Ogłoszenia

30 czerwca 2016: A team of European astronomers have used data from ESO’s VISTA survey telescope to catalogue a diverse population of minor planets — small bodies in the Solar System — at near-infrared wavelengths. Their study has resulted in a collection of measurements for nearly 40 000 objects, data that may help to answer key questions about the early Solar System. Around 700 000 small objects have so far been catalogued in the Solar System, from rocky asteroids, to icy comets. By studying these objects, astronomers hope to learn about how the Solar System formed and evolved and also gather important information about possible Earth impacts. The team examined a subset of the VISTA Hemisphere Survey that covered around 40% of the southern hemisphere of the sky. By carefully sifting through the vast amount of data from the survey, they were able to extract the position and brightness of almost 40 000 ...

29 czerwca 2016: ESO has reached agreement with Leiden University in the Netherlands to site a station of MASCARA (the Multi-site All-Sky CAmerRA) at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. The contract was signed by ESO Director General Tim de Zeeuw and Geert de Snoo, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Leiden University. MASCARA is a planet-hunting instrument that will eventually consist of a number of individual stations operating at sites across the globe. Each station contains a battery of cameras which will monitor almost the entire sky visible from its location. Once all the stations have been installed, MASCARA will be able to provide almost all-sky coverage down to magnitude 8. Its main purpose is to find the brightest transiting exoplanets, but there are also a wealth of secondary science goals. MASCARA is expected to provide a catalogue of the brightest targets for future exoplanet characterisation missions. The first MASCARA station ...

28 czerwca 2016: The construction of the concrete shell of the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre has been completed and the exciting “double-star system” design of the building is now coming to life. The ESO Supernova will provide visitors with an immersive experience of astronomy and ESO’s scientific and technological achievements. The building, donated by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, has been designed by architects Bernhardt + Partner. Other companies involved in the planning and construction include Bollinger + Grohmann (support structure planning), engineering firm Hausladen (HVACR planning), engineering firm Burnickl (electrical planning), Grossmann Bau (rough construction), Frener & Reifer (facades) and more. Over 700 completely unique formwork elements for the concrete shell have been accurately designed from the architects’ 3D model. These crucial components were designed and built by the company Doka. Surveyors checked all formwork parts were in the correct positions, maintaining the necessary millimetre accuracy of the shell, before pouring ...

24 czerwca 2016: Decyzja Wielkiej Brytanii o wyjściu z Unii Europejskiej nie ma bezpośrednich konsekwencji dla członkostwa tego kraju w ESO. Wielka Brytania jest Krajem Członkowskim ESO od 2002 roku i pozostanie nim nawet po wyjściu z Unii Europejskiej. ESO jest międzyrządową organizacją ds. badań astronomicznych, która jest niezależna od Unii Europejskiej. Członkostwo kraju w ESO jest niezależne od członkostwa w Unii Europejskiej. ESO zostało utworzone na mocy międzynarodowego traktatu pomiędzy Krajami Członkowskimi, których obecnie jest 15, przy czym nie wszystkie one należą do Unii Europejskiej. Dalekich konsekwencji wyjścia Wielkiej Brytanii z Unii Europejskiej nie można obecnie przewidzieć, może minąć wiele lat zanim uda się ustalić wpływ tego procesu na europejskie badania naukowe. W międzyczasie ESO będzie aktywnie działać na wszystkich poziomach z zainteresowanymi stronami, aby promować w swoich Krajach Członkowskich w Europie, w tym w Wielkiej Brytanii.

24 czerwca 2016: ESO’s observatories at La Silla and Paranal and the ALMA Operations Support Facility (OSF) already operate a schedule of public visits. But now that schedule is expanding, as for the first time La Silla Observatory will open its doors to the public during the Chilean winter. Until now, the observatory has been closed to visitors during July and August due to extreme weather conditions. Henceforth La Silla will receive visitors every Saturday from 14.00 to 17.00, offering them the opportunity to see in person ESO’s first observatory in Chile. Located 600 kilometres north of Santiago de Chile at the edge of the Atacama Desert, La Silla Observatory hosts two of the most productive 4-metre-class telescopes in the world, the ESO 3.6-metre telescope and the 3.58-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT). Alongside other facilities in the complex, both telescopes will from now on be open to visitors throughout the year, on Saturdays ...

