Meddelelser

30. november 2018: 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 up-to-date information on cutting-edge science, teaching materials and projects in science education, interviews with inspiring scientists and teachers, reviews of books and other resources, and many other useful resources for science teachers. It aims to promote science teaching by encouraging communication between teachers, scientists and everyone else involved in European science education. Some of the highlights of this issue include: a review of the upcoming changes to the formal definitions of SI base units, due in May 2019; an article about the futuristic applications of thermophilic microorganisms; and an introduction to a powerful new diagnostic technology using full-colour X-ray scans. Teaching activities include: an activity building a loudspeaker using simple materials; a calorimetry experiment using nutshells for bioenergy; and a guide to organising a science ...

22. november 2018: ESO designs, builds and operates some of the most advanced telescopes and instruments in the world. To achieve this, the organisation employs a host of talented engineers who design, develop and maintain these sensitive machines. ESO engineers excel in everything from traditional disciplines like mechanical, electrical and software engineering to more specific areas, such as optics, detector systems, and cryogenic engineering. But what exactly does all this involve? In this ESOcast, our innovative engineers talk about their cutting-edge work: what they do, why it matters, and what it’s like to work at the forefront of astronomical technology. You can subscribe to the ESOcasts on 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, or translate this video on YouTube.

20. november 2018: The European Science Cluster of Astronomy & Particle physics ESFRI research infrastructures (ESCAPE) project has received funding of €16 million through the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme of the European Union [1] and will be launched in the first quarter of 2019. By bringing together key pan-European astronomy and particle physics facilities on the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap the ESCAPE project will address the challenges in open science and data accessibility faced by European researchers. The ESCAPE project will combine the efforts of participating institutions to make data and software in multi-messenger astronomy and accelerator-driven particle physics open, accessible and interoperable. Led by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), over the course of 42 months, ESCAPE will drive collaboration between 31 European scientific and industry partners to answer critical questions of open science and data innovation in data-driven scientific research. “The name ESCAPE ...

15. november 2018: On the occasion of both the 2019 total solar eclipse visible from Chile and La Silla Observatory’s 50th anniversary, we are organising a competition to win a fully-paid trip to the ESO sites in Chile. The competition runs from today until 9 December and invites participants to submit a video anniversary message for La Silla. This competition is part of the La Silla Total Solar Eclipse campaign, #LaSillaTSE. On 2 July 2019, ESO’s La Silla Observatory will be temporarily shrouded in darkness as the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, causing a total solar eclipse. Through the competition launched today, we offer the winner a chance to view the eclipse from a truly unique spot and to visit our sites in Chile. After witnessing the eclipse from La Silla, the winner will travel to Cerro Paranal, home of ESO’s Very Large Telescope and two survey telescopes, to Chajnantor, ...

9. november 2018: The 24th issue of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public journal is out now! In this issue you will find information about the launch of the International Astronomical Union's 100th anniversary celebrations. Also, you will find articles exploring the uses of technology in astronomy communication, including virtual observatories, virtual reality technologies, video and animations. All of this, and more, is featured in this free, peer-reviewed journal for astronomy communicators — available now for download.

1. november 2018: Following a thorough assessment, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB — Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen) has awarded the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre the gold certificate for sustainability. This award recognises the ways in which the ESO Supernova adheres to high standards of sustainability. The council assessed the building in six different categories: environmental, economic, sociocultural and functional, technology, processes and location. The award takes into account not only the conservation of energy and use of sustainable materials, but also features such as the comfort of those who visit and work in the centre. The DGNB concluded that the ESO Supernova is so committed to sustainability that it meets the requirements for a gold certificate. Visitors to the centre can see the plaque acknowledging the ESO Supernova’s gold standard by the front entrance. More Information The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor ...

26. oktober 2018: ESO is organising its second social media gathering in Chile, to coincide with the 2019 total solar eclipse, visible from La Silla Observatory, #LaSillaTSE. We invite social media enthusiasts from ESON countries to compete for the eight available places on #MeetESO. Selected participants are expected to travel to Chile at their own expense. #MeetESO will take participants to the La Silla Observatory on the outskirts of the Chilean Atacama Desert. Here, they will have the opportunity to join eclipse enthusiasts to witness the total solar eclipse, #LaSillaTSE, and visit ESO’s first observatory. The 2019 phenomenon is the only total solar eclipse visible from an ESO observatory for the next 212 years. From La Silla, participants will travel to Paranal, home of ESO’s Very Large Telescope — the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory — and of ESO’s survey telescopes that map the sky in the finest detail. If time allows, ...

