This data release provides FLAMES/UVES spectra observed as part of the ESO program 112.25ES.001 (P.I. P. Kervella) with the main scientific goal of estimating interstellar extinction of 16 Galactic Cepheid variable stars. For this purpose, neighbouring field stars of the Cepheids were observed, queried from the Gaia Data Release 3 catalog, with the FLAMES multi-object spectrograph. The instrument setup was such that, on average, 115 field stars were observed with the GIRAFFE spectrograph in MEDUSA mode and 2-7 field stars with the UVES spectrograph in the Red Arm mode. This release covers only the UVES data, as the ESO automatic reduction process covered the GIRAFFE spectra, which are available for download from the ESO Science Portal. The fibers fed to UVES have a diameter of 1 arcsec, and the cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy provides a spectral resolving power of R=47,000.

The aim of the Expanding Horizons process is for ESO to gather input from the community to decide on its next major programme, following the completion of ELT construction. ESO has now formally opened the call for Letters of Intent (LoI) for the Expanding Horizons process with deadline 1 December 2026. The submission of a LoI is a requirement for submitting a proposal.

ESO received 1286 valid proposals for observations in Period 118 (1 May 2027 - 30 April 2028). The deadline for proposal submission was 22 September 2026. On the VLT, the most demanded ESO instrument was MUSE with a request of 7170 hours, followed by ESPRESSO (5873 hours), and XSHOOTER (4971) hours. HARPS/NIRPS on the ESO 3.6-m telescope was the most demanded instrument at La Silla, with a combined request of 4470 hours, followed by SOXS, with a combined request of 3045 hours.

ALMA is implementing the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU) to address the ALMA 2030 Development Roadmap and keep ALMA at the forefront of astronomical discovery. The WSU will bring major observing improvements, including increased instantaneous bandwidth (by at least 2x), improved sensitivity, and higher spectral resolution across wider bandwidths than is currently possible with ALMA. To help ALMA assess user support needs over the next decade we invite your input via the following ALMA user survey.

ESO is delighted to announce the ESO workshops chosen to take place in 2027. These events will bring together astronomers from around the world to explore some of the most exciting frontiers in astrophysics. Fourteen 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.