21 czerwca 2016: ESO's telescopes are sited in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest and most inhospitable places on Earth. These challenging conditions mean that the observatories benefit from some of the clearest and darkest skies imaginable, making this a perfect place from which to observe the heavens. In this ESOcast, we meet some of the visitors to this magical region, visitors both human and animal, both terrestrial and celestial. From astronomers, to viscachas, to comets — they are all part of the ever-changing world of the Atacama. 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.

20 czerwca 2016: ESO has signed an agreement with Teledyne Scientific & Imaging [1] to build the detectors for the new MOONS instrument that will be mounted on ESO’s flagship telescope, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Cerro Paranal, Chile. The detectors are the HAWAII-4RG and they are the next generation of near-infrared detectors for astronomy. Each detector will have 16.7 million pixels, each 15 micrometers square, making them the largest near-infrared detectors currently available. The technology draws on a long and successful heritage of similar, but smaller, detectors which have been in use at ESO’s telescopes for more than 10 years. This new next generation of detectors is expected to show the same excellent performance, and will exploit a larger active area. The detectors represent the final stage in the construction of the very complex instrument called MOONS, the Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph. MOONS, designed and built by an international consortium ...

17 czerwca 2016: ALMA Sounds, a project that brings together artists and astronomers in the search for a common language, has launched a new interactive website. In late 2015, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Department of Astronomy of the Universidad de Chile, in conjunction with Sónar+D and Corporación Chilena de Video, invited musicians and artists to work with sounds created from observations made by the most powerful radio telescope in the world. “The ALMA sound bank is made up of a series of drum shots created from the sound pattern of electromagnetic spectra from the Orion Nebula,” explains astronomer Antonio Hales. “The emission lines of molecules present in the Orion Nebula were transformed into musical notes, transposing the 'chords' from the skies into sound chords. The sound bank is, as its name implies, a digital library of sounds available to the musical community.” The ALMA Sounds project will also feature ...

16 czerwca 2016: 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 inspiring articles and hands-on activities for students in every issue. It aims to promote science teaching by encouraging communication between teachers, scientists and everyone else involved in European science education. From this issue onwards, reuse of articles and activities will be even easier as all Science in School content will be published under a Creative Commons attribution (CC BY) licence. CC BY lets you distribute, tweak, and build upon the articles, even for commercial uses, as long as you acknowledge the original author. Some of the highlights of this issue include: how plankton gets jet-lagged; teaching with Rosetta and Philae; using smartphones to measure the heavens; and cracking the genetic code. For students interested in science writing, a science writing competition is also being launched, ...

16 czerwca 2016: The ESO Annual Report 2015 is now available, presenting an overview of ESO’s many activities throughout the year. The contents include: Research highlights from ESO facilities, including the latest results from fields of astronomy stretching from studies of the Solar System to surveys of very distant galaxies. A summary of operations at ESO’s observatories in Chile. The latest news from the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) projects. News about ESO staff and buildings — including preparations for the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. This product is available for sale in the ESOshop.

2 czerwca 2016: ESO has released a new video Compilation showing its telescope facilities at the La Silla observatory in Chile. The Compilation was filmed during the recent the ESO Fulldome Expedition and is released in Ultra HD resolution. High above the Atacama Desert, the observatory is home to an array of world-class telescopes, equipped with sophisticated instruments to observe the cosmos. Even though some of these telescopes are now decades old, they still amount to some of the finest observing facilities in the world, and benefit from the continuous advances in instrument technology that ESO encourages. Added to the superb observing conditions at the site, these telescopes are still making significant astronomical discoveries. In the video you are introduced to the telescopes in order of size, from the largest, ESO’s 3.6-metre telescope, to the smallest, the Belgian 0.6-metre TRAPPIST telescope. All have made major contributions to our understanding of the Universe, proving ...