25. oktober 2018: Simetría, a new ambitious residential Science-Art exchange programme, allows artists to carry out their artistic enquiry in relation to astronomy and particle physics at some of the world’s most important scientific research centres. The residence gives artists the opportunity to explore scientific ideas and technological concepts while engaging in innovative discourses to further their artistic expression. The Chilean artist Nicole L’Huillier and the Swiss artist Alan Bogana have been selected from a list of nominations by a jury of art and science experts. They will be invited to carry out their residences in Switzerland at CERN, the European laboratory for particle physics, and in Chile at European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and ALMA. “I am very happy that the VLT and ALMA are part of this initiative because the arts and sciences raise spirits and remind us of the importance of treasuring the dimension of creativity, curiosity and ...

24. oktober 2018: The Royal Observatory Greenwich has announced the results of its hugely popular, global photographic competition, a yearly contest to find the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos. At a ceremony on 23 October 2018 at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, UK, the winners of this year’s Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition were announced. All of the winning photographs will be available for viewing in a retrospective celebrating the first ten years of the competition at the new Photography Gallery at the National Maritime Museum from 24 October 2018. ESO played a part by contributing a judge, Oana Sandu, from its education and Public Outreach Department. This year’s overall winner, who receives a cash prize of £10,000, was Brad Goldpaint of the USA. His spectacular image Transport the Soul was taken from Moab, USA. “Once the quarter moon rose, it revealed the incredible, vast landscape of the ...

23. oktober 2018: The winner of the ESO-offered bursary for the Winter AstroCamp 2018 has now been selected from 95 applications from 15 countries. ESO is delighted to announce that James Weyringer, an Austrian citizen, is the winner of the ESO bursary. The standard of applications was extremely high, from a variety of enthusiastic future scientists and engineers keen to attend this year’s camp. The ESO bursary covers the full cost of the camp, providing James with financial assistance to participate in this potentially career-defining event. Other applicants have been selected to receive financial support from other institutions across Europe. ESO and its Science Outreach Network are collaborating with the science education event organiser Sterrenlab and the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley (OAVdA) to organise the sixth ESO Astronomy Camp. The exciting event will take place from 26 December 2018 to 1 January 2019, in the Aosta Valley, ...

22. oktober 2018: Olivier Chesneau, one of the most active and prolific members of the optical interferometry community, passed away in May 2014, at the age of 41. To honour his work in this field, his home institute, the Laboratoire J.-L. Lagrange at the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in France, and ESO established a prize in his memory. Since 2015, the prize has been awarded biennially for the best PhD thesis completed in the field of high angular resolution optical astronomy. The prize will be awarded by a committee composed of the Director of the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, the Director of the Laboratoire J.-L. Lagrange, the Director of the high-resolution astronomy programme Action Spécifique sur la Haute Résolution Angulaire, and the ESO Director of Science. The result will be announced in March 2019 and the prize ceremony will be held in Nice, France in May 2019, during the French week ...

11. oktober 2018: One of our most popular products, the ESO Calendar, is now available in its 2019 incarnation, and can be purchased from the ESO online shop and in the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. The calendar’s cover features an artist’s impression of the forthcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the world’s biggest eye on the sky. Inside, the calendar is packed with spectacular images of the cosmos as well as photographs of ESO’s telescopes against the backdrop of the striking Chilean landscapes. 2019’s ESO calendar contains some beautiful highlights. For the month of April, the bright band of the Milky Way arcs above Antu, one of the four Unit Telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope. The spectacular barred spiral galaxy, NGC 1398, is the chosen image for July and a beautiful sunset over Paranal, taken from Cerro Armazones (the site for the ELT) is featured in August. Finally, for December, three ...

9. oktober 2018: On 15 and 16 October 2018 ESO will host a Teacher Training Workshop initiated by Denmark’s Physics and Chemistry Association (Copenhagen/Zealand division). The participants will attend lectures and laboratory visits, engage in hands-on sessions and benefit from the educational programme of the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. Throughout the workshop, participants will be introduced to cutting-edge astronomy, groundbreaking telescope innovations and advancements in detector technology. They will also experience inquiry-based learning methods designed to engage students and improve their science literacy and problem-solving skills. By learning about astronomy in a direct way, the participants will return to Denmark as ambassadors of astronomy who will educate the next generation of scientists and engineers. This will be the first ESO Teacher Training Workshop organised for Danish educators. The ESO Supernova regularly offers teacher training sessions that not only connect teachers with astronomers and engineers, providing them with an understanding of the ...

9. oktober 2018: Ireland has completed the ratification of its membership and joined ESO as the organisation’s sixteenth Member State. ESO is proud to welcome Ireland and looks forward to new opportunities to collaborate with the nation’s astronomers and industries. The formal ratification process for Ireland’s membership in ESO was completed when the instrument of ratification was deposited on 28 September at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. The Accession Agreement that led to Ireland joining ESO was signed on 26 September 2018 by John Halligan T.D., Irish Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, and Xavier Barcons, Director General of ESO. The ratification of Ireland’s membership in ESO solidifies the country’s long-standing position at the forefront of the world’s astronomical community. With ESO membership, Irish astronomers gain access to ESO’s suite of world-class telescopes and instruments, including the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Paranal and the Atacama ...

