#astronomy Timeline

13d

Don't cross the streams!

All four 8 m units of ESO's Very Large Telescope are now equipped with lasers, as part of the GRAVITY+ upgrade of the VLT Interferometer.

These telescopes can work together as a gigantic "virtual" telescope. But combining their beams requires, among other things, bright reference stars, which are scarce. The lasers create artificial stars high up in the atmosphere, solving that problem.

We tell you all about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzK1B3VU1L8

#astronomy #science #space

Edited 13d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

203d

This is Daphnis, one of Saturn's moons. This image shows its unusual gravitational effect on Saturn's rings ...

Daphnis is only about 8 km wide, but its gravity disturbs Saturn's A ring, creating ripples and edge waves. It orbits within the Keeler Gap, a 42 km-wide gap in the rings. This image shows how even small moons can shape massive ring systems

#Astronomy #Saturn

An image showing Daphnis and ripples in Saturn's rings

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

5d

Subí a PeerTube mi clase de técnicas instrumentales, telescopios y astrofotografía que di para el curso de Educación Permanente en CURE Rocha - UdelaR. Los curso de educación permanente son no especializados y son aptos para todo público por lo que son de carácter general e introductorios y su finalidad es transmitir conocimiento a la comunidad, generar lazos sociedad civil y crear lazos interdisciplinarios con otros actores, en este caso, con gente vinculada al turismo astronómico, conservación de ecosistemas y gestión ambiental. Disponible en https://tube.undernet.uy/w/hCkVJFKzXScddm3LJByDbU #astronomía #astrofotografía #fotografía #telescopios #educaciónpermanente #udelar #astronomy #ciencia #science #astrophotography #photography #telescopes

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

199d

Astronomers have a love-hate relationship with the atmosphere: it's great for, you know, not dying, but it blurs astronomical images. In the latest episode of Chasing Starlight we tell you the inner workings of adaptive optics, a technique where we use powerful lasers and fast shape-shifting mirrors to measure and correct atmospheric turbulence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_QC2cLroDc

#astronomy #astrophysics #astrodon #science #space

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

341d

#Introduction Hi #fediverse ! We’re the European Southern Observatory, and we design, build and operate ground-based telescopes.

One of them is our Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in #Chile. It will have a 39 m mirror, and its rotating enclosure will weigh 6100 tonnes, or about 700 mastodons!

We’re looking forward to chatting with all of you about #astronomy

📷 ESO/G. Vecchia

#astrodon #astrophysics #space #science

The giant metal frame of a dome takes up most of the picture frame, contrasting with the brown hills and a thin horizontal line of blue sky in the background. The dome's frame is not yet fully covered in the middle, so the dark brown landscape behind it shows. The big opening in the dome's roof shows the interior, still a construction site with a structure of white beams. In front of the big building is one red crane, taller than the dome.

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

125d

The company that wants to take away parts of 70cm ham radio for its own use ALSO is a problem child in the field of astronomy 😡

"...one of the newest satellites, BlueWalker 3, outshines all
but a handful of the brightest visible stars. It exemplifies how, without stronger regulation,
satellites could substantially change the view of the night sky worldwide (Fig. 1), and severely
jeopardize future use of Earth’s orbit for science, communication and space exploration. .... The BlueWalker 3 satellite, which
has been in orbit since September 2022, was launched by a relatively small operator, telecommunications firm AST SpaceMobile:"

h/t @sundogplanets

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03610-5.epdf?sharing_token=N3ZXzHI7MzDFS5H1-XALw9RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0PfjfR6DwahWT59-lg9pzSxNpUsUDB7UWjWgBdiyjGINt2ANPy24ituhh5SRjVG6slTJ7_cAMxNjcU5K87a-v_wrL6kAXkJxGwQCw4I8ySxYDz_SWdZqcAeEiOTbL5uEL0%3D

#astronomy #hamradio

Article talking about satellites which are disrupting astronomy

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

327d

#HappyNewYear 🎉 Boost your #NewYear resolution with adaptive optics. By deforming a thin flexible mirror a thousand times per second you can correct atmospheric turbulence and get sharp astronomical images!

