Annunci

07 Dicembre 2023: Tom Ray, Senior Professor and Director of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Ireland, has been elected as the next president of ESO’s main governing body, the Council. He currently represents Ireland on the ESO Council and is the first Irish national to be elected ESO Council president. “I look forward to continuing my work with the ESO Council, and am honoured to be elected as the next president,” Ray says. “ESO continues to be a leader in ground-based astronomy, and the next few years will bring exciting developments. The Extremely Large Telescope, the world’s biggest eye on the sky, is over halfway completed, while the Very Large Telescope’s new instruments and infrastructure upgrades will ensure it continues to play a key role in exploring the Universe. And ALMA, which is celebrating 10 years of discoveries this year, will be able to produce much more detailed observations ...

29 Novembre 2023: In a significant step in the direction of Open Science, ESO has formally joined the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Association as a Member. The Association is the legal entity governing the EOSC. The EOSC is an European Commission initiative to "enable researchers to find, create, share and reuse all forms of digital knowledge – such as publications, data and software – leading to new insights and innovations, higher research productivity and improved reproducibility in science”, in the words of former Commissioner of Innovation, Research, Culture, Education & Youth Mariya Gabriel. ESO has long supported it, by endorsing the EOSC Declaration in 2017 and with its continuing participation in ESCAPE, a project — which stemmed from the EOSC — that brings together the astronomy, astroparticle and particle physics communities in Europe in support of Open Science. By joining the EOSC Association, ESO will now be involved in its governance, as ...

28 Novembre 2023: Today, in a celebration at Cerro Murphy in the Chilean Atacama Desert, the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences (CAMK), along with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other entities, inaugurated the renewed Rolf Chini Cerro Murphy Observatory. Hosted within ESO’s Paranal Observatory, the Observatory has undergone a major rebuild since 2020 and is ready to begin scientific observations again, marking a new chapter in its history. The Rolf Chini Cerro Murphy Observatory inauguration celebrates the beginning of scientific operations for three new optical telescopes, which will join existing facilities to explore how fast the Universe is expanding. The Observatory is dedicated to the Araucaria Project, a collaboration between astronomers from Chile, the USA and Europe, focused on improving the calibration of the extragalactic distance scale, a combination of methods by which astronomers measure the distance of objects throughout the Universe. The data gathered at the ...

15 Novembre 2023: The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, has achieved the highest resolution observations since it began operations. During a technical test, a team of experts from the Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) in Chile, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the USA, and ESO, imaged an evolved star with a resolution of 5 milliarcseconds. This shows ALMA can be used by astronomers to observe objects in detail equivalent to seeing a 10-metre-long bus on the Moon. ALMA consists of 66 antennas which can be arranged in different positions across the high-altitude Chajnantor plateau in Chile. Each is equipped with receivers that allow it to observe radio waves in different frequency ranges, or bands. ALMA’s resolution increases both as the maximum separation between antennas increases and as the frequency of the observations increases. The new images were obtained with the ...

06 Novembre 2023: Spearheaded by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Zero Debris Charter aims to address the increasing risks of space debris in Earth’s orbit. Released today at the Space Summit 2023 in Seville, Spain, the charter represents a collaboration between more than 40 space stakeholders, including the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Crucially for ground-based astronomical organisations like ESO, the charter recognises the adverse effects space debris can have on dark and quiet skies and seeks to mitigate them “to the greatest possible extent”. The Zero Debris Charter is an important agreement outlining both principles and actions to prevent and mitigate space debris — the defunct objects in Earth’s orbit such as dead satellites, rocket fragments or other broken-up machinery. As recognised in the charter, space debris can compromise the safety of space activities, as well as any technological or social benefits that these activities provide to humankind. The agreement comes at ...

16 Ottobre 2023: Last week, a time capsule commemorating ESO staff, science, technology and cooperation between ESO and Chile was buried in a ceremony at the construction site of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), on Cerro Armazones in the Chilean Atacama Desert. The capsule was sealed at the first stone ceremony in 2017, when construction on the soon-to-be “world’s biggest eye on the sky” began. Serving as a symbolic message to future generations, it contains mementos from Chilean authorities, including a plaque from the then President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, about opening the skies of the country to the questions of an entire planet, as well as drawings from Chilean children featuring the Universe, ESO telescopes and northern Chile landscapes. The capsule also includes a mosaic of photographs of ESO staff and a copy of a book describing the future scientific goals of the telescope [1]. Covering it is an engraved hexagon ...

12 Ottobre 2023: On 6 November 1963, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Republic of Chile signed an agreement which started a cooperation in astronomy that had tremendous worldwide impact. This relationship enabled the establishment of unique observatories in the Atacama Desert, such as La Silla, Paranal and ALMA, and the development of strong astronomical communities and cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs. Yesterday, ESO Council and staff, along with diplomats from ESO Member States, Chilean authorities and the scientific community, held a ceremony at the ESO offices in Santiago — the first of several celebrations to mark 60 years of the agreement. The history of Chile and ESO is marked by several milestones that have strengthened this partnership. The first observatory established by ESO was La Silla, inaugurated in 1969 in the region of Coquimbo, 600 km north of Santiago. Here, ESO currently operates some of the most productive optical telescopes of their class. ...

