Video Kidibot

Tag: Astronomy & Fundamental Physics

  • Five new stunning images from Euclid’s Telescope

    Five new stunning images from Euclid’s Telescope

    ESA’s Euclid space mission has released five unprecedented new views of the Universe. These never-before-seen images demonstrate Euclid’s remarkable ability to unravel the secrets of the cosmos. Scientists are now equipped to hunt for rogue planets, study mysterious matter through lensed galaxies, and explore the evolution of the Universe. Join us as we explore these groundbreaking discoveries and what they mean for the future of space exploration.

    Credits: ESA – European Space Agency

    Chapters:
    00:00 – 00:36 Intro
    00:36 – 01:14 The Galaxy Cluster Abell 2390
    01:15 – 02:14 Messier 78: Stellar Nurseries and Galactic Formation
    02:15 – 03:02 Galaxies in the Dorado Group
    03:03 – 04:27 NGC 6744
    04:28 – 05:25 Abell 2764
    05:26 – 6:16 Conclusion

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA #Euclid #Universe

  • ESA’s Euclid celebrates first science with sparkling cosmic views

    ESA’s Euclid celebrates first science with sparkling cosmic views

    ESA is releasing a new set of full-colour images captured by the space telescope Euclid. Five new portraits of our cosmos were captured during Euclid’s early observations phase, each revealing amazing new science. Euclid’s ability to unravel the secrets of the cosmos is something you will not want to miss.

    Credits: ESA – European Space Agency

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA #Euclid #DarkMatter

  • Euclid celebrates first science with sparkling new images

    Euclid celebrates first science with sparkling new images

    Today, ESA’s Euclid space mission releases five unprecedented new views of the Universe. The never-before-seen images demonstrate Euclid’s ability to unravel the secrets of the cosmos and enable scientists to hunt for rogue planets, use lensed galaxies to study mysterious matter, and explore the evolution of the Universe.

    Read more about Euclid’s first images and download the individual images here:

    Credits: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA #Euclid #Science

  • Euclid’s first images: the dazzling edge of darkness

    Euclid’s first images: the dazzling edge of darkness

    ESA is releasing the first full-colour images of the cosmos captured by its recently launched space telescope Euclid. Follow live a broadcast of the reveal on Tuesday 7 November at 13:15 GMT / 14:15 CET.

    Never before has a telescope been able to create such razor-sharp astronomical images across such a large patch of the sky. Five images show that the telescope is ready for its mission to create the most extensive 3D map of the Universe yet and uncover some of its hidden secrets.

    Credits: ESA – European Space Agency

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Euclid
    #DarkMatter

  • Euclid’s first views of the cosmos

    Euclid’s first views of the cosmos

    Today, ESA’s Euclid space mission reveals its first full-colour images of the cosmos. Never before has a telescope been able to create such razor-sharp astronomical images across such a large patch of the sky, and looking so far into the distant Universe. These five images illustrate Euclid’s full potential; they show that the telescope is ready to create the most extensive 3D map of the Universe yet, to uncover some of its hidden secrets.

    Credits: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Euclid
    #FirstImage

  • Preparing for Euclid’s first images

    Preparing for Euclid’s first images

    Never before has a telescope been able to create such razor-sharp astronomical images across such a large patch of the sky.

    On Tuesday 7 November, ESA will release the first full-colour images captured by its recently launched Euclid space telescope. These images form part of the mission’s ‘Early Release Observations’ – where Euclid was tasked with scrutinising a set of celestial targets chosen for their public appeal and scientific value.

    The five images are full of cosmic secrets waiting to be revealed. And this is just the beginning. During its six-year mission, Euclid will generate the equivalent of a million DVDs of data. These data will be used to create the biggest ever 3D map of the Universe and uncover the secrets of dark matter and dark energy.

    In this video, hear from the experts about how Euclid has reached this milestone. Discover how they felt when they saw the first images, and find out what these images will reveal about the cosmos.

