Meddelelser

15. januar 2016: Lige nu starter et helt specielt formidlingsprojekt. Alle over hele Verden kan følge med i forskernes jagt på en jordlignende exoplanet ved vores nærmeste nabostjerne Proxima Centauri. Observationsforløbet er i gang fra januar til april 2016, og man kan følge med på opdateringer på blog og andre sociale medier. Der er ingen, som véd, hvad der kommer ud af projektet. I månederne efter observationerne bliver de indhøstede data analyseret af forskerne, og til sidst bliver resultaterne offentliggjort i et videnskabeligt tidsskrift. Bare 4,2 lysår fra Solen i stjernebilledet Centaurus finder man stjernen Proxima Centauri, som er Solens nærmeste stjernenabo. De observationer af stjernen, som vi indtil nu har, er lovende, men der er kun svage antydninger af, at der er en lille planet, som kredser om den røde dværgstjerne. I den nye observationskampagne bliver der brugt mere følsomme instrumenter, som skal kigge efter den afslørende vrikken i stjernens bevægelse, som ...

7. januar 2016: The Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with Insight Investment and BBC Sky at Night Magazine, has announced the dates for the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2016 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. Now in its eighth year, the hugely popular competition will open to entrants on Monday 29 February and sees an increase in prize money for all the winners, with the overall prize winner taking home £10 000. Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2016 has nine main categories: Skyscapes: Landscape and cityscape images of twilight and the night sky featuring the Milky Way, star trails, meteor showers, comets, conjunctions, constellation rises, halos and noctilucent clouds alongside elements of earthly scenery. Aurorae: Photographs featuring ...

18. december 2015: ESO and the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) have signed a cooperation agreement, providing a framework for future close cooperation and the exchange of information. The agreement addresses many areas, including scientific research, technology, and education and public outreach activities. There is a considerable overlap of interests between ESO, the world’s most productive ground-based observatory, and CERN, one of the largest centres for particle physics research in the world. The new agreement will promote the strategic coordination of the two organisations’ long-term plans as well as the coordination of scientific and training programmes. The agreement encourages the coordination of services, tools and resources, in addition to the sharing of best practices in many areas. The organisation of joint seminars and workshops is another area of proposed coordination, along with possible exchange of staff. Specific areas of possible technology coordination include those pertaining to astroparticle physics, and to particle physics ...

18. december 2015: A trilateral agreement between ESO, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS), concerning the operation of ALMA was signed in Tokyo, Japan, on 15 December 2015. The contributions of the three international partners ensure the continued success of this transformational (sub-)millimetre observatory located on Chajnantor Plateau in northern Chile. The new agreement provides the framework for the long-term operations of ALMA over the next 20 years Tim de Zeeuw, ESO Director General, Katsuhiko Sato, NINS President, and F. Fleming Crim, NSF Assistant Director (on behalf of France Córdova, NSF Director), represented the three partners at the ceremony and signed the ALMA Trilateral Agreement. Other staff members from ESO, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and NSF were also in attendance. The construction and first observations from ALMA were undertaken based on agreements signed in 2003 and 2004. The inauguration ceremony, held in 2013 ...

18. december 2015: 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 articles on: The Scientific Return of VLT Programmes The First Component of the Adaptive Optics Facility Enters Operations: The Laser Traffic Control System on Paranal The European ALMA Regional Centre Network: A Geographically Distributed User Support Model The Central Orion Nebula (M42) as Seen by MUSE Revealing the Complex Dynamics of the Atmospheres of Red Supergiants with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer Download The Messenger in PDF format or visit The Messenger website to subscribe and receive a free printed copy. This product is available for sale in the ESOshop. Deliveries will commence from 11 January 2016.

16. december 2015: Space Scoop, an astronomy news service for children aged eight and above, invites you to explore a brand-new website and share its exciting astronomical content with your children during their Christmas break. Space Scoop is coordinated by the international Universe Awareness (EU-UNAWE) and Space Awareness (SPACE-AWE) projects in association with several partners, including ESO and ESA/Hubble. Every Space Scoops article provides news about the latest astronomical discoveries in child-friendly language and is accompanied by a stunning astronomical image. The goal is to feed children’s curiosity about the Universe, to share the excitement of new discoveries with them and to inspire children to develop an interest in science and a passion for learning. The project aims to change young children’s frequent perception that science is an outdated and dull subject. As such, the brand-new Space Scoop website features a vibrant, eye-catching visual design along with fun graphics, images and icons tailored ...

