Oznámení

1. února 2018: ESO invites you to take part in AstroCamera 2018 — an international competition in support of popularising astronomy and astrophotography. The competition is organised by the Hewelianum Centre in Gdańsk, Poland. The winners will receive grants from the organisers. ESO, as one of the partners of the event, will award prizes in the form of books and DVDs for the entries that receive honourable mentions from the judges. Initially launched in 2011 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the birth of the 17th century astronomer, Johannes Hevelius, the competition is open to all astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts. The life and achievements of Hevelius, a renowned observer of the night sky, have inspired the Hewelianum Centre to make the AstroCamera competition a regular event, with this year marking the sixth time it has been held. The competition is organised into the following categories: Category I: Deep-sky objects (photographs of star ...

30. ledna 2018: ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) now has a second instrument working with the powerful Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF). The infrared instrument HAWK-I (High Acuity Wide-field K-band Imager) [1] is now also benefiting from sharper images and shorter exposure times. This follows the successful integration of the AOF with MUSE (the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer). The Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) is a long-term project that is nearing completion on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It provides adaptive optics correction for all the instruments attached to one of the VLT Unit Telescopes (UT4, also known as Yepun). Adaptive optics works to compensate for the blurring effect of the Earth’s atmosphere. This upgrade now enables HAWK-I to obtain sharper images, needing shorter exposure times than before to obtain similar results. By using the AOF, astronomers can now get good image quality with HAWK-I, even when the weather conditions are not perfect. Following a ...

29. ledna 2018: ESO is inviting submissions for the fifth Photo Nightscape Awards (PNA) — an international competition for astrophotographers. As a partner in the competition, which is organised by the Chasseurs de Nuits association, ESO will provide an array of astronomical goodies for the winners. The competition categories for adult entrants are: Nightscape; Timelapse; and In Town. All three are open to photographers from all countries. The PNA Junior category, for entrants under 18 years old, is reserved for French nationals only. Anyone wishing to take part in the competition should submit a registration form, their photo or timelapse sequence and, if they are under 18 years of age, a parental consent form, to the following email address by 31 March 2018: pna@photonightscapeawards.com. Pictures must have been taken between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018. For more detailed information, please refer to the competition rules on the dedicated web page. The ...

19. ledna 2018: On 26 April 2018, ESO will participate in Germany’s Girls’ Day activities, in which technology companies, universities and research organisations open their doors to female school students to give them an insight into scientific and technological professions and to encourage more of them to choose careers in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Places for the event are limited. To register, please visit the Girls’ Day website. The ESO Girls’ Day will introduce the work of ESO and highlight many of our daily activities, such as astrophysical research, mechanical and opto-mechanical design and integration, operations, and much more. The programme includes introductory talks as well as hands-on workshops on astronomy and engineering. The students will learn how astronomical instruments are built, tested and operated. They will also learn how data are collected and used in astronomical research to answer the big questions about the Universe. This will provide the ...

19. ledna 2018: The development of a new spectrometer for the Morita Array, which forms part of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), has been approved by the ALMA Board. Developed by Japan, the Morita Array is composed of twelve 7-metre antennas and four 12-metre antennas. The new spectrometer will be dedicated to the four 12-metre antennas under the ALMA Future Development Program, which aims to maintain ALMA’s capacity to produce remarkable scientific results. ALMA creates very sharp images by linking multiple antennas together to form a giant virtual telescope that can be up to 16 kilometres in diameter. The Morita Array forms one part of ALMA, and comprises antennas with small separations [1]. Radio waves collected by the ACA antennas are processed by the ACA Correlator, which combines the data from all of the antennas [2]. At present the ACA Correlator is optimised to process signals from the twelve 7-metre antennas, the ...

19. ledna 2018: The winners of the 2017 Catch a Star Contest have been announced. ESO is providing each of the top five places with a mounted image of a particularly fascinating astronomical object. The top three places will also have the rare opportunity to carry out remote observations at the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory in Bulgaria. The top three prizes were awarded to: First prize:Astronomy and Mathematics: Estimation of the Sun rotation movements and the Earth translation, by Mario Martín and Susana Sánchez, from Spain. Second prize:61 Cygni, by Elina Hell Messner & Maximilian Komar, from Italy. Third prize:Steam Moon: An interdisciplinary vision of the Moon, by Miquel Macías & Martí Rubio, from Spain. A complete list of the winners can be found on the Catch a Star website. School students from around the world were invited to take part in the European astronomy contest Catch a Star. To participate students had ...

15. ledna 2018: The Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with Insight Investment and BBC Sky at Night Magazine, has announced the key dates for the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 competition — its annual global search for the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos, whether they are striking pictures of vast galaxies millions of light-years away, or dramatic images of the night sky much closer to home. ESO supports the 2018 competition by providing a judge from its education and Public Outreach Department (ePOD). Now in its tenth year, the hugely popular competition opens to entrants on Monday 15 January, giving them the chance of taking home the grand prize of £10 000. Entrants will have until Friday 9 March to enter up to ten images in the various categories of the competition via www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto. Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 has nine main categories: Skyscapes: Landscape and ...

