VLT
Astronomers Detect Clouds on an Exoplanet, and Even Measure Their Altitude
An international research team shows how combining data from multiple observatories allowed them to detect clouds in the atmosphere of…
A LEGO® Version of the Very Large Telescope. It Even has a Laser Interferometer
Interferometers are some of the most highly advanced sensor instruments that humans have made. They are used in everything from…
The Galactic Beauty of Star Formation
I'd never seen galaxy images like this before. Nobody had! These images highlight star forming regions in nearby(ish) galaxies. There…
Rocky Planet Found With Only Half the Mass of Venus
When it comes to finding exoplanets, size matters, but so does weight. The larger and heavier the planet, the more…
Incredible! Astronomers see a Moon-Forming Disk Around a Newly Forming Planet
Planetary formation is a complicated, multilayered process. Even with the influx of data on exoplanets, there are still only two…
Rare Triple Galaxy Merger With at Least Two Supermassive Black Holes
One of the best things about that universe is that there is so much to it. If you look hard…
Massive Binary Stars Huddle Up Surprisingly Quickly
Dancing is a favorite pastime of many couples. Swinging around a dance floor, using the laws of physics to twirl…
Those are Exoplanets. You’re Looking at Actual Exoplanets 63 Light-Years Away!
By combining two exoplanet detection methods for the first time ever, the GRAVITY collaboration has confirmed the existence of a…
Wow! An Actual Picture of Multiple Planets Orbiting a Sunlike Star
We've detected thousands of exoplanets, but for the most part, nobody's ever seen them. They're really just data, and graphs…
A Giant Galaxy Seen Lighting Up the Universe Shortly After the Big Bang
The discovery of a bright galaxy that existed 13 billion years ago is shedding light on a period known own…