In June 2016, ESO Council decided to bring forward the first light of E-ELT Phase 1 from 2026 to 2024, even in the eventuality that Brazil does not join and a loan is required in the future to balance possible cash-flow.
With the release of the telescope schedule, preparation of Service Mode (SM) observations (Phase 2) starts. The deadline for the submission of the Phase 2 material for Period 98 observations is 4 August 2016.
The 98th Observing Programmes Committee (OPC) met on 18–20 May 2016. A total of 1140 (8-hour equivalent) nights of Visitor Mode and Service Mode observations were allocated on the VLT/VLTI, VISTA, VST, the 3.6-metre and NTT and APEX telescopes. Of these, 165 nights were allocated to filler programmes. The submission deadline for Phase 2 Service Mode observations is 4 August 2016; see separate announcement.
20–21 September 2016, ESO Headquarters, Garching, Germany
ESO is considering building an adaptive optics (AO) instrument to make best use of the Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) which is being commissioned during the coming years. The first AO Community Days are an opportunity to discuss the science cases of future AO instrumentation at ESO with a goal of developing the case for a future VLT instrument to become operational before 2025.
The MUSE processed data cubes downloaded from the ESO Science Archive Facility (see announcement) are sky subtracted but may still include residuals of sky emission lines redward of λ > 7000Å. These residuals can be further reduced using a dedicated ESO Reflex interactive workflow, to be applied directly to the MUSE science data products.
All spectra obtained with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) integral field unit, in the wide field mode, from November 2014 to May 2015 are now published via the ESO Science Archive as reduced data. The MUSE science data cubes have their instrumental signature removed, and are astrometrically calibrated, sky-subtracted, wavelength and flux calibrated, using the MUSE pipeline, version muse-1.4 and higher.
The 2015 ESO Annual Report is now available, as full sized or small PDF. The Annual Report describes some science highlights from 2015 and provides a summary of last year's activities covering all aspects of the Organisation, including ALMA and the E-ELT.
ESO invites interested Institutes in the ESO Member States to submit a Proposal(s) for the "ADVANCED STUDY FOR UPGRADES OF THE ATACAMA LARGE MILLIMETER/SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY (ALMA)".
Discs in Galaxies Joint ESO, MPA, MPE, LMU, TUM and Excellence Cluster Universe Conference. ESO Headquarters, Garching, Germany, 11–15 July 2016
The aim of this conference is to explore the importance of stellar and gaseous discs in a variety of galaxies from high redshift to the Milky Way within the context of new observations and numerical simulations. Stellar and gaseous discs represent the most important structural component in normal galaxies and interpreting their early formation and destruction, via observations and numerical simulations, indicates the key processes that shape the eventual Hubble sequence.
This conference will provide a timely and wide ranging exploration of discs in galaxies from observational and theoretical aspects. More details here.
Supernova science has entered a golden age with daily announcements of new discoveries and the rate set to increase with new facilities. As supernova sample sizes increase, well-observed nearby events will still provide insights into progenitor properties and explosion mechanisms. The conference aims at addressing these challenges (and others) through "understanding the past to prepare for the future" with a focus on past, present and future surveys, including also explosion models, progenitors, their link to stellar evolution and the first supernovae.
The conference celebrates the contributions that Mark Phillips and Nicholas Suntzeff have made to this field. Further details are available on the workshop webpage.
