Annonces 2016

10 février 2016: A celebration was held at the APEX [1] base station in Sequitor, San Pedro de Atacama, to mark ten years of astronomical research with the APEX telescope, which resides on Chile’s Chajnantor Plateau, 5100 metres above sea level. From there, the telescope observes the sky in submillimetre wavelengths, giving astronomers access to the coldest regions of the Universe, which cannot be seen in visible light. As it looks forward to further discoveries at the forefront of observational astronomy, the APEX 12-metre telescope has already made significant contributions across a variety of astronomical fields, including the discovery of new interstellar molecules and deep imaging of the submillimetre sky, leading to new insights into star formation in the Milky Way and distant starburst galaxies in the early Universe. The Sequitor base station was chosen for the celebration, as it is at the more comfortable altitude of 2500 metres above sea level. But ...

4 février 2016: At an extraordinary meeting in Garching bei München, Germany on 3 February 2016, ESO’s Finance Committee authorised ESO to enter into final discussions with the winning bidder of the tender process for the design, manufacture, transport, construction, on-site assembly and verification of the Dome and Main Structure of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The discussion between ESO and the ACe Consortium, consisting of Astaldi, Cimolai and the nominated sub-contractor EIE Group will start soon, with the aim of contract signature in May 2016. This major milestone for the project is the culmination of the extensive and intense work of many people. This contract will be the largest ever approved by ESO and the largest ever placed for a ground-based telescope. When the contract is signed, ESO will issue a press release with more details, along with extensive information about the design of the dome and telescope structure. No further ...

1 février 2016: On 28 April 2016, ESO will participate in Germany’s Girls’ Day activities, in which technical enterprises, universities and research organisations open their doors to female school students to give them an insight into science and technology professions and to encourage more of them to choose careers in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The ESO Girls’ Day will introduce the work of ESO and highlight many of our daily activities, such as astrophysical research, mechanical and opto-mechanical design and integration, operations, and much more. The programme includes an introductory talk, a tour of the main ESO laboratories, and hands-on workshops on astronomy and engineering. The students will learn how astronomical instruments are built, tested and operated. They will also learn how data are collected and used in astronomical research to answer the big questions about the Universe. This will provide the students with an insight into the kinds of ...

1 février 2016: One of ESO’s Photo Ambassadors has joined a select band of people who have photographed a strange phenomenon in the sky, known as Red Sprites. These are not astronomical objects, but occur in the Earth’s atmosphere and are associated with thunderstorms. They are hard to spot, as the conditions need to be right, and they are only visible for a few seconds. But Petr Horálek was in the right place at the right time when he visited ESO’s observatories at La Silla and Paranal in Chile. This ESOcast explores the extraordinary images that result and describes how this ghostly phenomenon comes about. You can subscribe to the ESOcasts in 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 Credits ESO. Editing: Herbert Zodet.Web and technical support: Mathias ...

1 février 2016: School students around the world are invited to take part in the 2016 Catch a Star astronomy writing contest. To participate, students should submit a written report on an astronomical topic of their choice — for example, an astronomical object, phenomenon, observation, scientific problem or theory. Reports must be written in English and be no more than 5000 words in length. They may be undertaken by groups of up to three students, plus a group leader who is not a student. Each submission must be emailed as a PDF file to astro.edu@gmail.com. The deadline for all entries is 30 November 2016. The five winners will each receive a mounted image of a fascinating astronomical object, courtesy of ESO. In addition, each winner will also have the chance to carry out remote observations at the National Astronomical Observatory "Rozhen", Bulgaria, or to hold a video conference with a professional astronomer. Catch ...

15 janvier 2016: The quest to find alien worlds beyond our Solar System is one of the most exciting fields of modern astronomy. Now members of the public have a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes and follow astronomers on a planet hunt as it happens. This ESOcast introduces the Pale Red Dot campaign, a new project that will provide the public with unprecedented access to the search for an Earth-like exoplanet around our nearest stellar neighbour, Proxima Centauri. You can subscribe to the ESOcasts in 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. Credits ESOEditing: Herbert Zodet.Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida.Written by: Rebecca Davies, Oana Sandu and Guillem Anglada.Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa.Music: Johan B. Monell (www.johanmonell.com).Footage and photos: ESO, L. Calçada, ...

15 janvier 2016: A unique outreach campaign has been launched that will allow the general public to follow scientists from around the globe as they search for an Earth-like exoplanet around the closest star to us, Proxima Centauri. The observing campaign will run from January to April 2016 and will be accompanied by blog posts and social media updates. No one knows what the outcome will be. In the months following the observations, the scientists will analyse the data and submit the results to a peer-reviewed journal. At a distance of just 4.2 light-years from the Sun, and located in the constellation of Centaurus, Proxima Centauri is the closest known star to the Sun. Previous observations have provided tantalising, but weak hints of a small companion orbiting this red dwarf star, but this new campaign will make a more sensitive search for the telltale wobbles in the dwarf star’s orbital motion that might ...

7 janvier 2016: The Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with Insight Investment and BBC Sky at Night Magazine, has announced the dates for the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2016 competition — its annual global search for the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos, whether they are striking pictures of vast galaxies, millions of light-years away, or dramatic images of the night sky much closer to home. Now in its eighth year, the hugely popular competition will open to entrants on Monday 29 February and sees an increase in prize money for all the winners, with the overall prize winner taking home £10 000. Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2016 has nine main categories: Skyscapes: Landscape and cityscape images of twilight and the night sky featuring the Milky Way, star trails, meteor showers, comets, conjunctions, constellation rises, halos and noctilucent clouds alongside elements of earthly scenery. Aurorae: Photographs featuring ...