➡️ https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/technology/adaptive_optics/

📷 ESO/P. Weilbacher (AIP)

#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science

Two telescopic images of the planet Neptune side by side. The left one, labeled "adaptive optics", is very crisp and shows detailed white clouds against the planet's deep blue disc. The right one, labeled "no adaptive optics", shows a blurred disc where no details can be discerned.

ALT

Edited 325d ago

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

315d

Astronomers have long thought that the upper clouds of Jupiter, which create the planet’s iconic pale brown belts, are made of frozen ammonia.

But the joint efforts between an amateur astronomer with his backyard telescope 🔭 and professional scientists with ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), have now shown that they're actually made of something completely different 😲

Most likely, they are made of ammonium hydrosulphide mixed with smog, although vertical convection can sometimes bring ammonia ice clouds to the top.

#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

121d

Lots of news just came out about strange, rhythmic goings-on in the outer regions of our solar system.

1: An object called 2020 VN40 moves in sync with Neptune (1 orbit for every 10 of Neptune), suggesting a large population of bodies in similar resonances.

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/astronomers-discover-rare-distant-object-sync-neptune #space #science #astronomy

A team of astronomers led by the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian has discovered a rare object far beyond Neptune, from a class known as trans-Neptunian objects, that is moving in rhythm with the giant planet. This image shows the orbits of all of the objects discovered in the Outer Solar System Origins Survey. The orbit of 2020 VN40 is the thickest one, tilted up and to the left from the orbits of most of the objects. The orbits of the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are the white circles.
Credit: Rosemary Pike, CfA

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

297d

Vera Rubin Was a Pioneering Female Astronomer. Her Federal Bio Now Doesn’t Mention Efforts to Diversify Science.
—

The edits to the webpage offer a glimpse into how far the Trump administration will go in refusing to acknowledge today’s inequalities as it purges federal initiatives promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

https://www.propublica.org/article/vera-rubin-astronomer-dei-trump?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Government #DEI #Science #Astronomy #Space #Trump

Edited 297d ago

8 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

159d

PRESS RELEASE: https://www.seti.org/news/skymapper-and-seti-institute-team-up-to-map-the-entire-sky-all-the-time/

Today, the SETI Institute announced a strategic collaboration with SkyMapper, the world’s leading decentralized global astronomy and space science network. Together, they plan to deliver continuous, real-time astronomical data to scientists, educators, and enthusiasts worldwide.

#astronomy #science #scicomm

SETI Institute and SkyMapper logos against a starry night sky over the silhouette of a building and a field. Text: Today, the SETI Institute announced a strategic collaboration with SkyMapper, the world’s leading decentralized global astronomy and space science network.

ALT

Edited 159d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

150d

New instance, new #introduction !

Hi #fediverse ! We’re the European Southern Observatory, and we design, build and operate ground-based telescopes.

One of them is our Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in #Chile. It will have a 39 m mirror, and its rotating enclosure will weigh 6100 tonnes, or about 700 mastodons!

We’re looking forward to chatting with all of you about #astronomy

And many thanks to @sebinthestars for running our former instance!

📷 ESO/G. Vecchia

A drone photograph of a gigantic telescope in the desert, at sunset. The telescope dome is under construction, and partially covered in cladding. The sliding doors of the dome are open, revelaning the telescope inside: a cylindrical structure of white criss-crossed beams. The dome is surrounded by huge cranes, and the entire scene is bathed in the golden light of the setting Sun in the background.

