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.

This is the initial announcement for the upcoming ESO workshop "Galactic Ecosystems under the Microscope: Lessons from High-Resolution Studies" at ESO Garching, 7-11 July 2025. This workshop will explore the latest developments in resolved galaxy properties and evolution. With next-generation observatories such as JWST, ELT and SKA, and upgrades to ALMA and VLA, a new era is being entered in understanding these critical aspects of galaxies throughout cosmic history.

The deadline for proposal submission for Period 115 (1 April 2025 - 30 September 2025) was 26 September 2024. 763 valid proposals were submitted. On the VLT, the most demanded ESO instrument was MUSE with a request of 233 nights, followed by ESPRESSO with 214 nights, and XSHOOTER with 182 nights. HARPS/NIRPS on the ESO 3.6-metre telescope was the most demanded instrument at La Silla, with a combined request of 202 nights. The figure above shows the time request since Period 62, for Paranal (VLT/I), La Silla, and APEX. The fluctuations since Period 106 are partly because Large Programmes are offered only in even periods since P106. The highest peak in P106 is due to the extension of the proposal submission deadline during the pandemic.

This ESO workshop will focus on variability in young stellar objects and its role in the evolution of their protoplanetary disks. Specifically, addressing accretion and ejection variability and their connection to outer disk scales. Such variability is observed at the time of formation of stars and planets, two closely linked events. With the ratio of accretion to ejection still not fully understood, it remains an open question how exactly protoplanetary disks lose their mass and disperse. Since the mass budget within disks directly influences how and where planets can form, it is critical to understand and discuss results from the time-dependent nature of these environments. ESO welcomes researchers to join in May 2025.

The X-Shooting ULLYSES project (XShootU, ESO programme ID 106.211Z) aims to provide near-UV to near-IR spectra for the massive stars targeted by the HST Director’s Discretionary programme ULLYSES. This first public data release (DR1) contains UVB and VIS X-Shooter spectra (wavelength coverage of 300-1020 nm) of 232 massive stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC). All stars were observed in STARE Mode, using 0.8” and 0.7” slits for the UVB and VIS, respectively, resulting in a resolving power of ~6700 in the UVB and ~11400 in the VIS. The observations were spread on 102 different nights from October 2020 to Juli 2021 and include 129 LMC and 113 SMC stars. Both individual and co-added spectra are included in the release. Generally, individual exposures (INDIV1D) are available as ancillary files, and co-added spectra with UVB and VIS merged (COADD1D) as the main science spectra, except for some of the binaries, for which only the individual exposures are provided. Detailed information is available in the related documentation.

ESO is delighted to announce a special conference in honor of Bruno Leibundgut’s 65th birthday, during which a new value of the Hubble constant will also be revealed. The event will take place at the ESO headquarters in Garching from 7th to 11th April 2025.

The registration and abstract submission for this workshop are now open. Abstracts can be submitted until 10 November, while the registration form and the payment page will stay open until 20 January 2025. This workshop will focus on understanding the chemical composition and evolution of young star and planet-forming systems, leveraging recent advancements in observational techniques from facilities like ALMA, NOEMA, VLA and JWST. Key questions include how molecular content evolves and influences exoplanet chemistry. The workshop aims to explore current knowledge and limitations, foster collaboration, and provide insights into future observational advancements with upcoming ESO facilities and new instruments.

The Call for Proposals for observations at ESO telescopes in Period 115 (1 April 2025 – 30 September 2025) has been released. Please consult the Period 115 document before applying for time on ESO telescopes. All technical information about the offered instruments and facilities can be found on the ESO webpages linked from the Call for Proposals. The proposal submission deadline is on 26 September 2024, 12:00 CEST.