    Watch the reveal of the images live through ESA Web TV or YouTube on 7 November, 13:15 GMT / 14:15 CET. At the same time, an ESA press release including all images will be published at esa.int/euclid.

    Credits: ESA – European Space Agency
    Music: Carollyn Eden – 2 Million stars

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Euclid
    #Science

  • Euclid: Gate to the dark

    Euclid: Gate to the dark

    ESA’s Euclid mission is on a quest to unveil the nature of two elusive ‘dark’ entities. As the renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking remarked in 2013, “The missing link in cosmology is the nature of dark matter and dark energy”.

    During the last 70 years, scientists have made enormous progress in understanding the very initial phases of the Universe and its evolution to the present day. Thanks to advances in observations and theoretical modelling, a clear picture has emerged of how stars form, and how galaxies grow and interact with each other, coming together to form groups and clusters.

    Yet, fundamental mysteries remain. 95% of the Universe appears to be made up of unknown ‘dark’ matter and energy. Dark matter and energy affect the motion and distribution of visible sources but do not emit, reflect or absorb any light. And scientists do not know what these dark entities actually are.

    To address this question, Euclid will create a great map of the large-scale structure of the Universe across space and time by observing with unprecedented accuracy billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years. This is not easy, and making sure that Euclid is up to the task has required the expertise and dedication of many people over several years of work.

    This video captures the journey behind the Euclid mission, from a human and intensely visual perspective. It shows tiny screws, winding cables and shiny surfaces in a whole new light, revealing how each piece comes together to form the space telescope. Be drawn in by awe-inspiring photos of the cosmos, and stay for the seemingly choreographed ballet of teamwork necessary to assemble and test the spacecraft, before being swept away by the emotion of the launch into space.

    Euclid’s adventure has begun. With its observations during the coming years, it will help us uncover the missing link in cosmology and open the gate to the ‘dark’ side of the Universe.

    Credit: ESA/Studio Redgrove CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Euclid
    #SpaceScience

  • Euclid | Launch to ‘L2’

    Euclid | Launch to ‘L2’

    If you think its only possible be held in orbit around a central body of mass – say a planet or a star – you’d be wrong. It is in fact possible to orbit around an invisible point, an oasis of forces, infinitesimal in size. ESA’s Euclid mission was launched on 1 July 2023 to uncover the secrets of the dark universe. Its destination? Like many astronomy missions before it, Lagrange point 2.

    ‘L2’ is an ideal location for astronomy missions because they can keep the Sun, Earth and Moon behind them at all times, so they don’t interfere with observations, while at the same time getting a clear view of deep space and pointing an antenna back to Earth to remain in close communication. The permanent sunlight on Euclid at L2 also keeps the telescope thermally stable, allowing for the extremely high stability required for the instrument’s long exposure observations.
    Euclid’s orbit around Lagrange point 2 is big. In terms of distance, the ‘radius’ of Euclid’s orbit varies from about 400 000 kilometres at its closest to the centre, and up to 800 000 kilometres at its furthest. By the time Euclid has completed one full revolution around L2, the Moon will have circled the Earth six times.

    The reason for this large orbit is that it is almost free, in terms of fuel, to get there. The better the accuracy of the rocket that launches a mission into such a large halo orbit around L2, the less fuel that’s needed to perform correction manoeuvres – and Euclid only required a tiny correction manoeuvre after its near-perfect launch on a Space X Falcon 9.

    This animation, created using “Gaia Sky”, shows Euclid’s path from Earth to this unique and useful position in space. Located about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth in the opposite direction from the Sun, the second Lagrange point (or Libration point) is about four times further away than our Moon.

    Euclid will spend about a month getting to ‘L2’ followed by a planned six years in orbit, from where it will study the mysterious nature of dark matter and dark energy, that make up 95% of our Universe, but about which very little is known.

    Credits: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Euclid
    #GaiaSky

  • Euclid | Journey to darkness

    Euclid | Journey to darkness

    Watch a replay of the launch broadcast for ESA’s Euclid.