10. december 2015: On 8 December 2015, Ireland’s intention to negotiate ESO Membership was laid out by Enda Kenny, the Prime Minister of Ireland, as he launched Innovation 2020, a five-year strategy for research and development, science and technology. Innovation 2020 sets out a strategy for Ireland to become a global innovation leader, with a strong, sustainable economy and a better society. The document states Ireland’s intention to “explore membership options for CERN, the European organisation for high-energy physics, and the European Southern Observatory”. Ireland’s Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation will now enter into discussions with ESO and explore possible membership options for the country. Whilst these actions do not constitute a definite commitment to apply for ESO Membership, they represent an important first step in that direction, and ESO looks forward to the commencement of these discussions. Paul Callanan, University College Cork, Ireland, explains the significance of this move: "We are ...

10. december 2015: An agreement has been signed between ESO and an international consortium [1] for the design and construction of the MAORY adaptive optics system, to be operated at the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The agreement was signed by Nicolò D'Amico, President of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF, Italy), on behalf of the consortium, and Tim de Zeeuw, ESO Director General, at a ceremony held at ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany, on 10 December 2015. The principal investigator of MAORY, Emiliano Diolaiti (INAF), was also present. Renato Cianfarani, Italian Consul General, and Roberto Tamai, ESO E-ELT Programme Manager, were also in attendance. Other participants included Paolo Ciliegi (INAF MAORY Project Manager), Philippe Feautrier (IPAG MAORY co-investigator), Filippo Maria Zerbi (Head of National Division for Ground Based Programmes in the Scientific Directorate of INAF), as well as Giovanni Fabrizio Bignami, Italian member of ESO Council. MAORY, or Multi-conjugate Adaptive ...

8. december 2015: Not a single confirmed planet outside the Solar System had been detected before the year 1990. But, remarkably, we now know of thousands and have studied many in surprising detail. This ESOcast takes a look at how ESO’s observatories in Chile have been at the forefront of this enormous expansion in knowledge, and how their state-of-the-art instruments are continuing to discover and study the extraordinary diversity of exoplanets. You can subscribe to the ESOcasts in 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 Credits ESO Editing: Herbert Zodet. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Rebecca Davies, Richard Hook and Herbert Zodet.Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa. Music: STAN DART (www.stan-dart.com). Footage and photos: ESO, L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser, B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), ...

1. december 2015: The De Zeeuw–Van Dishoeck Graduation Prize for Astronomy, established to encourage young talent in astronomy in the Netherlands, has been awarded to Sebastiaan Haffert of the University of Leiden. The award was presented at a ceremony in Haarlem on 30 November 2015. 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. Sebastiaan received the prize for the development of an innovative sensor that can provide better views of stars and planets outside the Solar System. "In astronomy a lot of prizes are won for finding planets or certain types of galaxies. I won this prize for developing an instrument. That does not happen often!" remarks Sebastiaan. “Instrument development drives new discoveries — it is just as important for our field as the actual ...

30. november 2015: Seneste udgave af det gratis tidsskrift Science in School kan nu fås både elektronisk og i trykt udgave. Dette europæiske tidsskrift for fysklærere indeholder inspirerende artikler, sjove spil og hands-on aktiviteter for skolerne. Målet er at fremme naturvidenskabsundervisningen, ved at opmuntre til kommunikation og samarbejde imellem lærere, forskere og alle andre, som er medvirkende i naturvidenskabelige uddannelser i Europa.I dette nummer er highlights: Et kig på nogle af de fysiske og psykiske virkninger af latter; beskrivelse af, hvordan forståelsen af Jordens klima kan lære os om andre planeter; en safari igennem mundhulens mikrobakterielle jungle.Undervisningsforløbene omfatter blandt andet:En praktisk lektion i farerne ved plasticaffald i vore oceaner; forståelse af begrebet kræfter via konstruktionen af en svæveflyvervinge; en måde at bygge et digitalt mikroskop på.Science in School udgives af EIROforum, som er et samarbejde imellem otte europæiske regeringsledede forskningsorganisationer, hvoraf ESO er den ene. Tidsskriftet dækker naturvidenskabsundervisningen i hele Europa og på ...

