Stars

Two images of Betelgeuse captured by Emily’s team using the Very Large Telescope. Left shows the view in January 2019 and right shows the view in December 2019, revealing the star’s change in brightness over time. Credit: Credit: ESO/M. Montargès et al.

Scientists speak Astrophysicist Emily Cannon on the dimming of Betelgeuse

Binary star system App, imaged by the Very Large Telescope. Credit: ESO/Callingham et al.

How do binary stars survive in star clusters?

AB Aurigae. Credit: ESO/Boccaletti et al.

Eye On The Sky Gaseous twist may reveal young planet in orbit around a star

Best summer stars in the northern hemisphere. How many can you spot? Credit: Sarote Impheng / EyeEm / Getty Images

Observing guide Top 5 summer stars

Super star cluster LHA 120-N150. Credit: ESA/Hubble/NASA/I. Stephens

Eye On The Sky Hubble spots a super star cluster on the edge of the Tarantula Nebula

A good way of testing and enhancing the keenness of your eyes is by observing double stars. Credit: Ninian Boyle

Astronomy FAQs What sort of telescope is best for observing double stars?

We can’t hear the sound waves that run through stars, but they do create visible changes on the surface that we can examine. Credit: Paul Wootton

How astronomers listen to the sound of stars

ALMA image of HD101584. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Olofsson et al. Acknowledgement: Robert Cumming

Eye On The Sky Cosmic kaleidoscope created by clashing stars

Why do M-class red dwarfs appear to disperse their protoplanetary discs more slowly than other stars? Credit: ESO

Peter Pan discs: the planetary systems that never grow up

ESO’s Very Large Telescope images of Betelgeuse. Left: January 2019, before dimming. Right: December 2019, during dimming. Credit: ESO/M. Montargès et al.

Betelgeuse is brightening up again

These two stars are orbiting each other so closely that they have become what’s known as a contact binary. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada

What are the weirdest stars in the Universe?

The red giant star Betelgeuse (the prominent orange-red star above centre in this image), as it appears in the constellation of Orion. Credit: Rolf Löhr / CCDGuide.com

Is Betelgeuse really about to explode?

Star factory: the Orion A molecular cloud, as captured by the VISTA infrared telescope, contains many young stars. ESO/VISION survey

How do stars form?

The Sun shows us how sunspots appear dark against a star. Credit: SOHO (ESA & NASA)

Observing spots on distant stars

The Pleiades, as seen through a telescope. This cluster is known as 'The Seven Sistsers' in Greek and also Aboriginal mythology. NASA, ESA, AURA/Caltech, Palomar Observatory The science team consists of: D. Soderblom and E. Nelan (STScI), F. Benedict and B. Arthur (U. Texas), and B. Jones (Lick Obs.)

A beginner’s guide to stars