Observing with ESO Telescopes

Telescope time for ESO telescopes on Paranal and La Silla is allocated twice a year in periods of 6 months. Allocation periods run from 1 October through 31 March, and from 1 April through 30 September. Applications for observing time must be submitted using the Web-based p1 interface accessible at www.eso.org/p1.

Preparing Proposals for ESO's Telescopes

The following pages provide all relevant information for submitting applications:

All information concerning service mode observing programmes are available via the page page "Service Observing Information" and links therein.
This information is kept up-to-date on a regular basis.

Information for Visiting Astronomers

Successful applicants are recommended to read the following documents that provide information about travelling to Chile and preparing your observing run.

Observing Programmes Information and Scheduling

Below follow the schedules for the observing programmes for the current and the most recent observing periods. To query the database, please run the ESO OBSERVING SCHEDULE QUERY FORM with modified input parameters.

ToO Proposals, Large Programmes, and DDT Requests

Comprehensive information of ToO Proposals, Large Programmes, Guaranteed Time Observations, and DDT Requests can be found in the Telescope Time Allocation page.

The COVID-19 impact on the La Silla Paranal Observatory

Information on the operations status of the La Silla Paranal observatory can be found on the LPO News page.