27 Settembre 2023: Francesca Primas, Full Astronomer at ESO, has been honoured with the inaugural Nancy Grace Roman Award by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP). Primas is the first person to receive this award, which was introduced this year to recognise an “individual or group for significant contributions to promoting gender equity and inclusion in astronomy and related fields”. Primas is a renowned astrophysicist researching the chemical evolution of the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies. She’s also a trailblazer in promoting gender equity in astronomy in general and at ESO specifically. Some 15 years ago, she conducted a study on the status of women at ESO to evaluate the gender distribution across the organisation. The results were disappointing, with the study finding only 18% of staff members identified as female, but served as the basis for discussion and future action to promote diversity, equity and inclusion at ESO. Primas spearheaded ...

25 Settembre 2023: Progress in the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) –– the world’s most powerful ground-based gamma-ray observatory –– will be bolstered by a recent funding pledge from its governing bodies. On 6 September 2023, the CTAO’s Board of Governmental Representatives and the CTAO gGmbH Council, of which ESO is a member, met to agree on the next steps to advance the CTAO to its construction phase. As part of their unanimous commitment to the progress of the project, all members agreed on a foreseen endorsement of up to approximately 30 million euro for 2024. This significant increase in the CTAO’s funding will allow it to build new infrastructure and double the workforce. The CTAO will consist of two arrays of telescopes: CTAO-North in La Palma, Spain, and CTAO-South at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. After extensive design and pre-construction activities, such as testing a prototype telescope in the northern site, the ...

14 Agosto 2023: Un gruppo internazionale di astronomi e ingegneri di ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), di cui l'ESO è partner, ha effettuato le prime misure con nuovi ricevitori installati sulle antenne ALMA. I ricevitori consentono ad ALMA di osservare su tutto l'intervallo di frequenza finale - con lunghezze d'onda comprese tra 2,6 e 4,5 millimetri (67-116 GHz) - del progetto completo. La cosiddetta "Banda 2" apre una nuova finestra sulle nostre origini cosmiche, consentendo misure che rivelano come si formano stelle e galassie lontane, fino alle origini dei pianeti e ai mattoni della vita. ALMA, situato sull'altopiano di Chajnantor in Cile, è costituito da un totale di 66 antenne, ciascuna dotata di un arsenale di ricevitori molto sensibili. Ogni tipo di ricevitore osserva all'interno di una particolare banda, o intervallo di lunghezze d'onda, nella regione submillimetrica/millimetrica dello spettro elettromagnetico. In totale le varie bande coprono una finestra da 0,3 a 8,6 millimetri ...

24 Luglio 2023: ESO and the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) have signed a cooperation agreement, covering areas such as strategy and governance, communications, international relations, scientific coordination and sustainability, diversity and inclusion. It was signed today at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching, Germany, by SKAO Director General Phil Diamond and ESO Director General Xavier Barcons. SKAO is an intergovernmental organisation that aims to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform our understanding of the Universe. There is, therefore, considerable overlap between the interests of SKAO and ESO, whose mission is to design, build and operate advanced ground-based observatories and to foster international collaboration for astronomy. In fact, ESO and SKAO have had close-cooperation links since the establishment of SKAO, with scientists, engineers and administrators of both organisations collaborating on a regular basis. For example, ESO and SKAO have worked together to raise awareness about the need to protect the dark and quiet ...

20 Luglio 2023: The ESO Annual Report 2022 is now available. It presents the many activities of ESO during the year. The contents include, among other topics: The steady progress of the construction of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), both on Armazones and in Europe. Highlights of the latest scientific research enabled by ESO’s facilities, which once again resulted in the publication of more than 1000 refereed papers during the year. Among these highlights, the release of the image of the shadow of the Sgr A* black hole by the Event Horizon Telescope Consortium (using both ALMA and APEX). Commissioning of ERIS (the Enhanced Resolution Imager and Spectrograph) at the VLT and NIRPS (the Near InfraRed Planet Searcher) at the 3.6-metre telescope, as well as the progress on all other instrument projects. ALMA development, including the Band 2 receiver project and the Wide-Band Sensitivity Upgrade. The start of operations of the new Paranal–Armazones ...

25 Maggio 2023: The first episode of a new monthly show, hosted by ESO astronomer Suzanna Randall, is being released today on the ESO YouTube channel. Chasing Starlight will present exciting astronomy stories in accessible language to online audiences interested in science and engineering. The opening episode is dedicated to one of the world’s most advanced telescopes, the Very Large Telescope (VLT), which turns 25 this week. To celebrate the anniversary, Randall is presenting her top 5 VLT science breakthroughs, which include observing first light from a gravitational-wave source and taking the first image of an exoplanet. Chasing Starlight’s home is the revamped ESO YouTube channel, which now features curated playlists dedicated to different ESO, astronomy and engineering topics. One of the playlists is devoted to ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), a facility currently under construction in the Atacama Desert, just a few kilometres away from the VLT. Another playlist, Wonders of the ...