22. prosince 2017: The latest edition of ESO's quarterly journal, The Messenger, is now available online. Find out the latest news from ESO, on topics ranging from new instruments to the latest science discoveries. Highlights of this edition include: Astronomy in Australia First light and science verification for the GRAVITY instrument Observing gas stripping in galaxies with MUSE, and MUSE WFM AO science verification Unveiling the nature of giant ellipticals and their stellar halos with the VST Dissecting the core of the Tarantula Nebula with MUSE Download The Messenger in PDF format or visit The Messenger website to subscribe and receive a free printed copy. This product is also available in the ESOshop.

21. prosince 2017: On 19 December 2017 in Brussels, ESO’s Director General, Xavier Barcons, met the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, and the EC Director-General of Research and Innovation, Robert-Jan Smits. The Commissioner and ESO Director General discussed ways to reinforce the relationship between the European Commission and ESO in order to further the development of fundamental science across the European Research Area. ESO’s role as the main driver for ground-based astronomy in Europe gives it a unique responsibility to ensure that collaboration in astronomy infrastructure, instrumentation and science is well-fostered. The meeting addressed the development of the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) which currently lists ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope as a landmark European infrastructure. ESO’s Director General also offered ESO’s expertise towards supporting the governance of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) initiative and in particular with helping to improve the stewardship of archive data in ...

18. prosince 2017: ESO has signed a new agreement with TOPTICA, the German photonics company, for the production of lasers to be used in ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) adaptive optics system. TOPTICA [1], in partnership with the Canadian company MPB Communications Inc. (MPBC) [2], will build at least four laser sources for the ELT [3], helping the telescope to achieve unprecedented spatial resolution for an optical/infrared ground-based telescope. The ELT is scheduled to see first light in 2024. The laser system for the adaptive optics system on the ELT will be based on the Four Laser Guide Star Facility (4LGSF) on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The Adaptive Optics Facility, which uses the 4LGSF, has already shown spectacular improvement in image sharpness on the VLT (eso1724). The TOPTICA/MPBC Guide Star Alliance was the main contractor for the laser system on the VLT (eso1613). Adaptive optics compensate for the blurring effect of the ...

11. prosince 2017: The latest issue of the free magazine Science in School is now available online and in printed form. This European journal for science teachers offers up-to-date information on cutting-edge science, teaching materials and projects in science education, interviews with inspiring scientists and teachers, reviews of books and other resources, and many other useful resources for science teachers. It aims to promote science teaching by encouraging communication between teachers, scientists and everyone else involved in European science education. Some of the highlights of this issue include: an insight into the blood-brain barrier; an article about how we can track pathogen changes at the genetic level; and ten things you might not know about antimatter. Practical classroom activities include a series of Earth science activities exploring the constituents of soil, as well as molecular detective activities on mushrooms and other plants and fungi. Science in School is published by EIROforum, a collaboration ...

7. prosince 2017: Řídící orgán Evropské jižní observatoře, Rada ESO (ESO Council), schválila dodatečné finanční prostředky, které pokryjí náklady na výrobu segmentů pěti vnitřních prstenců primárního zrcadla M1 připravovaného dalekohledu ELT (Extremely Large Telescope) a náhradní sady 133 zrcadel (šestiny plochy primárního zrcadla M1), rovněž se počítá s výrobou další jednotky pro jejich údržbu. Rozhodnutí učinili členové Rady na nedávném setkání v Garchingu (Německo) na základě doporučení Finanční komise ESO (Finance Committee) a bylo možné ho přijmout díky vylepšené strategii financování. Dalekohled ELT (Extremely Large Telescope) je revoluční pozemní teleskop, který bude disponovat primárním zrcadlem o průměru 39 m složeným ze 798 šestiúhelníkových segmentů. Stane se největším dalekohledem světa: „největším okem lidstva hledícím do vesmíru“. První světlo by tímto gigantickým teleskopem mělo projít v roce 2024. Až dosud byly segmenty pro pět vnitřních prstenců primárního zrcadla ELT zařazeny až do druhé fáze realizace projektu (Phase 2) a jejich financování nebylo plně zajištěno. Druhá ...

7. prosince 2017: ESO’s governing body, the Council, has elected Professor Willy Benz of the Swiss National Centre for Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS and the University of Bern, Switzerland, as the next ESO Council President. Willy Benz is looking forward to his new role: “I feel very honoured that the Council has entrusted me with this significant responsibility. I’m delighted to be offered the possibility to take a more active role in ensuring ESO’s capability to provide the community with world-class astronomical facilities across wavelengths, techniques, and even telescope sizes. I am looking forward to working with everyone during the coming year.” Benz is the current director of NCCR PlanetS and Professor for Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Bern, Switzerland. His research is primarily focussed on planets, both inside and outside the Solar System, which he has studied since the mid-1980s in a career that has taken him across the ...

