The ESA/ESO Astronomy Exercise Series
The object of this resource, produced by ESA and ESO, is to present various small projects that will pass on some of the excitement and satisfaction in scientific discovery, to students. Using elementary geometrical and physical considerations, students will be able to derive answers that are comparable with the results of much…
Measuring Distances in the Universe
These activities are produced by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the European Space Agency. They are a series of excercises in which students use real data to measure astronomical distances, one of the most basic problems in modern astrophysics. The students apply different methods to determine the distance of astronomical…
3/5- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
- Activity sheet
Very Large Telescope
From the European Southern Observatory (ESO), this video describes the construction and work of the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The VLT was made in Europe and will be erected on Cerro Paranal, a 2,640 metre high mountain in the Atacama desert in northern Chile. This video describes the VLT project and some of the research expectations…
The Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula reveals many of its hidden secrets in the dramatic images taken by the European Southern Observatory's VISTA survey telescope. This video showcases some of them and describes some of the processes occurring in the Orion nebula. VISTA (the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) is the latest…
About the European Southern Observatory
This video describes the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive astronomical observatory. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large…
Black Hole in the Milky Way
In this video from the European Southern Observatory, we go to the centre of the Milky Way to investigate a supermassive black hole. Two scientists describe a 16-year long study, which used several of ESO’s flagship telescopes, to produce the most detailed view ever of the surroundings of the monster lurking at our Galaxy’s…
First Exoplanet
From the European Southern Observatory (ESO), this video describes how an exoplanet orbiting a star that entered our galaxy, the Milky Way, from another galaxy has been detected. A team of astronomers observed the exoplanet using the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. The Jupiter-like planet…
Atacama Pathfinder Experiment Telescope (APEX)
Produced by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), this video first looks at the Big Bang and evolution of the Universe. It then goes on to show how the ESO are developing an observatory in Chile. The APEX programme is a pathfinder for ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array. This mission will find many targets that…
An ESO Astronomer's Day
Produced by the European Southern Observatory, this video shows what it is like to be an astronomer. In this video, we go behind the scenes at ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile to illustrate what a day in the life of an ESO staff astronomer is like.
Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array (ALMA)
From the European Southern Observatory, this video describes ALMA, the largest astronomical project currently being built. ALMA is a state-of-the-art telescope to study light with wavelengths of about one millimetre, shining from some of the coldest objects in the Universe. It is a cooperation of the European Southern Observatory…
Observatories and Telescopes
These are images of some of the European Southern Observatory telescopes and locations. They include: • View from above ESO's La Silla observation site in the southern part of the Atacama desert, 600 km north of Santiago de Chile. The site is 2,400 metres above sea level, providing excellent observing conditions. •…
Galaxies
Produced by the European Southern Observatory, this collection contains spectacular images of galaxies. Images include: • Spiral galaxy NGC 1232, based on three exposures in ultra-violet, blue and red light, respectively. • Central parts of the starburst galaxy NGC 1313. The very active state of this galaxy is evident…
Nebulae
This resource contains stunning images of nebulae, produced by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The images include: • View of the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), lying about 1,350 light-years from Earth, taken with the VISTA infrared survey telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. • A colour-composite…
ESO la Silla Observatory
Produced by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), this short video shows the observatory and work done at La Silla, Chile. ESO’s La Silla Observatory celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2009. When it began operations, it was the largest astronomical observatory of its time, and it is still one of the most scientifically…