31 maja 2016: ESO oraz jego Sieć Popularyzacji Nauki współpracują z organizatorem imprez edukacyjnych, firmą Sterrenlab oraz z Obserwatorium Astronomicznym Autonomicznego Regionu Aosta Valley (OAVdA) w celu przeprowadzenia czwartego ESO Astronomy Camp o tematyce Wszechświata w wielu długościach fali. Obóz odbędzie się od 26 grudnia 2016 r. do 1 stycznia 2017 r. w Aosta Valley we Włoszech. Podczas obozu przedstawiony zostanie temat „Wszechświat widzialny i ukryty”. Będzie obejmować kilka astronomicznych sesji w tym wykłady, warsztaty i nocne obserwacje za pomocą teleskopów i instrumentów obserwatorium. Dodatkowo zaplanowano aktywności społecznościowe, sporty zimowe i wycieczki, aby obóz był doświadczeniem, które na długo zapamiętają jego uczestnicy. ESO oraz OAVdA będą odpowiedzialne za naukowy program ESO Astronomy Camp i zapewnią prelegentów oraz materiały, we współpracy z innymi partnerami. Kilka tematów z tegorocznego programu: używanie spektrografu, wykłady prowadzone przez astronomów ESO oraz wycieczka do Matterhorn. Opłata rejestracyjna wynosi 500 euro i pokrywa pełne zakwaterowanie i wyżywienie w hostelu w ...

25 maja 2016: As ESO signs a contract to begin building the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), this ESOcast takes a close look at this mammoth instrument and outlines some of the scientific advances we can expect from it. The ESOcast features amazing computer generated images of the E-ELT, showing in remarkable detail what the monster telescope will look like on top of Cerro Armazones in the Chilean Andes. On 25 May 2016, ESO signed a contract with the ACe engineering consortium of Italy, to build the dome and main telescope structure of the E-ELT. With a main mirror 39 metres across, and a protective dome almost 80 metres high, this will be one of the biggest astronomical projects ever undertaken. The light-gathering power of the E-ELT will exceed that of all the professional telescopes currently operating, and its adaptive optics systems will permit it to produce images far sharper than any other ...

20 maja 2016: 10 lat temu wystartował projekt Universe Awareness. Dla uczczenia tej rocznicy i z okazji uruchomienia nowe witryny Space Scoop, wystartował ogólnoświatowy konkurs, w którym czytelnicy Space Scoop mogą stworzyć własny komiks. Space Scoop udostępnia szablon komiksu - wystarczy jedynie wybrać tekst i uwolnić swoją kreatywność! Przyjmowane są prace plastyczne wykonane za pomocą tradycyjnych technik, takich jak farby, kredki, mozaiki lub kreda, a także stworzone w oprogramowaniu cyfrowym typu Paint, GIMP lub Adobe Illustrator. Z każdego z krajów wyłonionych zostanie troje zwycięzców, po jednym w każdej z kategorii (8-11 lat, 12-15 lat i 16-18 lat). Każdy zwycięzca otrzyma torbę kosmicznych cukierków oraz certyfikat. Dodatkowo, zwycięska praca zostanie pokazana na międzynarodowej Witrynie Universe Awareness. Zwycięskie zgłoszenia ze wszystkich krajów zostaną ocenione przez międzynarodowe jury, aby wybrać laureata głównego, który otrzyma komputer KANO. Trzech kolejnych laureatów zabierze do domu Galileoskop. Przyjmowane są zgłoszenia w różnych językach od uczestników w wieku od 8 do ...

18 maja 2016: W środę 25 maja o godz. 15:00 (CEST) Europejskie Obserwatorium Południowe (ESO) przeprowadzi konferencję prasową online. Będzie dotyczyć projektu budowy Ekstremalnie Wielkiego Teleskopu Europejskiego (E-ELT). Ogłoszone zostaną dalsze szczegóły kontraktu na budowę kopuły i głównej struktury teleskopu, a także aktualne informacje dla mediów odnośnie obecnego stanu i przyszłych planów dotyczących największego teleskopu optycznego świata. Jest to największy jak dotąd kontrakt przyznany przez ESO i największy w historii kontrakt dotyczący astronomii naziemnej. Kontrakt zostanie uroczyście podpisany wcześniej tego dnia w siedzibie ESO w Garching w Niemczech. Po prezentacjach, dziennikarze będą mogli zadawać pytania do Dyrektora Generalnego ESO - Tima de Zeeuw, przedstawiciela ACeConsortium oraz Kierownika Programu E-ELT - Roberto Tamai. Aby wziąć udział w konferencji, dziennikarze powinni zarejestrować się online poprzez formularz RSVP. Konferencja zostanie przeprowadzona za pomocą Adobe Connect — szczegóły w jaki sposób się połączyć zostaną dostarczone akredytowanym reporterom. W dniu konferencji zostanie wydany także komunikat prasowy ESO. Więcej ...

