Citizen Scientist Spots Comet Tails Streaking past Distant Star
This research was presented in the paper “The Fornax Deep Survey with VST. II. Fornax A: A Two-phase Assembly Caught in the Act”, by E. Iodice et al., in the Astrophysical Journal.
The team is composed of E. Iodice (INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Italy), M. Spavone (Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Italy), M. Capaccioli (University of Naples, Italy), R. F. Peletier (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, The Netherlands), T. Richtler (Universidad de Concepción, Chile), M. Hilker (ESO, Garching, Germany), S. Mieske (ESO, Chile), L. Limatola (INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Italy), A. Grado (INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Italy), N.R. Napolitano (INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Italy), M. Cantiello (INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Teramo, Italy), R. D’Abrusco (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory/Chandra X-ray Center, US), M. Paolillo (University of Naples, Italy), A. Venhola (University of Oulu, Finland), T. Lisker (Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Germany), G. Van de Ven (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany), J. Falcon-Barroso (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Spain) and P. Schipani (Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Italy).
ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and by Australia as a strategic partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world’s most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world’s largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is a major partner in ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become “the world’s biggest eye on the sky”.
Links
Research paper – https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso1734/eso1734a.pdf
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hotos of the VLT Survey Telescope – http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=VLT%20Survey%20Telescope