27. november 2015: All four laser guide star units that form the Four Laser Guide Star Facility — a core part of the Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) for ESO’s Very Large Telescope — have now been accepted and are being shipped to Chile. This is a major step towards establishing VLT Unit Telescope 4 as a fully adaptive telescope with much enhanced image quality. An adaptive optics system uses sensors to analyse the atmospheric turbulence and a deformable mirror integrated in the telescope to correct for the image distortions caused by the atmosphere. But a bright point-like star very close in the sky to the object being studied is essential, so that the turbulence can be accurately characterised. Finding a natural star in the right place for this role is unlikely. So, to make the correction of the atmospheric turbulence possible everywhere in the sky, for all possible science targets, an artificial star ...

25. november 2015: Astronomer forudser en begivenhed langt ude i Universet før den faktisk kan observeres. Det er MUSE-instrumentet på ESOs Very Large Telescope (VLT) på Paranalobservatoriet, som har gjort det muligt at teste teorierne for, hvordan tunge galaksehobe opfører sig. MUSE står for Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer. På billeder af galaksehoben MACS J1149+2223, optaget med NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope i november 2014, ser man en fjern stjerne eksplodere - en supernova - på en måde, som aldrig før er set. Supernovaen har fået navnet Refsdal[1], og den er speciel fordi den er observeret som fire adskilte pletter på himlen, dannet via den proces, som kaldes gravitationslinsning. Billederne danner et næsten perfekt Einsteinkors omkring en af galakserne i hoben Gravitationslinsning er en konsekvens af Einsteins generelle relativitetsteori. Den artikel, som beskrev de grundlæggende ligninger for denne helt epokegørende teori om tyngdekraften blev offentliggjort den 25. november 1915; altså for hundrede år siden. Observationer ...

10. november 2015: The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) continues to expand its power and capabilities by linking with other millimetre-wavelength telescopes in Europe and North America in a series of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations. In VLBI, data from two or more telescopes are combined to form a single, virtual telescope that spans the geographic distance between them. The most recent of these experiments with ALMA and other telescopes formed an Earth-sized telescope with extraordinarily fine resolution. These experiments are an essential step in including ALMA in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a global network of millimetre-wavelength telescopes that will have the power to study the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way in unprecedented detail. Before ALMA could participate in VLBI observations, it first had to be transformed into a different kind of instrument known as a phased array [1]. This new version of ALMA allows its ...

10. november 2015: The outcome of the 2015 Photo Nightscape Award — organised by Ciel et Espace Photos — has been decided. Over 400 photographs and timelapses from more than 50 countries were submitted for this year’s competition, from which eight winners have now been chosen. Prizes were awarded to the first and second places in three categories: Nightscape, In Town, and Timelapse, with two further awards in the Junior category. The first prize in the Nightscape category went to Michael Goh from Australia for his spectacular nightscape showing the plane of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, arching above the Australian desert. His award is a one-week trip to the Paranal Observatory, home of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in northern Chile. This prize was offered by ESO, which is a supporting partner of the Photo Nightscape Award. Eric Courcier from France won second place in this category. Philippe Jacquot from France ...

