#ChasingStarlight
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eso.org
Remember the first image of the black hole in the M87 galaxy taken by @ehtelescope.bsky.social ?

New analysis shows that some features of the ring around the black hole don't change over the years, but others do!

Why? Find out with #ChasingStarlight: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P04...

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September 16, 2025 at 10:31 AM
eso.org
Black holes don't have the friendliest reputation, but they're one of the most fascinating cosmic beasts out there!

Join us on this episode of #ChasingStarlight to meet some record-breaking black holes.

🚨 Spoiler alert: one eats a whole Sun each day... 😱

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HSH...

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June 13, 2025 at 10:22 AM
eso.org
Our Extremely Large Telescope is already 70% complete!

But what would you see if you walked inside it today? The latest #ChasingStarlight episode takes you there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IUeLqC-xpo

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Split image showing the construction progress of a large observatory dome. The left side is labeled “2024”, the right side “2026”. A person in a helmet and safety vest stands in front
March 13, 2026 at 7:01 AM
eso.org
#OTD 30 years ago the very first #exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star was discovered!

It was found with the radial-velocity method.

What other techniques do astronomers use to hunt for planets? 🤔

Find out with #ChasingStarlight! 🧪

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA47z3TGU1c
October 6, 2025 at 10:02 AM
eso.org
Planet membership: expired 🪪

20 years ago, Pluto lost its planetary status & had to leave the Solar System's exclusive planet club.

Why was it reclassified? And do other cosmic objects defy our classifications?

Watch the full #ChasingStarlight episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHnt...

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September 18, 2026 at 2:08 PM
eso.org
Chaos, panic, total devastation: asteroids in films are scary, and only an unlikely, heroic mission can save humanity 🚀 ☄️

But what would happen if an asteroid hurtled towards us for real?

On the occasion of #AsteroidDay, tune in to #ChasingStarlight to find out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaON...

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June 30, 2025 at 1:01 PM
eso.org
Lasers are cool: they invoke futuristic spaceships & epic space battles! 🚀

But if we're not under alien attack, then why are our telescopes firing giant laser beams into the sky? 🤨

Tune in to the latest episode of #ChasingStarlight to find out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_QC...

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May 9, 2025 at 8:00 AM
eso.org
🎉 6000 exoplanets confirmed! Just three decades since the first exoplanet was discovered 🪐

But how do astronomers find these exoplanets? And can telescopes snap real pics of them? 📸

Answers in this episode of #ChasingStarlight: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA47... 🔭 🧪
Screenshot from the Chasing Starlight episode showing astronomer Suzanna Randall pointing to a real exoplanet photo.
September 19, 2025 at 2:21 PM
eso.org
Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2612/

Watch the full #ChasingStarlight episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF3017r3dV4   

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Does the Milky Way central black hole rotate? This star could tell us
Astronomers have discovered the fastest known star in our galaxy, t...
www.youtube.com
August 20, 2026 at 9:06 AM
eso.org
The interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS ☄️ cruising through our Solar System is no alien spaceship and won't hit Earth.

Still, the buzz around it is far from unfounded 🤩

Discover why with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtiqLxfSiVI

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A bright white object glowing with green tones against a dark, starry space backdrop. The text "3I/ATLAS Facts, not fiction" appears on the image.
December 5, 2025 at 10:03 AM
eso.org
There's a star about to become visible to the naked eye...once again!

Tune in to the latest episode of #ChasingStarlight to meet T Coronae Borealis. Erupting every 80 years or so, it will shine bright enough for you to see it with the naked eye.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZPp...

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The star that should have exploded already: T Coronae Borealis
YouTube video by ESO Chasing Starlight
www.youtube.com
January 31, 2025 at 9:32 AM
eso.org
1/ Milestone achieved by the VLTI upgrade GRAVITY+: a laser has been installed at each of the previously unequipped VLT Unit Telescopes.

