Instrument news

• 2018-03: AMBER is not offered in P102 following decommissioning by the end of P101.
  
• 2017-09: Call for proposals P101 is out. This is the last call for AMBER proposals  before decommissioning.
  
• 2017-03: ESO encourages users of AMBER to utilize periods 100 and 101 to complete any on-going programme, considering that AMBER will likely be decommissioned after P101 to make space for a visitor focus in the VLTI laboratory.
  
• 2016-09: AMBER can be used in P99 using the low, medium and high spectral resolution in both H and K bands, with and without FINITO and in conjunction with either an  AT or UT configuration.
• 2016-09: Starting halfway P99 for an estimated duration of approximately 4 months, a refurbishment of the Coudé train of each AT will take place.
  

Science highlights

For the latest highlighted science results, please consult the ESO Press Releases page.

• ESO Press Release #1726 (August 2017) Best ever image of a star's surface and atmosphere
  
• Royal Astronomical Society Press Release (14 September 2015) The disk of a planet hosting star
• ESO Press Release #1409 (12 March 2014) VLT spots largest Yellow Hypergiant star.
• ESO Press Release #1106 (24 February 2011)  Planet Formation in Action?
• ESO Announcement #11002 (26 January 2011) Motions in the disc around a supergiant star revealed
• ESO Press Release #1029 (14 July 2010) Unravelling the Mystery of Massive Star Birth
• ESO Press Release 27/07 (29 July 2009) Sharpest views of Betelgeuse reveal how supergiant stars lose mass.
• ESO Press Release 06/09 (18 July 2009) Hundred metre virtual telescope captures unique detailed colour image.
• ESO Press Release 22/08 (24 July 2008) Watching a 'New Star' Makethe Universe Dusty.
• ESO Press Release 03/08 (29 January 2008) The Growing-up of a Star.
• ESO Press Release 43/07 (27 September 2007) Into the Chrysalis.
• ESO Press Release 25/07 (31 May 2007) Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
• ESO Press Release 06/07 (23 February 2007) The Sky Through Three Giant Eyes.
• ESO Press Release 35/06 (20 September 2006) To Be or Not to Be:Is It All About Spinning?.
• ESO Press Release 29/05 (24 November 2005)Sharp Vision Reveals Intimacy of Stars.
• ESO Press Release 07/04 (5 April 2004)Adding New Colours to Interferometry - AMBER joins the VLT Interferometer.

Instrument news before 2016

• 2015-09: No changes for AMBER in P97. Proposal deadline Oct 1 2015.
• 2015-02: AMBER will be back on-line for regular operations in P96. Consult the VLTI User Manual for the new VLTI AT quadruplets.
  
• 2014-08: AMBER is not offered in P95 due to major modifications of the VLT-I laboratory in view of the arrival of Gravity and MATISSE.  See also Call for Proposals P95.
  
• 2014-02: Increase of limiting magnitudes for the K-band, owing to polarization control. See Instrument description and Sect. 2.6.3 in the User Manual.
• 2013-12: The AMBER observatory project OHANA is producing public data. Follow this link.
• 2013-09: Execution time for MR and HR reduced to 20m.
• 2013-09: New, 'long', calibration sequence of cal-sci-cal-sci-cal (restriction apply see manual).
• 2012-09: Finito data and keywords now described in the manual.
• 2012-09: Amber self coherencing is now used by default in service and visitor mode if FINITO is not requested.
• 2010-07: Amber data processing software version 3 is now available from JMMC and this link.
• 2010-07: there is now a special link to search the ESO database for AMBER Data using specific keywords.
• 2009-11: An optic in the VLTI train was upgrade to suppress the spurious fringes present in HR-K data in AMBER. This change has been a success and the spurious fringes have disappeared below the detectable level in normal conditions.
• 2009-08: new calibration products added. Darks are taken in the morning using a cold shutter inside the instrument.Up to know darks were taken with a shutter outside the instrument. Until P85, users will receive both products.
• 2009-03: For P84 - Medium Resolution H is now offered. AMBER User Manual has been updated with a table of typical performances.
• 2008-08: AMBER/FINITO/UTs Science Verification call for proposal. Deadline Sept. 7, observation to be carried on the 12th, 13th and 14th of October. (Limiting magnitudes have been updated)
• 2008-03: First version of the AMBER User Manual available for P82.
• 2008-03: FINITO now offered on the UTs
• 2007-03: First version of the AMBER User Manual for P80 available. The web pages have been updated for the changes from P79 to P80. Important changes are the possibility to use the external fringe tracker FINITO with AMBER on the ATs.
• 2007-01-23: AMBER was succesfully used with 3 ATs and having FINITO as an external fringe tracker.
• September 1, 2006: First version of the AMBER User Manual for P79 available. The web pages have been updated for the changes from P78 to P79. Important changes are info on the allowed modes for the ATs.
• 2006-03-01: First version of the AMBER User Manual for P78 available. The web pages have been updated for the changes from P77 to P78. Important changes are info on the HR-K, LR-HK modes, significantly reduced execution times, and information on limits on the Coude guide star magnitude.
• 2005-09-01: First version of the AMBER User Manual for P77 available. The web pages have been updated for the changes from P76 to P77.
• 2005-07-01: Updated version of the AMBER User Manual P76 and the final version of the AMBER Template Manual for P76 made available. Note that the wavelength ranges for MRK2.1 and MRK2.3 have been updated.
• 2005-02-23: Final version of the AMBER web pages for the CfP76 release.
• 2005-01-15: First version of the AMBER web pages.