8. oktober 2018: ESO, the world’s most productive ground-based observatory, will open its doors to the public on Saturday 13 October 2018 between 11:00 and 18:00 CEST. The ESO Open House Day event will be held at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience the world of ESO first hand by taking part in many different activities; the programme of activities for the day is set out below. Our Open House Day is part of the Tag der offenen Tür that is taking place across the Garching research campus, as well as at several other local institutes. If you need help finding your way around during the Open House Day, look out for our members of staff, who will be wearing name badges. As ESO is an international organisation, our staff speak several languages between them. Media representatives who wish to attend the event are asked ...

8. oktober 2018: ESO has signed an agreement with an international consortium led by INAF, the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, to build and operate a cutting-edge spectrographic instrument known as Son Of X-shooter, SOXS [1]. Work on this innovative instrument’s design has been underway since 2017, meaning that SOXS could be installed at La Silla as early as 2020. SOXS will be installed on ESO’s 3.58-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT) at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, replacing SOFI, a venerable and highly productive ESO instrument that has been operating for over 20 years. Designed as a unique spectroscopic facility, SOXS will study transient sources following triggers and alerts from telescopes, satellites, and detectors worldwide. SOXS will provide vital spectroscopic follow-up observations to many transient surveys, and is poised to become the foremost transient follow-up instrument in the Southern hemisphere. The novel, highly specialized design of the instrument will ensure that it ...

5. oktober 2018: The latest edition of ESO's quarterly journal, The Messenger, is now available online. Find out the latest news from ESO on topics ranging from new instruments to the latest science discoveries. Highlights of this edition include: Service Mode and Visitor Mode at Paranal by M. Rejkuba et al. Rendezvous with `Oumuamua by O. Hainaut et al. Massive Star Formation and Evolution in the Galactic Centre by S. Clark et al. Resolving the Interstellar Medium at the Peak of Cosmic Star Formation by G. Calistro Rivera et al. Download The Messenger in PDF format or visit The Messenger website to subscribe and receive a free printed copy.

27. september 2018: Today, on 27 September 2018, the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft — DFG) announced the selection of 57 new clusters of excellence, including the cluster ORIGINS — From the origins of the Universe to the first building blocks of life, of which ESO is a partner institution. Starting on 1 January 2019, the competitively selected collaborative initiatives between German universities and scientific institutions will share funding in the amount of 385 million euros per year for an initial period of seven years. The ORIGINS Cluster will explore the creation of the Universe, one of the most intriguing topics of exploration in modern science. By continuing the internationally-acclaimed success of Munich’s Universe Cluster of Excellence (2006–2018), the new ORIGINS Cluster will strive to reveal the origins of the innermost structures of the Universe, as well as explore the way in which life formed. Answering these questions remains one of the greatest ...

27. september 2018: The 2018 winners of the prestigious European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) have been announced. Since 1989 the EUCYS has aimed to promote cooperation and interchange between young scientists and to guide their future careers in science and technology. This year, 135 young scientists from 38 countries and the European schools gathered in Dublin, Ireland to compete in the contest. The contest was judged by the EUCYS 2018 Jury, which comprised 19 expert judges with a wide range of scientific experience. The three first prizes of the EUCYS 2018 competition were presented by the Irish Minister of Higher Education Mary Mitchell O'Connor and Wolfgang Burtscher, the European Commission's Deputy Director General for Research and Innovation. The prizes each consisted of €7 000 and were awarded to Adrian Fleck (20) and Anna Amelie Fleck (16) for “FleckProtec — Body Protection Made From Starch”; Nicolas Fedrigo (17) for “ Improving Spinal ...

18. september 2018: The pioneering work of ESO’s Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) team has been recognised by the Optical Society (OSA). The AOF team have been awarded the 2018 Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award. They received the OSA prize during the Frontiers in Optics (FiO) + Laser Science (LS) Awards Ceremony held on 17 September, in Washington DC, USA. The team was awarded the prize for equipping Yepun, the 8.2-metre Unit Telescope 4 of ESO’s Very Large Telescope, with Adaptive Optics. The AOF was a major project to improve the vision of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) and the High Acuity Wide-field K-band Imager (HAWK-I) instruments by providing them with the ability to compensate for the blurring effect of the Earth’s atmosphere [1]. The precise and complex engineering behind the AOF has now been recognised with the Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award, which was received by Elise Vernet, ...