25 Maggio 2023: ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), one of the world’s most advanced optical telescopes, celebrates its 25th anniversary today. Over the last two and a half decades, from its home in Chile’s Atacama Desert, the VLT has made a profound impact on our understanding of the Universe, with several remarkable firsts. ESO’s VLT is the flagship facility for European ground-based optical astronomy. It consists of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors 8.2 metres in diameter and four movable 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes that form part of the VLT Interferometer. On 25 May 1998, the Unit Telescope UT1 (Antu) obtained its first images, starting a new era for astronomy. Since then, astronomers have produced over 10 000 scientific papers using data collected by VLT telescopes, an average of more than one peer-reviewed paper per day. Some of the key research done with the help of the VLT includes studying the supermassive black hole ...

15 Maggio 2023: After nearly half a century in publication, ESO’s journal of science and technology, The Messenger, is making a jump into the digital world by becoming an online-only publication. The move coincides with the publication of the new issue of the journal, its 190th. First launched in May 1974, The Messenger serves as a key link between ESO and its broad astronomical community, providing updates about scientific, technical and other developments from the organisation. Beyond the confines of the ESO community, the journal shares exciting astronomy news and updates on related technologies to a broader public, including policy-makers, journalists, teachers, and amateur astronomers, as well as to interested scientists from other fields. As the scope and content of The Messenger has evolved over the years, so too has the way it reaches its readers. Digital issues were first introduced in the early 2000s and since then the complete archive has been ...

10 Maggio 2023: Observations conducted at ESO’s observatories led to more than 1000 scientific papers in 2022. Despite the fact that ESO’s observing sites were closed or operated with reduced capacity for several months during the pandemic, the number of refereed papers remained remarkably stable. A recent report by the ESO Library and Information Centre shows that this is the sixth year in a row that the number of papers has exceeded 1000. The most significant contributions to these publications come from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the VLT Interferometer (VLTI) at Paranal Observatory, which led to more than 580 refereed papers. Highlights include the discovery of a new kind of stellar explosion called micronova and spying on a supermassive black hole hiding in a ring of dust. For the last three years, the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) has been the most productive VLT instrument, a trend which has continued in ...

08 Maggio 2023: Join us on 12 May, from 16:00 CEST, for a live streaming on Facebook and YouTube on two of the instruments of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT): the Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) and Multi-AO Imaging Camera for Deep Observations (MICADO). During the event, we will premiere two mini-documentaries on the instruments, followed by a Q&A session with the experts behind them. Participants can ask questions on Twitter using #askESO, as well as live on Facebook and YouTube. Click Going/Interested on Facebook and Notify me on YouTube, respectively, to be prompted when the live show starts. ESO’s ELT is a revolutionary ground-based telescope that will have a 39-metre main mirror, making it the largest visible and infrared light telescope in the world. The ELT will tackle some of the biggest scientific challenges of our time. To achieve that, the ELT will be equipped with a lineup of cutting-edge instruments. ...

03 Maggio 2023: A new report by an international consortium of leading astronomers, including ESO staff, sets out recommendations to transform our understanding of the Universe in the next decade. The ASTRONET Science Vision and Infrastructure Roadmap 2022-2035 is the latest comprehensive roadmap produced by the ASTRONET network of European funding agencies, communities and research organisations. The roadmap establishes key priorities, such as understanding the origin of the Universe and the evolution of planets in our Solar System, as well as making recommendations on the facilities and resources needed to meet these priorities. A continued supply of highly trained and motivated researchers will also be fundamental to progress and societal engagement. Among the major proposed European investments, which include the Einstein Telescope (a gravitational-wave observatory) and the European Solar Telescope, the new report mentions that “completion of the construction and commissioning of the ESO Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and its first generation instruments ...

13 Marzo 2023: 13 March 2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the world’s largest radio telescope—the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. Over the past decade, ALMA has revolutionised our understanding of the Universe by revealing new insights into the formation of planets, stars, and galaxies; deciphering the chemistry of the Cosmos; and has been a crucial component in obtaining the first images of black holes. To mark this milestone, ALMA celebrates today with Chilean authorities, ambassadors, representatives of the scientific community and local communities at the observatory site near San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. The ceremony and an accompanying art performance will be live streamed through ALMA Social Networks and website. "ALMA has transformed our understanding of the Universe and opened new research frontiers," said Dr Sean Dougherty, Director of ALMA. "We are very proud of the accomplishments of the past decade and excited about the ...

12 Marzo 2023: On March 12, Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, visited the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) on the Chilean Andes. ALMA is the largest ground-based astronomical project in existence, and is operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) together with international partners. During the visit, Vestager was accompanied Xavier Barcons, ESO Director General, and Luis Chavarría, ESO Representative in Chile. She visited ALMA to learn more about its operations and scientific results. In particular, Vestager was interested in the international nature of the ALMA operations and how the ESO Member States contribute to ALMA’s success and scientific goals. The ALMA telescope array consists of 66 high-precision antennas located 5000 metres above sea level on the Chajnantor plateau. The antennas work together as a single, massive telescope as large as the separation between the antennas, delivering very detailed images of ...