    ESA’s Euclid mission was launched into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, on 1 July 2023. It is now on its way to Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2.

    By observing billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years, the space telescope will create the most detailed 3D-map of the Universe, with time as the third dimension.

    The launch broadcast programme includes live segments from the launch site and ESA’s European Spacecraft Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.

    Credits: ESA/SpaceX

    00:00 – 45:35 Pre-launch programmes
    45:35 – 55:00 Lift-off
    55:00 – 01:27:00 Booster landing in the ocean
    01:27:00 – 01:31:00 Euclid space craft separation
    01:31:00 – 01:42:29 Acquisition of Signal (AOS)

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Euclid
    #DarkMatter

  • Euclid | Ready for launch

    Euclid | Ready for launch

    ESA’s Euclid space telescope is nearly ready for launch. The spacecraft arrived in Florida on 30 April for final tests and checks, and now being integrated with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will carry it into space.

    For the team at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, this means that the most intense phase of their work is about to begin. To prepare themselves, the team has simulated the launch operations, tackling issues ranging from team members falling ill to a computer mouse being taped over.

    Euclid is ESA’s space telescope designed to explore the dark Universe. The mission will create the largest, most accurate 3D map of the Universe ever produced across 10 billion years of cosmic time. Euclid will explore how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.

    Euclid is targeted to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, at 11:11 local time / 16:11 BST / 17:11 CEST on Saturday 1 July 2023. A back-up launch date of Sunday 2 July 2023 is foreseen.

    Credit: ESA – European Space Agency

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Euclid
    #DarkMatter

  • Euclid | ESA’s mission into the unknown

    Euclid | ESA’s mission into the unknown

    ESA’s Euclid mission is designed to bring the dark side of the Universe to light. Based on the way galaxies rotate and orbit one another, and the way in which the Universe is expanding, astronomers believe that two unseen entities dominate the composition of our cosmos. They call these mysterious components dark matter and dark energy, yet to date we have not been able to detect either of them directly, only inferring their presence from the effects they have on the Universe at large.

    To better understand what dark matter and dark energy may be, we need a mission that can more closely reveal what effects they have had on galaxies, galaxy clusters and the expansion of the Universe itself. Euclid is that mission.

    ESA’s Euclid mission will create a 3D-map of the Universe, with the third dimension representing time itself. The further away a galaxy is located, the longer its light has taken to reach us and so the earlier in cosmic history we will see it. By observing billions of galaxies out to a distance of 10 billion light-years, scientists will be able to chart the position and velocity of galaxies over immense distances and through most of cosmic history, and trace the way the Universe has expanded during that time. Euclid’s extraordinary optics will also reveal subtle distortions in the appearance of galaxies.

    From this wealth of new data, astronomers will be able to infer the properties of dark energy and dark matter more precisely than ever before. This will help theorists pin down the nature of these mysterious components and develop a refined understanding of how gravity behaves at the largest distances.

    Credit: ESA – European Space Agency

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Euclid
    #DarkMatter

  • Have we detected the first medium-sized #BlackHole? 🤔 #shorts

    Have we detected the first medium-sized #BlackHole? 🤔 #shorts

    Our #Gaia spacecraft has captured a huge dark blob, 800 times more massive than our Sun which seems to be squeezed into a surprisingly small volume of space suggesting it could be an intermediate-mass black hole.

    Read more 👉 https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2023/05/Has_Gaia_found_missing_link_in_black_hole_evolution/

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Gaia
    #Blackhole

  • We discovered a unique #BlackHole 🕳️🕳️ #shorts

    We discovered a unique #BlackHole 🕳️🕳️ #shorts

    Using data from our Gaia mission, astronomers have discovered not only the closest but also the second closest black hole to Earth. The black holes, Gaia BH1 and Gaia BH2, are respectively located just 1560 light-years away from us in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus and 3800 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus. In galactic terms, these black holes reside in our cosmic backyard.

