VLTI COMMUNITY DAYS 2026
11 - 13 May 2026
Garching near Munich (remote participation possible)
RATIONALE
The meeting, co-organised by ESO and the European Interferometry Initiative (EII), will be dedicated to the current status, scientific exploitation, and future evolution of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI).
The programme will cover recent and ongoing developments at the VLTI, especially GRAVITY+ and ASGARD, as well as the status and prospects for MATISSE and PIONIER. The meeting will combine technical and operational updates, with science talks, together with time for discussion.
Topics will include operations and imaging capabilities, time-domain interferometry, flexible scheduling strategies involving both ATs and UTs, and updates on data-reduction tools, data-bases and open data-analysis initiatives. Dedicated sessions will address community-driven strategic discussions, including possible future projects discussed at the recent “VLT Beyond 2030” conference.
We welcome contributions on these topics, as well as presentations on astrophysical results with emphasize on operational / technical / data analysis aspects relevant to the meeting.
Registration
Please register by March 11, 2026
Organising committe:
- Antoine Mérand (ESO - Co-Chair)
- Claudia Paladini (ESO / EII president - Co-Chair)
- Guillaume Bourdarot (MPE / EII vice-president)
- Claire Foteini Lykou (Konkoly Observatory / EII secretary)
- Denis Defrère (Leuven University/ EII)
- Violeta Gámez Rosas (Liège University)
- Xavier Haubois (ESO)
- Isabelle Tallon-Bosc (Lyon University CRAL / JMMC)
- Markus Wittkowski (ESO)
E-mail: vlti-comdays@eso.org