The first release of the PHANGS–MUSE Nebular Catalogue (PI: Schinnerer) is now available from the ESO Science Archive Facility. This release is based on integral-field spectroscopic observations obtained with the MUSE instrument at the VLT, primarily under the PHANGS–MUSE Large Programme, and supplemented by data from additional ESO programmes (see PHANGS-MUSE release description).

The latest Edition of ESO's Science and Technology Journal, The Messenger, is now available online. In this issue 194 you will find out about several updates on telescopes and instrumentation in La Silla and Paranal observatories, like the Near-InfraRed Planet Searcher (NIRPS) and its combination with NIRPS to create a unique dual optical-infrared precision velocimeter or the upcoming PoET: the Paranal solar ESPRESSO Telescope. The Astronomical Science section features articles on how VLT/MUSE has enabled studies of the inner globular cluster systems of massive galaxies, as well as about the discovery of young stars in dwarf spheroidal galaxies and what they tell us about their recent infall into the Milky Way.  

The ePESSTO+ collection (PI: Inserra, ESO program IDs 1103.D-0328 and 106.216C, instruments EFOSC and SOFI) gathers a detailed spectroscopic follow up of supernovae at the extremes of the known population, e.g. the most luminous, the faintest, the fast declining, etc. This second release contains 1215 spectra for 689 objects, observed from October 2021 to June 2023, with related 602 infrared images. It uses standard EFOSC2 setups with resolutions of 13-17Å between 3680-10320Å, SOFI spectroscopy for brighter science targets, with the blue and red (rarely) grisms (resolutions 23Å - 33Å), and SOFI imaging with broadband JHKs filters. The 101 key science targets of this release (see Table 3 of the DR2 release description) complement the 178 of previous release, with 11 key targets being in common (see Table 3 of the DR1 release description).

Multi-phase, Multi-temperature, and Complex (MMC2025) will be an exciting workshop exploring how feedback mechanisms -particularly AGN and stellar feedback - shape galaxy and large-scale structure evolution. Despite progress, key challenges remain in understanding the relation between gas content and star formation of galaxies in low-mass halos and the properties of the circum-galactic medium (CGM). This event will bring together experts to discuss the latest observations and simulations, highlighting the multi-phase nature of the CGM, its interaction with feedback processes, and insights from X-ray, SZ, IFU, radio, and submillimeter data. Don’t miss this opportunity to bridge theory and observation in the quest to understand cosmic structure formation. Deadline for abstract submission: 30 April 2025.

ESO received 913 valid proposals for observations in Period 116 (1 October 2025 - 30 April 2026, with a duration of 7 months). The deadline for proposal submission was 20 March 2025. On the VLT, the most demanded ESO instrument was MUSE with a request of 3034.5 hours (i.e. 379.3 nights of an average duration of 8 hours), followed by ESPRESSO with 2594.8 hours, and XSHOOTER with 2221.2 hours. HARPS/NIRPS on the ESO 3.6-metre telescope was the most demanded instrument at La Silla, with a combined request of 3277 hours. The plot above shows the number pf ESO Proposals/PIs since Period 62. The fluctuations in the recent years are due to Large Programmes being offered only in even periods since P106. The peak in P106 is due to the extension of the proposal submission deadline during the pandemic.