Meddelelser

16. juli 2015: On 15 and 16 July 2015, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Resource Board decided to enter into detailed contract negotiations for hosting the CTA’s southern hemisphere array within the grounds of the Paranal Observatory, one of ESO’s sites in Chile. Similar negotiations for a northern site on La Palma are also starting. The CTA project is an initiative to build the next generation of ground-based instruments designed for the detection of very high energy gamma-rays. Gamma rays are emitted by the hottest and most powerful objects in the Universe — such as supermassive black holes, supernovae and possibly remnants of the Big Bang. The array will provide valuable deeper insights into the high-energy Universe. Although gamma rays don’t make it to the Earth’s surface, the CTA’s mirrors and high-speed cameras will capture short-lived flashes of the characteristic eerie blue Cherenkov radiation that is produced when the gamma rays interact with ...

10. juli 2015: 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 inspiring articles, fun games and hands-on activities for students in every issue. 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: infectious cancers, which are currently pushing one Tasmanian species to the brink of extinction; a look at what is happening when you dye your hair; and using mathematics to help tackle epidemics. Teaching activities include: using magic sand to introduce mystery into the classroom and explain chemistry, and using simple liquids that mimic blood to demonstrate blood typing. Science in School is published by EIROforum, a collaboration between eight European intergovernmental scientific research organisations, of which ESO is a member. The journal addresses science teaching ...

10. juli 2015: Following the recommendations of the ESO Finance Committee (FC) and Scientific Technical Committee (STC), Council authorised the Director General to sign the contracts for the first set of instruments for the E-ELT. These huge and innovative tools to analyse the light collected by the giant telescope will allow the E-ELT to address a wide range of astronomical questions soon after its completion. The choices are based on extensive input from the astronomical communities in ESO’s Member States. This instrumentation package comprises a near-infrared imager with spectroscopic capability (MICADO), a multi-conjugate adaptive optics unit (MAORY), which will feed MICADO (and possibly additional future instruments); an integral field spectrograph (HARMONI), along with development of its laser tomography adaptive optics system to preliminary design review level; and a mid-infrared imager and spectrometer (METIS). MICADO, coupled with MAORY, will allow the full resolution of the telescope to be brought to bear on many current ...

8. juli 2015: ESO har underskrevet kontrakt med det franske optikfirma Reosc, som er et firma under Sagem, Safrangruppen om fremstilling af de deformerbare skal-spejle, som kommer til at udgøre det fjerde spejl (M4) på European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). Spejlene bliver monteret og understøttet i den adaptive spejlenhed, som bliver det største adaptive spejl, som nogensinde er bygget (se ann15045). Kontrakten blev underskrevet af repræsentanter for Resoc og ESO ved en ceremoni i ESOs hovedkvarter den 8. juli 2015. M4 spejlsystemet er en nøgleenhed på E-ELT. Det måler 2,4 m i diameter, og det kommer til at bestå af seks tynde dele, som hver kun er 1,95 mm tyk, fremstillet af keramisk glas. Hver skal udgør en af seks 60-graders appelsinstykker, som tilsammen udgør det cirkulære M4 spejl. SCHOTT leverer de keramiske dele til Resoc, og så tilpasser og polerer Resoc de tynde skaller. Konsortiet AdOptica i Italien, med ADS International og ...

7. juli 2015: The winners of this year Catch a Star Contest have been announced. ESO is providing a mounted image of fascinating astronomical objects for each of the top five places. The top three places also have the chance to carry out remote observations at the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory in Bulgaria. The top prize was awarded to three projects: Experimental determination of the obliquity of the ecliptic, by Clara Preixens Vidal, David Beberide Sabarich, and Anna Alonso Giro; Comparative study of two solar eclipses in the 21st century, by Nuria Babot, Guillem Serrado, and Alba Ganau; and Experimental determination of the Moon’s density, by Julia Dominguez, Andrea Cabero, and Albert Gomez. All three groups were from Spain and had Anicet Cosialls Manonelles as their teacher. A complete list of the winners can be found on the Catch a Star website. School students from around the world were invited to take part ...