This will dramatically enhance the VLTI observing power.

Discover more with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzK1B3VU1L8

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Four astronomical domes stand in a desert landscape, each launching a bright orange laser into the sky. A nearly full moon glows on the left of the image. The text “What are these lasers for?” is visible on the image.
November 10, 2025 at 11:02 AM
eso.org
#ICYMI 📡 ALMA has found oxygen in the most distant known galaxy, and this has astronomers scratching their heads! 😵‍💫

Discover why with the latest episode of #ChasingStarlight: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSqz...

Full story: www.eso.org/public/news/...

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Oxygen discovered in most distant galaxy known yet
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have detected oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0, the most distant galaxy known so far. This...
www.youtube.com
March 22, 2025 at 9:00 AM
eso.org
Astronomers pinpointed the moment when planets began to form around a star.

🎬 Discover more with the latest episode of #ChasingStarlight ICYMI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j-MH6_QlBA

Full story: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2512/

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A central bright, glowing region with orange and red clouds of dust and gas streaming outward in multiple directions. Blue and white jets of matter can be seen emerging from the center. The text “Planets are forming here now” is displayed on the image. ESO’s logo is visible on the top right.
July 17, 2025 at 9:26 AM
eso.org
Unity creates strength 💪

A virtual telescope with a diameter of up to 200 metres, that is what we get when we combine the light gathered by the Unit and Auxiliary Telescopes at Paranal. 

Discover more with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTk_bMcr4rs

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A blue-walled tunnel with parallel optical beam lines stretching into the distance. A woman is standing at the centre. Large on-screen text reads “A HIDDEN OBSERVATORY?”, while the ESO logo appears in the top-right corner.
May 21, 2026 at 4:31 PM
eso.org
Imagine learning one day that we found another Earth or hints of extraterrestrial life! 👽

Yet exoplanets are far away, much fainter & smaller than their host stars. So how do we find them? 🤔

Find out with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA47z3TGU1c

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A woman with curly hair speaks in front of a cosmic-themed background with hexagonal space images and a globe. To her left, a bright blue star and a smaller red dot represent a real exoplanet photo. Large white text across the bottom reads “REAL EXOPLANET PHOTO,” with the ESO logo in the top-right corner.
September 5, 2025 at 9:02 AM
eso.org
Construction of the southern array of CTAO – the world’s largest & most powerful gamma-ray observatory – has kicked off at Paranal.

Read about the groundbreaking ceremony: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2521

Discover CTAO with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKRazLrvUNQ

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A view of part of Earth from space. The visible half is on the left, showing the Americas. In space, a light blue beam is pointing towards South America. A few stars and some yellow lines are scattered across the dark space background.
December 18, 2025 at 4:04 PM
eso.org
A new ESO study has found devastating consequences for astronomy from these current plans.

#ChasingStarlight host Suzanna Randall has sat down with Olivier Hainaut, author of the study, to discuss the findings 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJNw...

🔭 🧪 ☄️ #DarkSkies 2/2
The background of this image shows a starry sky, including the bright lane of the Milky Way. Hundreds of bright streaks cross the sky in different directions, as if scratching the background natural sky behind it. The bottom of the image is occupied by the dark silhouette of a mountainous desert landscape. Atop the mountain at the centre, is a small, distant metallic dome and yellow-orange lasers shine behind it. An overlaid text reads 'Astronomy in danger'. The ESO logo is visible in the top right corner.
July 2, 2026 at 1:43 PM
luiscalcada.com
There's some weird stars out there! Chasing Starlight is a video series we produce at the European Southern Observatory about astronomy. This episode is about some strange stellar characters. 🔭 #astronomy #astro
Strangest stars | #ChasingStarlight 7
There are some pretty strange stellar characters out there... Join ESO astronomer, Suzanna Randall, in the latest episode of Chasing Starlight, as she explor...
youtu.be
December 1, 2023 at 8:12 AM