    The two black holes were discovered by studying the movement of their companion stars. A strange ‘wobble’ in the movement of the stars on the sky indicated that they are orbiting a very massive object. In both cases, the objects are approximately ten times more massive than our Sun. Other explanations for these massive companions, like double-star systems, were ruled out since they do not seem to emit any light.

    📹 @EuropeanSpaceAgency
    📸 ESA/Gaia/DPAC; Creative commons CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #GAIA
    #BlackHoles

  • Gaia discovers a unique black hole

    Gaia discovers a unique black hole

    ESA’s Gaia mission has helped discover a new kind of black hole. The new family already has two members, and both are closer to Earth than any other black hole that we know of.

    The two black holes were discovered by studying ultra-precise measurements of stellar positions and motions in Gaia’s third data release.

    A strange ‘wobble’ in the movement of two stars on the sky indicated that they are orbiting a very massive object. In both cases, the objects are approximately ten times more massive than our Sun. Other explanations for these massive companions, like double-star systems, were ruled out since they do not seem to emit any light.

    Gaia’s second black hole, BH2, is located 3800 light-years away from Earth. It is a binary system consisting of a red giant star and likely a black hole.

    In this animation of Gaia BH2, created in Gaia Sky, the orbits are accurately sized, but the back hole diameter is not to scale.

    Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC

    ★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.

    Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/SpaceInVideos
    Follow us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ESAonTwitter
    On Facebook: http://bit.ly/ESAonFacebook
    On Instagram: http://bit.ly/ESAonInstagram
    On LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ESAonLinkedIn
    On Pinterest: https://bit.ly/ESAonPinterest
    On Flickr: http://bit.ly/ESAonFlickr

    We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.

    Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions

    #ESA
    #Earth
    #EarthObservation

  • ESAC Research Fellows – Ginevra Favole

    ESAC Research Fellows – Ginevra Favole

    Ginevra Favole is an ESAC research fellow working on the large-scale structures of the universe. Her main scientific field is emission-line galaxies, galaxy clustering and weak gravitational lensing. She also works with mock catalogues and N-body cosmological simulations.

    Go to https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esac-science-faculty/home to learn more.

  • Stella’s experience as an ESA Young Graduate Trainee

    Stella’s experience as an ESA Young Graduate Trainee

    Stella, an astrophysicist from Estonia, shares her experience as a YGT at ESA working with data provided by the Gaia mission’s team to model the movements of stars.

    Apply now for new Young Graduate Trainee opportunities:
    http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA/Apply_now_for_new_Young_Graduate_Trainee_opportunities

  • Lisa Pathfinder end of Mission

    Lisa Pathfinder end of Mission

    The LISA Pathfinder mission ends on 18 July 2017 after a successful demonstration of the technology needed to detect gravitational waves in space. These vibrations in spacetime, first predicted by Einstein over a hundred years ago, are produced by huge astronomical events – such as two black holes colliding – and will allow scientists to open new windows into our universe.

    The success of the LISA Pathfinder mission has paved the way for the newly selected LISA mission which, when built and launched, will detect gravitational waves from objects up to a million times larger than our Sun.

    The film features interview soundbites from Dr Paul McNamara, LISA Pathfinder Project Scientist, at the European Space Agency’s European Technology and Science facility (ESTEC) in The Netherlands.

    More about LISA Pathfinder:
    http://sci.esa.int/lisa-pathfinder/

  • Catching speeding stars

    Catching speeding stars

    This video reveals the evolution of stars in our Galaxy over the past million of years.

    It starts from the positions of stars in the sky 1 035 000 years ago, which were calculated using data from the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution, or TGAS, one of the products of the first Gaia data release. The video follows the evolution of stellar positions until the present day, ending with a view of the sky as measured by Gaia between 2014 and 2015.