30. listopadu 2017: The De Zeeuw–Van Dishoeck Graduation Prize for Astronomy, established to encourage young talent in astronomy in the Netherlands, has been awarded to Laura Driessen of the University of Amsterdam. The award was presented at a ceremony in Haarlem on 27 November 2017. The award, which consists of a certificate and a cash prize of 3000 euros, is awarded annually to the best master’s thesis in the field of astronomy written by a student studying at a Dutch university. Laura Driessen received the prize for her master’s thesis study on supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebulae. Laura is now studying for a PhD in Manchester, United Kingdom. Laura was very surprised to hear that she had won the De Zeeuw-Van Dishoeck prize. “I really enjoyed working on this project, and received a lot of support from my supervisors Jason Hessels and Jacco Vink,” she said. “This project showed how mysterious the ...

27. listopadu 2017: The Universe isn’t empty space — it’s full of dust! Some regions are in fact very, very dusty. New baby stars, for example, are surrounded by a disc of dust that feeds material to the young star, causing it to grow. This vital stage in a star’s young life must be closely studied in order to better understand stellar evolution. However, seeing through dust is difficult for many telescopes. That is where ALMA comes in. ESOcast 139 shows how the unique observational capabilities of ALMA allows astronomers to learn about otherwise hidden objects in our Universe. You can subscribe to the ESOcasts on iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other ESOcast episodes are also available. Find out how to view and contribute subtitles to the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube. More Information ALMA, an international astronomy facility, is a ...

13. listopadu 2017: More than 180 video applications from 19 countries were submitted for the 2017 ESO Astronomy Camp, and the winners of the bursaries offered by ESO and the national partners have now been selected. These talented scientists and engineers of the future put forward applications of extremely high quality, all eager to be selected for a place at this year’s camp. ESO is delighted to announce that Elise Denis from France is the winner of the ESO bursary. The ESO bursary covers the full cost of the camp and the associated travel for the student. The following students will also receive financial support from the national partners: From the German Astronomical Society, Germany, support for Luise Raum From the National Institute of Astrophysics, Italy, support for Lisa Niederbrunner From the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy, the Netherlands, support for Isabelle Joosten From the Polish Astronomical Society, Poland, support for Daniel Wirzba ...

10. listopadu 2017: The latest release of ESO’s Virtual Tours includes the option to view them in virtual reality mode as well as 360-degree panoramic mode. You can now use a cell phone with either a standard cardboard virtual reality headset or oculus rift glasses (instructions here), to experience tours of ESO’s facilities in an exciting new way. This latest release also includes new and updated virtual tours of ESO’s observatories and facilities, bringing with them better functionality on computers and new panoramic views taken during the recent fulldome expedition. Marvel at ALMA’s majestic dishes as they study the iridescent night sky, then pan round to see the starkly beautiful Chajnantor plateau in Chile’s Atacama desert — by day, by night, at sunset and at sunrise. Visit two of the most technically advanced and productive astronomical sites in the world — Paranal observatory and La Silla, ESO’s first observatory. You will be able ...

8. listopadu 2017: FORSCHA, the annual science fair of Munich, is an event that aims at getting the public involved with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). With a varied programme for children, young people, parents and educators, the event encourages everyone to learn more about our world and the Universe we live in. This year the fair will take place at the MOC in Munich from 17–19 November 2017. Following last year’s successful participation, ESO will have a stand at the FORSCHA event with hands-on experiments based on activities being developed for the new ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. This year, ESO is delighted to be working with students from the Werner-Heisenberg-Gymnasium in Garching, and with support from the Project Management Institute Southern Germany Chapter. The school students will help FORSCHA participants experience the capacity of both current and new ESO telescopes to probe the mysteries of the Universe otherwise beyond ...

2. listopadu 2017: What happened at the beginning of the Universe? It’s a question astronomers have pondered for a long time. Whilst we can’t actually travel back in time, astronomers are able to see into the past and observe galaxies and stars that were made when our Universe was still very young. Because light travels at a finite speed, the further away an object is, the longer its light has taken to reach us — so we see distant objects as they were in the past. To see the most distant celestial objects astronomers use some of the world’s most advanced telescopes, many of them unique — like ALMA. ESOcast 135 describes how ALMA enables astronomers see into the past and learn more about what our Universe was like when it was young. You can subscribe to the ESOcasts on iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other ...

31. října 2017: The Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) instrument at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in northern Chile has found its first exoplanet, a hot Jupiter orbiting an M-dwarf star [1] now named NGTS-1. The planet, NGTS-1b, is only the third gas giant to have been observed transiting an M-dwarf star, following Kepler-45b and HATS-6b. NGTS-1b is the largest and most massive of these three, with a radius of 130% and a mass of 80% those of Jupiter. The NGTS uses an array of twelve 20-centimetre telescopes to search for the tiny dips in the brightness of a star caused when a planet in orbit around it passes in front of it (“transits”) and blocks some of its light. Once NGTS-1b had been discovered its existence was confirmed by follow-up observations at ESO’s La Silla Observatory: photometric observations with EulerCam on the 1.2-metre Swiss Leonhard Euler Telescope; and spectroscopic investigations with the HARPS instrument ...