# ESOcast SD ESOcast is a video podcast series dedicated to bringing you the latest news and research from ESO, the European Southern Observatory. Here we explore the Universe's ultimate frontier. Page: Feed: --- ## [Clearest image ever of Betelgeuse’s companion | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2611a/) _2026-07-28_ Astronomers have finally obtained firm evidence that Betelgeuse, a famous star in the Orion constellation, is not alone. Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) they have obtained the clearest image ever of what likely is Betelgeuse B, a star orbiting Betelgeuse and which could explain some of its brightness variations. This video summarises the discovery. [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2611a.mp4) ## [New 'exomoon' detection challenges cosmic labels | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2610a/) _2026-07-22_ Using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found an object in another planetary system that challenges astronomical labels. The object resembles a moon in that it orbits another object which in turn orbits a star. But the newly found ‘moon’ is itself as massive as a planet, and the object it orbits is neither a planet nor a star. This video summarises the discovery. [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2610a.mp4) ## [New exoplanet had been hiding for more than 10 years | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2609a/) _2026-07-15_ Astronomers have discovered a third planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The new planet, Beta Pictoris d, is among the lightest exoplanets ever to be imaged from the ground. After the initial discovery, the team found it had been hiding in archive observations spanning more than a decade. This video summarises the study. [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2609a.mp4) ## [3I/ATLAS likely formed in the outskirts of an old star system | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2608a/) _2026-07-06_ Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have studied the relative abundances of carbon and nitrogen in 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar comet discovered so far. Their findings suggest that the comet likely formed in the outskirts of the disc around a star older than the Sun. This video summarises the discovery. [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2608a.mp4) ## [Strange winds reveal magnetic exoplanets | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2606a/) _2026-06-02_ Astronomers have found the strongest evidence yet that some planets outside our Solar System may have magnetic fields. Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope and the Gemini North telescope, the researchers measured wind speeds on seven very hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets. [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2606a.mp4) ## [Two planets spotted forming around a young star | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2604a/) _2026-03-24_ Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have observed two exoplanets forming around the young star WISPIT 2. Both planets are gas giants, more massive than Jupiter, and are carving out gaps in the disc of gas and dust around their host star. The WISPIT 2 system could therefore resemble a young Solar System. This video summarises the discovery. [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2604a.mp4) ## [An unexpected shock wave | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2601a/) _2026-01-12_ Astronomers are surprised by a mysterious shock wave around the dead star RXJ0528+2838, studied with ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The dead star moves through space creating a so-called bow shock, as the surrounding material is pushed away. Structures like this one are typically caused by a strong outflow from the star. However, in the case of RXJ0528+2838, no known mechanism could be causing the… [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2601a.mp4) ## [What’s the true shape of a supernova? | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2520a/) _2025-11-12_ Astronomers have observed a supernova just a day after it was first detected. In the early stages of the blast, the explosion has not yet interacted with the material around the star, retaining its true shape. This initial shape has now been revealed for the first time. This video summarises the discovery. [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2520a.mp4) ## [Rogue planet found growing at record rate | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2516a/) _2025-10-02_ Astronomers have found an intense ‘growth spurt’ in a rogue planet –– a planet that doesn’t orbit a star. Observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) reveal that this free-floating planet is eating up gas and dust from its surroundings at a rate of six billion tonnes a second, the strongest ever found for a planet of any kind. This video summarises the discovery. [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2516a.mp4) ## [Your 24/7 AI Media Buyer (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/Ucd8xAiWAaKM) _2025-10-02 · **Sponsored**_ Finds placement, geo, and funnel leaks and proposes fixes you approve ## [Hayabusa2’s next target is smaller and faster than we thought | ESO News](https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2515a/) _2025-09-18_ Astronomers have discovered that the next target for Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft, the asteroid 1998 KY26, is almost three times smaller than previously thought, and spinning much faster than expected. This study was conducted using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, and its results offer important new information for the upcoming mission, just six years out from the spacecraft’s encounter with this tiny… [Listen](https://cdn.eso.org/videos/medium_podcast/eso2515a.mp4)