    Highlighted in yellow are the trajectories of six special stars: these are hypervelocity stars, moving through the Galaxy at several hundred of km/s. While it might not be apparent from the video, which shows the motions of stars as projected on the sky, they are moving through space much faster than the galactic average.

    Scientists spotted these speeding stars from the TGAS data set of two million stars with the help of an artificial neural network – software that mimics a human brain – and they are looking forward to finding many more in future Gaia data releases.

    These stars owe their high speeds to past interactions with the supermassive black hole that sits at the centre of the Milky Way and, with a mass of four million Suns, governs the orbits of stars in its vicinity. Having travelled great distances through the Galaxy, they provide crucial information about the gravitational field of the Milky Way from the centre to its outskirts.

    One of the six stars (labelled 1 at the end of the video) seems to be speeding so fast, at over 500 km/s, that it is no longer bound by the gravity of the Galaxy and will eventually leave. The other five stars are somewhat slower (over 400 km/s for the stars labelled 2, 3, 4 and 6, and 360 km/s for the star labelled 5) and are still bound to the Galaxy.

    These slightly slower stars are perhaps even more fascinating, as scientists are eager to learn what slowed them down – the invisible dark matter that is thought to pervade the Milky Way might also have played a role.

    The stars are plotted in Galactic coordinates and using a rectangular projection: in this, the plane of the Milky Way stands out as the horizontal band with greater density of stars. The stripes visible in the final frames reflect the way Gaia scans the sky and the preliminary nature of the first data release; these artefacts are gradually washed out in the video as stars move across the sky.

    Read more on our website:
    Artificial brain helps Gaia catch speeding stars –
    http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Gaia/Artificial_brain_helps_Gaia_catch_speeding_stars

    More about Gaia:
    http://sci.esa.int/gaia/

    Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/

  • The future of the Orion constellation

    The future of the Orion constellation

    This video reveals how our view of the Orion constellation will evolve over the next 450 000 years.

    Amid a myriad of drifting stars, the shape of Orion as defined by its brightest stars is slowly rearranged into a new pattern as time goes by.

    The portion of the sky depicted in the video measures 40 x 20º – as a comparison, the diameter of the full Moon in the sky is about half a degree.

    The video is based on data from ESA’s Gaia and Hipparcos satellites, as well as additional information from ground-based observations.

    A speeded-up version of the video is available here: http://sci.esa.int/gaia/59209

    Full story: The future of the Orion constellation http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Gaia/The_future_of_the_Orion_constellation

    The evolution of two million stellar positions on the entire sky is shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87lgSRVUSxM

    Copyright: ESA/Gaia/DPAC CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/

  • The motion of two million stars

    The motion of two million stars

    This video reveals the changing face of our Galaxy, tracing the motion of two million stars five million years into the future using data from the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution, one of the products of the first Gaia data release. This provides a preview of the stellar motions that will be revealed in Gaia’s future data releases, which will enable scientists to investigate the formation history of our Galaxy.

    The stars are plotted in Galactic coordinates and using a rectangular projection: in this, the plane of the Milky Way stands out as the horizontal band with greater density of stars.

    The video starts from the positions of stars as measured by Gaia between 2014 and 2015, and shows how these positions are expected to evolve. The frames in the video are separated by 750 years, and the overall sequence covers five million years. The stripes visible in the early frames reflect the way Gaia scans the sky and the preliminary nature of the first data release; these artefacts are gradually washed out in the video as stars move across the sky.

    The shape of the Orion constellation can be spotted towards the right edge of the frame, just below the Galactic Plane, at the beginning of the video. As the sequence proceeds, the familiar shape of this constellation (and others) evolves into a new pattern. Two stellar clusters – groups of stars that were born together and consequently move together – can be seen towards the left edge of the frame: these are the alpha Persei (Per OB3) and Pleiades open clusters.

    More about this video:
    http://sci.esa.int/gaia/59004-two-million-stars-on-the-move/

    Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/

  • ESA Euronews: Hunting Earth-like exoplanets

    ESA Euronews: Hunting Earth-like exoplanets

    In this edition of Space, Euronews correspondent Jeremy Wilks reports from the Observatory of Geneva – home to experts in exoplanets, the name given to planets outside our solar system.

