ESO is pleased to announce the public release of the VVV Infrared Astrometric Catalogues (VIRAC) Version 2. The catalogues are based on data from the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) Survey and its extension, VVVX, and offer unprecedented precision in astrometric and depth.

Dear colleagues,

From several viewpoints, 2024 was a year when ESO started to move towards new future avenues, while running very strong on its current commitments.

With the release of the La Silla Paranal telescope schedule, the Phase 2 preparation for runs scheduled in Service Mode begins. The deadline for the submission of the Phase 2 material for Period 115 is Thursday, 6 February 2025. The Service Mode guidelines provide detailed information about Phase 2 material preparation using the web application p2, while the instrument overview table provides quick links to user manuals, tools and p2 tutorials for individual instruments.

Registration and abstract submision are now open for the ESO conference "Galactic Ecosystems under the Microscope: Lessons from Highly-Resoved Studies", Garching bei München, Germany, 7th to 11th July 2025. This workshop is dedicated to exploring the latest developments in resolved galaxy properties and evolution. With next-generation observatories like JWST, ELT, and the SKA, upgrades to ALMA and VLA, we are entering a new era in understanding these critical aspects of galaxies throughout cosmic history.

ESO is pleased to announce that binary packages for the installation of ESO Pipelines are now available for all commonly used operating systems. This results in a faster and more reliable installation compared to compiling locally from source. Compiled binaries can be installed using the Homebrew package manager under Linux, MacOS or Windows. Alternatively, RPM binaries can be installed within the Apptainer container system or natively in some versions of Linux Fedora or CentOS. Source code installation is still available for all operating systems, including with MacPorts on MacOS. 

After the great success of the program in the last six editions, ESO is delighted to announce that the call for applications for the 7^th ESO Summer Research Programme is now open. This fully funded program is available to students in STEM fields who have not yet started a Ph.D. program and have completed at least two years of their degree. This year, ESO is offering several projects covering a variety of topics. Successful applicants will be invited to work at the ESO Headquarters in Garching for six weeks between 30 June and 8 August 2025.

This is the initial announcement for the upcoming ESO workshop "Planetary Formation and Exoplanets in the ELT era" at ESO Garching, 17 - 21 November 2025. This workshop will discuss the understanding of how giant and rocky planets form and evolve, their internal structure
and that of their atmosphere, in the context of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).

This issue 193 focuses on the potential synergies between ESO and SKAO facilities and what science would be possible with well-planned coordinated surveys. The specific cases of exploring with such surveys the Galaxy, galaxy formation and evolution, cosmology, and the epoch of reionisaiton are presented in a series of articles. Further in this issue the VST-SMASH survey and its first results are presented, as well as the latest news on the ongoing upgrades of GRAVITY+. 

With the Extremely Large Telescope (ESO’s ELT) just a few years away from completion, ESO has started the process to identify its next programme. The process has been given the name Expanding Horizons and will aim to identify the next transformational facility that will advance humanity’s understanding of the Universe whilst fostering international collaboration. 

By the deadline on October 15, 2024, ESO received nine letters of intent for the ESO public survey with KMOS. These letters of intent cover a wide range of scientific topics from young stellar objects to the evolution of galaxies at cosmic noon and beyond. There are three submitted letters of intent covering galactic and stellar evolution topics, followed by the local universe (two letters of intent) and galaxy evolution at higher redshift (four letters of intent). Nine PIs and more than one hundred co-Is are participating in these scientific projects. The overall total time request is equivalent to an over-subscription by a factor 5.