7. juli 2015: 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: ALMA's Extension to 15-kilometre Baselines: Submillimetre Science down to 20-Milliarcsecond Resolution Probing the Effects of Stellar Evolution: The Dust and Gas in Detached Shells around AGB Stars The SINFONI Nearby Elliptical Lens Locator Survey (SNELLS) Report on the ESO Workshop “Baryons at Low Densities: The Stellar Halos around Galaxies” Download The Messenger in PDF format or visit The Messenger website to subscribe and receive a free printed copy.

6. juli 2015: Et nyt og gratis sæt undervisningsmaterialer om radioastronomi er nu tilgængelig i afsnittet educational material section på ESOs hjemmesider, både på engelsk og spansk. Titlen er "ALMA at School", og materialet er et fælles projekt imellem Joint ALMA Observatory og ESO. Manualen indeholder et overblik over radioastronomiens historie frem til ALMA, og afsnit om radioastronomiens fysik og om hvordan radioastronomien bruges til at udforske rummet omrkring os. Der er diagrammer, fotos og illustrationer alle steder i materialet så kerneelementer i fysikken og teknikkerne bag radioastronomien gøres klarere. Bag i bogen er der ti klasseaktiviteter og en serie billeder, som kan bruges i klassen til at gøre kernepunkterne klarere.

3. juli 2015: On 15 July 2015, the Chilean Government and ESO will host an industry event for Chilean businesses in Antofagasta, Chile. At the meeting, taking place in Hotel Antofagasta, representatives of interested Chilean companies and institutions will be offered information about ESO, given an introduction to the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) and presented with the opportunities that are available to participate in its industrial activities. The Antofagasta Region of northern Chile is now renowned for its astronomical significance. It is home to some of the world’s most important telescopes, including the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT). During the course of the industry day, ALMA engineer Nick Whyborn will give a talk on the technical needs of ALMA and Maxime Boccas will address those at the Paranal site. Interested companies will have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the technological requirements of ESO, as well ...

30. juni 2015: The 17th issue of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public journal is out now! In this issue you will find articles discussing outreach activities for the Google Lunar XPRIZE race to the Moon; the issues involved in communicating astronomy directly to a mass audience through television; the role of space art in astronomy outreach; and how using simple optical instruments to reproduce historical astronomical observations can help amateur astronomers and the wider public engage with astronomy in a direct, collaborative way. There is all this, and more, in this free, peer-reviewed journal for astronomy communicators — now available for download.

29. juni 2015: On 3 July 2015, the Polish Government will host the Second Industry for ESO workshop for Polish businesses at the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre in Warsaw. At the meeting, representatives of interested Polish companies and institutions will be offered information about ESO, given an introduction to the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) and presented with potential opportunities to participate in its industrial activities. The day will open with a welcome speech from Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Prof. Włodzisław Duch, followed by an introduction to ESO from Patrick Geeraert (ESO Director of Administration). There will be several further talks on engineering and projects available at ESO, including the E-ELT. In the afternoon, Polish companies will be able to give short presentations and there is the possibility of one-to-one meetings between ESO representatives and interested Polish companies to close out the day. Registrations is ...

26. juni 2015: ALMA Observatoriet modtog fornyligt dens første kunstudstilling: en golfbold af enorme dimensioner, som er opstillet ved siden af antennerne i en højde af 5 000 m over havet på Chajnantorsletten. Det er et oppusteligt kunstværk, som er en del af et omrejsende projekt med titlen Mixed Game (Juego Mixto) af den polske kunstner Dagmara Wyskiel [1], som har boet i Antofagasta i det nordlige Chile i mere end ti år. Når kæmpegolfbolden er rejst igennem Atacamaørkenen, rejser den videre til Grey Glacier i Magallanes-distriktet, og derefter skal den til kysten ved Valparaiso. "Mixed Game indbefatter introduktionen af et gådefuldt men på samme tid visuelt syntetisk objekt i forskellige åbne rum i landskabet," forklarer kunstneren. Hun arbejder med moderne kunst, grafisk design, kunstuddannelse og kulturel udvikling. Dagmara Wyskiel tilføjer: "Det objekt, som er opsat antyder, at der måske langt om længe er dukket noget op som svar på vores intense og ...