ALT

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

255d

Illegal in Japan (among other places); 無修正あそこ

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

246d

Cat's Eye Nebula NGC 6543 as seen by ESA Euclid Space Telescope

Full size 3K & full info: https://flic.kr/p/2qTiGsj
Credit: ESA/Euclid/EuclidConsortium/NASA/NAOJ/AndreaLuck CC BY

Latest data release available on: https//eas.esac.esa.int/sas
Mission: ESA Euclid
Instruments: VIS and NIS
Product Type: MER Mosaic
Release Q1 R1
Filters: HSC G (Subaru Telescope), VIS, NIR H, NIR J, NIR Y

#Space #Astronomy #Euclid #ESA #Astrodon #Nebula

$This image presents a stunning deep space view centered on the Cat’s Eye Nebula, with intricate structures and vibrant colors. The nebula itself glows in an ethereal blue and violet hue, surrounded by delicate, symmetrical, and concentric gaseous layers that form its iconic shape. The surrounding space is filled with an intricate web of faint reddish and brownish wisps on the outer region surrounding the nebula. Bright stars with distinct diffraction spikes punctuate the scene, adding depth and contrast to the dark, star speckled background. Numerous galaxies are also visible in the background. The image showcases a great balance between sharp details in the nebula's core and the softer, ghostly tendrils of interstellar gas beyond.$

ALT

Edited 246d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

232d

Ring Nebula as seen by JWST Space Telescope

Full size & more info: https://flic.kr/p/2qW1yL1
Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/AndreaLuck CC BY

Target: Ring Nebula, NGC6720
Distance: 2,300 light-years
Date: 2022-08-04 / 2022-08-08
Instruments: NIRCam, MIRI
Filters: F770W, F560W, F335M, F300M, F212N, F162M
Colours Assigned: B/W, Red, Orange, Green, Cyan, Blue
PI: Michael Barlow
PI Institution: University College London
Proposal ID: 1558

#JWST #Astronomy #Space #Astrodon

$A glowing, circular nebula with a bright, textured outer ring that fades into a dark background filled with stars. The center of the ring is a smooth, teal-blue area with faint, cloudy structures and small bright points. The ring itself appears reddish-orange with intricate filaments extending outward like wispy tendrils. Surrounding the nebula, the dark space is scattered with bright white stars, some with distinct diffraction spikes.$

ALT

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

94d

Astronomers trace massive cosmic explosion back 12 billion years. 'This is the most distant event where we can directly see light escaping from around stars'. Via @spacedotcom #Space #Astrophysics #OrbitalMechanics #Astronomy 🚀 🌌 ☄️ 🛰️

Astronomers trace massive cosm...

1 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

97d

Since this https://chaos.social/@Skorpy/115037963703138114 is getting some traction right now, I would like to alert #astrodon folks that I have created this starter pack https://fedidevs.com/s/NjA2/ and that you may be in it: for a *very* loose definition of Germany, it's "Astronomy in Germany".

Accounts that have opted in to discovery features can be added to starter packs without further confirmation. So if you find yourself a part of this and want me to *remove* you, please let me know and I'll try to do this quickly, before it spreads too widely.

If you think you should be on that list, but are not, because of oversight on my part, or because of missing opt-in to account discovery so far, which you would now like to change, also feel free to let me know.

The idea is to have a presentable starter pack ready at the time of #ag2025goerlitz for https://ag2025.astronomische-gesellschaft.de/view_abstract.php?id=39

#astronomy #astrophysics #space

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

68d

On the occasion of the International Annual Meeting of the German Astronomical Society, where a joint effort is happening right now to connect existing #fediverse accounts and to invite more members of the community to participate, here is a starter pack of accounts with a relation to Astronomy in Germany:

https://fedidevs.com/s/NjA2/

Are you all already following each other? Did you just get started and want to ask to be included, too? Would you like to suggest further additions to the starter pack? Are you discovering accounts in the list whose introductions should get boosted around a lot more? Are astronomy aficionados out there finding this list useful?

#Starterpack #FediFollows #Astronomy #Astrodon #AG2025Goerlitz #GermanAstroSoc #Space

Edited 68d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

53d

A mysterious visitor from beyond the stars zipped through our solar system, no tail, strange speed, bizarre shape. Was it just a rock… or something more?