This data release presents a wide-field MUSE mosaic of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 (the Sculptor Galaxy), covering its entire star-forming disc. The mosaic combines 103 individual MUSE pointings in Wide Field Mode, spanning 20 × 5 arcmin² and totaling approximately 25 hours of on-source exposure. Most of the observations (101 pointings) were obtained without adaptive optics (AO) using short exposures (~850 s), while the two central nuclear pointings were observed with AO and longer integrations (~2000 s).

The La Silla Observing School 2026 will include lectures on the basics of observing techniques and will teach participants on how to prepare for observing with ESO telescopes. The participants will work on specific science projects within groups and observe with the NTT and the 3.6m at La Silla Observatory, after which they will reduce and analyse their datasets and present their findings to the public. Registration is currently open and will remain so through to the 30th September 2025. 

The Call for Proposals for observations at ESO telescopes in Period 117 (1 May 2026 - 30 April 2027) has been released. Please consult the Period 117 document before applying for time on ESO telescopes. All technical information about the offered instruments and facilities can be found on the ESO webpages linked from the Call for Proposals. The proposal submission deadline is on 23 September 2025, 12:00 CEST.

ESO’s prestigious postdoctoral fellowship programme in both Garching (Germany) and Santiago (Chile) offers outstanding early-career scientists the opportunity to further develop their independent research programmes. From exoplanets to cosmology, observational, theoretical and fundamental astrophysics, these are all areas where ESO Fellows can benefit from a highly dynamic scientific environment, at some of the most advanced ground-based telescopes in the world. Do watch ESOCast 165 to hear what previous ESO fellows have to say about the fellowship programme or watch the virtual tour to ESO’s premises from 2020 or 2021 where young scientists could ask questions about the fellowship programme.

Are you a PhD student eager to dive into the cutting-edge scientific world at one of the most prestigious observatories on the planet? The ESO research studentship programme offers you a chance to do just that. This exceptional programme is open to students enrolled in a PhD programme in astronomy or related fields. You will continue your doctoral research under the formal supervision of your home university, but with the added benefit of spending a minimum of six months (Chile) or one year (Germany), and up to two years at ESO, working closely with a dedicated ESO staff astronomer.

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.