25. juni 2015: The Inamori Foundation has announced Michel Mayor as one of the laureates of the 2015 Kyoto Prize. The other laureates are chemist Toyoki Kunitake and choreographer John Neumeier. Michel Mayor, who is Professor Emeritus at Geneva University in Switzerland and has spent sabbatical semesters with ESO in Chile, was honoured for “answering a fundamental age-old question of astronomy regarding the existence of exoplanets by discovering 51 Pegasi b, the first one orbiting a Sun-like star… and opening an entirely new field of research.” The lasting impact of his discovery is illustrated in recent observations of 51 Pegasi b made using ESO’s HARPS instrument. Michel Mayor was the leader of the group that developed and exploited the power of HARPS, the world’s leading planet-hunting machine. The Kyoto Prize Presentation Ceremony will be held in Kyoto, Japan, on 10 November 2015. Each laureate will receive a diploma, the Kyoto Prize medal and ...

22. juni 2015: We would like to remind you that ESO will open its doors to the public on Saturday 27 June 2015 between 18:00 and 24:00 CEST. The event will be held at ESO Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany. This year’s Open House Day is part of The Long Night of Science (Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften) that is taking place across the Garching research campus, as well as at several other local institutes. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience the world of ESO first hand by taking part in many different activities. The list of activities that are planned is now available and given below. If you need help finding your way about during the Open House Day, look for our members of staff, who will be wearing name badges. As ESO is an international organisation, we have staff speaking several languages. Media representatives who wish to attend the event ...

19. juni 2015: ESO has signed a contract with the AdOptica consortium in Italy — ADS International and Microgate, partnered with INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) as subcontractors — for the final design and construction of the very challenging adaptive unit for the fourth mirror (M4) of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). This mirror system will surpass any adaptive mirror ever made for a telescope and be the largest of its kind. The contract was signed by representatives of AdOptica and ESO at a ceremony at ESO Headquarters on 19 June 2015. The AdOptica contract does not include the manufacture of the shell mirrors themselves. These will be constructed under a separate contract that will be announced soon. The M4 deformable 2.4-metre mirror system forms a fundamental part of the E-ELT. It consists of a mirror made from six component petals, actuators and control systems that can correct the image distortion caused ...

16. juni 2015: Nu er ESOs årsrapport for 2015 tilgængelig. I den præsenters ESOs mange aktiviteter i årets løb. Indholdet omfatter: The ESO Annual Report 2014 is now available. It presents the many activities of the ESO throughout the year. The contents include: Forskningshighlights fra ESOs faciliteter, med de seneste resultater fra områder indenfor astronomien, som strækker sig fra exoplaneter til oversigter over meget fjerne galakser. En oversigt over ESOs observatorier i Chile Status for teleskoper og instrumenter ved La Silla og Paranal observatorierne, herunder en detaljeret beskrivelse af nye instrumenter - især SPHERE og MUSE, og opgraderinger. Seneste nyt fra ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) og E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) projekterne, blandt andet med første spadestik for E-ELT på Cerro Armazones og afslutningen af konstruktionsarbejderne på ALMA observatoriet. Nyheder om ESOs stab og bygninger - blandt andet forberedelserne til ESO Supernova Planetariet og besøgscenteret.