6. november 2015: Gammaudbrud eller gamma-bursts er en intens opblussen af gammastråler, som sker tilfældigt overalt i de fjernere dele af Universet. Forskerne formoder, at de stammer fra særligt energirige stjerneeksplosioner, og at de varsler dannelsen af et nyt sort hul. En lang række forskere fra Niels Bohrinstitutet ved Københavns Universitet er tilknyttet disse projekter. Gammaudbruddet med det runde nummer kommer fra et særligt interessant himmelobjekt. Det blev observeret den 27. oktober 2015 klokken 22:40 GMT af satellitten Swift, og det samme udbrud er set med teleskoper på ESOs observatorier La Silla og Paranal i Chile. Swift-satellitten er specielt indrettet til at overvåge himmelrummet efter disse uforklarede og spændende hændelser, og efter mere end ti år på vagt, har satellitten nu scoret sin registrering nummer 1000. Den har fået betegnelsen GRB 151027B, og udbruddet skete 27. oktober 2015 i retning af stjernebilledet Eridanus (Floden), skråt nedenfor Orions venstre ben [1]. Gammaudbruddene er længe ...

4. november 2015: Stederne, hvor ESOs observatorier i Chile befinder sig, er udvalgte specielt for deres ringe lysforurening og deres uforstyrrede nattehimmel. Ikke desto mindre bliver det mere og mere almindeligt at se underlige røde og grønne farver på billeder af himlen selv fra disse isolerede bjergobservatorier. I denne ESOcast ser vi på, hvad årsagen til disse underlige lysfænomener er, og hvorfor vi ser dem hyppigere i tidens løb. I iTunes, kan man abonnere på ESOcasts og få besked om fremtidige udgivelser på YouTube, eller følge os på Vimeo. Der er også mange andre ESOcast videoer her. Har du lyst til at hjælpe med at oversætte og levere undertekster til ESOcast, eller . Credits: ESO Editing: Herbert Zodet. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Petr Horálek, Stefan Noll, Christopher Marshall, Richard Hook and Herbert Zodet. Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa. Music: STAN DART (www.stan-dart.com). Footage and photos: ...

29. oktober 2015: In recent months, the construction of the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre has made substantial progress and the remarkable architecture of the building has become clearly visible. To celebrate the fast pace of the construction work, a festivity was held on 28 October 2015, at ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany. The construction workers were invited by ESO, the architects Bernhardt + Partner, and other companies involved in the construction including Schumann Projektsteuerung, Bollinger + Grohmann, IB Hausladen and Burnickl Ingenieure, to a party with food and beer. The whole occasion provided both the construction team and the future occupants with an opportunity to celebrate the building’s progress and to wish it and its occupants luck in the future. ESO, the architects and all the other parties involved would particularly like to take the opportunity to thank the workers on the site for their exceptional dedication in constructing ...

27. oktober 2015: ALMA Musikboxen er et lydkunstværk, som spiller melodier skabt ud fra ALMA-observationer. Musikken kan nu købes i iTunes netbutikken i form af en samling med titlen Music for a Dying Star. R Sculptoris, er en rød kæmpestjerne omkring 1.000 lysår fra os i stjernebilledet Sculptor, eller Billedhuggerværkstedet. Stjernen gennemgår de sidste faser i sit liv, og den udsender store mængder gasarter ud i rummet samtidig med at den udtømmer sine sidste lagre af brændstof. ALMAobservatoriets observationer af denne døende stjerne er omsat til lyd, og det er det, man hører i de numre, som er baseret på optagelser med ALMA i 70 forskellige radiofrekvenser. Musikboxen er blevet til i et samarbejde imellem National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, PARTY New York og Qosmo, og den indeholder 70 skiver; en til hver af de tilhørende radiofrekvenser. I skiverne er der huller, som svarer til punkter med særlig intensitet i stjernens udstråling. Indtil ...

21. oktober 2015: In partnership with the Art & Science Network, ESO invites interested artists to submit applications to be considered for a residency at one of its Chilean observatories. Conducted by Ars Electronica and ESO, this second open call is part of a successful ongoing cooperation between the two institutions. Artists are encouraged to submit a short video conveying the ideas and themes they would like to develop and implement during a residency at one of ESO’s Chilean observatories and the Ars Electronica Futurelab. The residency will consist of an initial period at one of ESO’s observatories and then a month with the Ars Electronica Futurelab team and a mentor at Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria with whom the winner will develop and create new work inspired by the visit to ESO. The call opened for entries on 15 October 2015 and closes on 29 November 2015 (23:59 UTC+1). An international jury ...