1/2 Thousands of eyes on the sky: 4MOST sees first light 🎉 Installed on our VISTA telescope in #Chile, 4MOST has completed the first test observations over the weekend. It is the largest facility of its kind to survey the southern skies. It can capture the light of thousands of cosmic objects simultaneously, using more than 2400 thin optical fibres, each about the width of a human hair. 📷 AIP/A. Saviauk #astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science

“It was an unforgettable moment“, said photographer Julien Looten when he saw the Carina Nebula with his own eyes at our Paranal Observatory in #Chile. Its southern location and its uniquely dark skies made it possible for Julien to capture this breathtaking view. The Carina Nebula — a massive star-forming region — is visible here as a big pink spot above one of the four Auxiliary Telescopes. More:

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A pink speckle in the southern sky

A pink speckle in the southern sky

📷 J. Looten/ESO #astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #space #science

The water you're drinking could be older than the Sun! New ALMA observations show that water molecules carry the same chemical fingerprint all the way from star-forming clouds to planet-forming discs and comets, meaning these molecules have remained unaltered since they first formed. What is this chemical signature and how do astronomers use it to trace the history of water? Find out:

www.eso.org

ESOblog: How old is our water?

How old is our water?

#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science