps first ever image of a newborn planet

Astronomers have snapped the first confirmed image of a planet still in the process of forming. The newborn, named PDS 70b, was spotted by the ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) as a bright splotch in the cloud of dust surrounding a young star.

The asteroid 2012 TC4 (circled) has been detected as it approaches Earth - this image is a composite of 37 individual exposures to compensate for its motion, causing the stars around it to appear as streaks

Space

Space agencies track trajectory of approaching asteroid

Asteroid 2012 TC4 hasn’t been seen since its last brush with our planet 5 years ago, but astronomers knew it would return in October 2017. Right on cue, the building-sized rock has now emerged from the darkness of space, and its trajectory has been calculated.

The modification will be made to the telescope's "Imager and Spectrometer for mid-Infrared" instrument, which was installed in 2004

Space

Hardware tuneup to prime Very Large Telescope for Alpha Centauri exploration

As part of its push to probe the secrets of the Alpha Centauri system, the Breakthrough initiatives will fund a hardware upgrade for the Very Large Telescope in Chile, equipping it with new imaging capabilities to better hunt for habitable planets in the region.