    So far they have managed to find more than 3500, but they believe there could be literally billions of them across the Milky Way.

    The first exoplanet to be discovered was what’s known as a hot Jupiter, a giant gas planet orbiting close to its star. That discovery, made by University of Geneva professor Michel Mayor in 1995, kick-started a revolution in astronomy, one which at the time of our interview put the number of exoplanets at 3559 and counting.

    This video is also available in the following languages:
    French https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BzHpdyp3wY />German https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RQjMsL5RM4 />Italian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiwWd932k-Y />Spanish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To-sKEx2kgY />Portuguese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YloRlQQS-eU />Hungarian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki_Cuz-Vjzo />Greek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA-ymp2ZvbE

  • ESA Euronews: Voyage au coeur du mystère des exoplanètes

    ESA Euronews: Voyage au coeur du mystère des exoplanètes

    Dans Space, Jérémy Wilks vous emmène ce mois-ci à l’observatoire de Genève, la “maison” des experts en exoplanètes, ces planètes qui sont en dehors de notre système solaire. A ce jour, 3.559 d’entre elles ont été découvertes, mais les scientifiques pensent qu’il en existe des millions dans la Voie Lactée.

    La première exoplanète qui a été découverte est une planète géante gazeuse similaire à Jupiter, en orbite autour de son étoile. Cette découverte, faite en 1995 par le professeur Michel Mayor de l’Université de Genève, a donné le coup d’envoi d’une révolution en astronomie. Une révolution qui part de l’existence prouvée d’une exoplanète, à la découverte de 3.559 exoplanètes aujourd’hui.

  • ESA Euronews: Vadászat az emberiség lehetséges következő otthonára

    ESA Euronews: Vadászat az emberiség lehetséges következő otthonára

    Az exobolygók, vagyis a Naprendszeren kívüli bolygók keresése azon az emberi álmon alapszik, hogy a homo sapiens valaha elhagyhatja a Földet, és új hazát fog keresni. A bolygókat megtalálni azonban rendkívül nehéz, hiszen nem bocsátanak ki fényt, és olyan messze vannak, hogy a legerősebb távcsővel sem láthatók. Ezért sokáig a létezésükre sem volt bizonyíték.

    Az első felfedezett exobolygó egy hatalmas gázbolygó volt, a genfi egyetemi professzor, Michel Mayor és csapatának 1995-ös felfedezése forradalmat hozott a csillagászatban. Húsz év alatt egyetlen exobolygótól eljutottunk 3599-ig.

  • From the Solar System to the Hyades cluster

    From the Solar System to the Hyades cluster

    A virtual journey, from our Solar System through the Milky Way, based on data from the first release of ESA’s Gaia satellite.

    The journey starts by looking back at the Sun, surrounded by its eight planets. We then move away from the Sun and travel towards and around the Hyades star cluster, the closest open cluster to the Solar System, some 150 light-years away.

    The 3D positions of the stars shown in the animation are drawn from the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS), which combines information from Gaia’s first year of observations with the earlier Hipparcos and Tycho-2 Catalogues, both based on data from ESA’s Hipparcos mission.

    This new dataset contains positions on the sky, distances and proper motions of over two million stars. It is twice as precise and contains almost 20 times as many stars as the previous reference for astrometry, the Hipparcos Catalogue.

    The journey continues showing the full extent size of the stars contained in the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution, all relatively near to the Sun, in the overall context of our Milky Way galaxy.

    The final Gaia catalogue will contain the most detailed 3D map ever made of the Galaxy, charting a billion stars – about 1% of the Milky Way’s stellar content – to unprecedented accuracy.

    For more information about Gaia, visit: http://www.esa.int/gaia

    Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC; Acknowledgement: S. Jordan & T. Sagristà Sellés (Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg)