Explore the full schedule and session details of the conference Planetary formation and Exoplanets in the ELT Era (EXO-ELT) at the Programme webpage. Don't miss your chance to register -the deadline is 24 September 2025. Register soon and join the discussions shaping the future of exoplanet science! The workshop will take place in Garching bei München between 17 and 21 November 2025.

ESO is delighted to announce the ESO workshops chosen to take place in 2026. These events will bring together astronomers from around the world to explore some of the most exciting frontiers in astrophysics. Seventeen proposals were submitted this year and reviewed by a panel of experts from ESO in Garching and Chile. After careful consideration, and with input from ESO's Programme Scientists, the top-ranked proposals were confirmed by the Heads of the Offices for Science and the Director for Science.

MUSE WFM users are reminded that MUSE Wide Field Mode with Adaptive Optics is more efficient and suitable than non-AO for most science cases. Until now, a large fraction of MUSE observations were taken in Wide Field Mode without Adaptive Optics (NOAO) for a mixed bag of reasons as testified by the results of an ESO-led survey to over 190 MUSE previous PIs (see the figure above).

The first scientific results of the high-resolution near-infrared spectrograph NIRPS (Near Infra-Red Planet Searcher) are published (July 29th) in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. In operation at the ESO La Silla 3.6m telescope since April 2023, and working in tandem with HARPS, NIRPS is a new ESO facility that offers exceptional performance for the detection of exoplanets orbiting M dwarfs and for studying exoplanet atmospheres (Bouchy et al. 2025, A&A, 700, A10). It is the first spectrograph operating in the near infrared that reaches similar results to state-of-the-art spectrographs operating in the visible, such as HARPS.

What science questions will astronomy need to answer in the 2040s? Submit your White Papers by 15 December 2025. Under its Expanding Horizons initiative, ESO has initiated the process of selecting its next transformational facility, to start operations in the 2040s. This process is overseen by a Senior Science Committee (SSC), whose current focus is to identify the key scientific challenges that will face astronomy in the 2040s. Understanding what these science challenges are will ensure that science will be a driving factor in later identifying the facility. 

With the release of the La Silla Paranal telescope schedule, the Phase 2 preparation for runs scheduled in Service Mode begins. The deadline for the submission of the Phase 2 material for Period 116 is Thursday, 7 August 2025.  

As announced in the Newsletter June 2024 and discussed in more detail in the Messenger n. 193, ESO has been planning to move the Call for Proposals to a Yearly Cycle in the course of 2025. The plan has been discussed and consolidated with the Scientific Technical Committee and the Users Committee. Following an intense preparatory phase and after the positive outcome of an internal readiness review, the Director General has approved the move to the Yearly Cycle in P117, for observations starting in May 2026. More details will be provided in the Call for Proposals to be released in mid August.

ESO is pleased to announce the Science Verification (SV) for GRAVITY+ Adaptive Optics with Laser Guide Stars on VLTI-UT. The upgraded GRAVITY+ Adaptive Optics (GPAO) offer improved sensitivity and/or performance for the VLTI instruments GRAVITY and MATISSE. For example, under the best atmospheric turbulence conditions, the GRAVITY spectrograph can reach K=19.5 with a fringe tracking source K<13 and a tip-tilt star G_RP<17, offering unique opportunities of observations of new classes of astrophysical objects.

ESO is organising a conference, dubbed “VLT beyond 2030”, in Garching near Munich (Germany) on 26-30 January 2026. ESO aims to maintain the VLT and VLTI at the science forefront of astrophysical research in the ELT era. The development of the facilities follows planning that is discussed with the ESO governing bodies to derive the best synergies amongst the facilities. As part of this process, the “VLT beyond 2030” January 2026 meeting will review science topics, emerging technologies and expanding parameter spaces relevant for the VLT/I in the next decade and beyond. 

Nearly all 4MOST components have now arrived at the Paranal Observatory. Meanwhile, the VISTA telescope has been successfully recommissioned following the modifications required to accommodate 4MOST. The reintegration of the various components—such as the spectrographs and fiber positioner—has now begun, with installation on the telescope scheduled over the coming months. Commissioning will continue through the end of the year, with the five-year survey expected to begin in the first half of 2026.