2 maja 2016: Where is the best place to look for signs of life in the Universe? New findings by an international team of astronomers suggest we should be looking at nearby stars known as ultracool dwarf stars. These are very dim stars, much cooler and redder than the Sun, and not much larger than Jupiter. But they are quite common, accounting for around 15% of the stars near to the Sun. 2MASS J23062928-0502285, also known as TRAPPIST-1, is an ultracool dwarf in the constellation of Aquarius. It is only 40 light-years from Earth, so despite its being very dim, astronomers were able to make very precise measurements using a specialist telescope called TRAPPIST at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. In this ESOcast, you will hear how they discovered three Earth-sized planets in orbit around TRAPPIST-1, which may have regions on them that could sustain life. These are the first such planets ...

22 kwietnia 2016: To enhance its programmes of scientific cooperation with the host country Chile, ESO provides and manages an annual fund for the development of astronomy- and technology-related disciplines in Chile. A board consisting of members from ESO and the Chilean Government, working through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, evaluates and selects programmes to be supported by this fund. These fall in five areas: ESO grant funding to postdoctoral programmes in astronomy at Chilean academic institutions. Funding for academic faculty positions for periods of up to two years at Chilean academic institutions. Funding to support the development and presentation of educational programmes for the teaching and dissemination of astronomy in Chile. Funding to support development programmes and the construction of technological systems for astronomy. Funding to support the development of astronomy in areas not covered by the above four categories. The Joint Committee of ESO and Government of Chile will consider all ...

15 kwietnia 2016: The GALACSI adaptive optics module, built by ESO’s engineers at its headquarters in Garching, Germany, has been thoroughly tested and has passed with flying colours. It will be shipped to Chile later this year to be fitted to ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), on Cerro Paranal. GALACSI is a part of the adaptive optics system which will significantly increase the performance of the MUSE instrument, a panoramic integral-field spectrograph working at visible wavelengths. The MUSE instrument and the GALACSI system together will be known as the MUSE facility. Adding GALACSI to MUSE will essentially double the amount of energy in each image pixel, providing astronomers with a much more powerful tool. As well as bringing about a huge improvement in the VLT’s capabilities, GALACSI and the other elements of the adaptive optics system are advancing technology that will be used on the forthcoming European Extremely Large Telescope. Adaptive optics systems ...

12 kwietnia 2016: On 12 April 2016 the impressive Star-roof for the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre building was installed. The roof, which weighs almost 30 tonnes, consists of glass panels set into a metal framework made of triangular sections — 262 of them, arranged to artistically represent some of the constellations of the southern sky. It was constructed by South Tyrolean family company, Frener-Reifer after an idea from Bernhardt + Partner architects working together with ESO’s astronomers. The whole roof was installed in one single lift using a special 500-tonne crane. The roof will allow visitors to the centre to see the sky above, while beneath it they are introduced to the full majesty of the Universe in ESO’s new educational and public outreach facility. It will be studded with lights, to mimic in a modest way the spectacular view of the sky that astronomers at ESO's observatory sites can expect ...

5 kwietnia 2016: ESO Photo Ambassador Petr Horálek is in Chile at the moment, as a member of ESO’s Fulldome Expedition, amassing photographic images to use in planetarium shows. The material will be used in ESO’s Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre, currently under construction at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching, Germany. As a warm-up he captured this astonishingly rich image of the skies above ESO’s Paranal Observatory, home of the Very Large Telescope facility. Thanks to the magic of photography, Petr himself also appears in this image, gazing in wonder at the display above him. The Milky Way arches above the illuminated dome of the astronomers’ hotel — La Residencia, as it is called — which has been specially designed so as not to produce any light pollution that would interfere with the operation of the telescopes. Other splendours of the southern sky, including the Magellanic Clouds just above the dome of the Residencia, ...