15. juni 2015: The winners of this year’s AstroCamera competition have been announced. Rolf Wahl Olsen is the winner in the Deep Sky Objects category, Gerald Rhemann in the Solar System Objects category, and David Lane in the Astrolandscape category. The best three entries in the each of the three categories will receive grants from the organisers, while ESO, as one of the sponsors of the event, will award prizes in the form of DVDs and other printed material for the entries that have received honourable mentions from the judges. Initially launched on 28 January 2011, in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of the birth of the 17th century astronomer Johannes Hevelius, the competition is open to all astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts. The life and achievements of Hevelius, a renowned observer of the night sky, have been an inspiration for the Hewelianum Centre to make the AstroCamera competition a regular event, and this ...

15. juni 2015: The first prototype of a new generation of fast and very sensitive detectors has been successfully installed on the PIONIER instrument at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. This achievement is the result of five years of sustained collaboration and effort from academic institutes (LETI, ONERA, IPAG, LAM) and industrial partners (SOFRADIR). As its name suggests, the new RAPID system [1] delivers several thousand images per second and can operate at very low light levels. These capabilities, unique for an infrared detector, are crucial for many applications, ranging from fundamental science to medicine. In astronomy, it will boost the performance of adaptive optics, a technology at the heart of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). Unlike most of the commercially available detectors, RAPID can spot photons (light particles) of both visible and infrared light (wavelengths from 0.4–3.6 micrometres). This is a tremendous gain; the increased spectral coverage means that far more photons can ...

9. juni 2015: ESO has signed an agreement to license its cooling system technology to the Spanish company FRACTAL SLNE. This follows earlier technology transfer agreements regarding the licensing of cutting-edge laser technology that were made by ESO in 2010 [1]. Such licences offer significant opportunities both for industry and for ESO. Continuous flow cooling systems were first developed at ESO for the cooling of instruments and detectors for the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The technology has been used intensively during the last decade. Continuous flow systems are more compact than traditional systems that use a bath of very cold liquid, but share the advantage of being vibration free [2]. The continuous flow system allows the temperature within an instrument to be changed from room temperature to –193 degrees Celsius and is not affected by the loss of electrical power. As a result, the instrument can be kept very close to its operating ...

9. juni 2015: Så kan alle, der har lyst, hente et planetariumshow i fuld længde ganske gratis og i 4k full-dome format. Titlen er From Earth to the Universe - Fra Jorden til Universet. Det er en åndeløs 30 minutters rejse igennem tid og rum, hvor det Univers, som videnskaben har erkendt bliver præsenteret i lyd og billeder af høj kvalitet. Showet er produceret til the ESOs Supernova Planetarium og besøgscenter, som åbner i 2017. Indtil da kan showet vises i andre planetarier over hele Verden, og det får verdenspremière i det nye digitale planetarium i Eugenides Foundation i Athen, Grækenland og i Hamburg Planetarium i Tyskland den 22. juni 2015. Nattehimlen, smuk og ærefrygtindgydende som den er, har været årsag til lejrbålshistorier, ældgamle myter og beundring så længe, der har været mennesker til. Det er måske menneskehedens ældste fælles intellektuelle ønske at forstå Universet. Dog er det kun for nyligt, at vi ...

8. juni 2015: More than 140 countries and many organisations are taking part in Expo Milano 2015, the World Exposition that is being hosted by Milan, Italy, from 1 May to 31 October 2015. ESO is also present at this event, which expects to welcome over 20 million visitors to its 1.1 million square metres of exhibition area. Throughout the entire Expo Milano, visitors to the Chilean Pavilion will be welcomed with ESO Ultra HD videos showing the beautiful night skies of Chile and breathtaking scenery, including that surrounding the ALMA, La Silla and Paranal Observatories. On 6 June 2015, the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, visited the Chilean Pavilion at Expo Milano and held a live video conference with ESO’s Representative in Chile, Fernando Comerón, the Director of the Energy, Science and Technology & Innovation Division of the Chilean Foreign Affairs Ministry, ambassador Gabriel Rodríguez and Chilean astronomer María Teresa Ruiz, who ...