Aankondigingen

21 oktober 2011: In a ceremony at the Chilean Consulate General in Hamburg, Germany, the Consul General, Eduardo Schott, awarded the rank of Commander of the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins to Hans-Emil Schuster in recognition of his important contribution to astronomy in Chile. Born in 1934, Hans-Emil Schuster is a German astronomer who worked first at the Hamburg Observatory and then at the European Southern Observatory in Chile from the 1960s, before retiring in 1991. A former student of Otto Heckmann in Hamburg — the first Director General of ESO — he was appointed assistant astronomer at ESO in 1964 and was among the first staff members of the organisation. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mr Schuster discovered no fewer than 25 asteroids and two comets, 106P/Schuster and C/1976 D2 — which had the largest observed minimum distance to the Sun of the time, at one billion kilometres. He is also ...

19 oktober 2011: Los Universos de Matta (Matta’s Universes) is a new exhibition inaugurated at the University of Santiago (USACH) Planetarium on 13 October 2011. Inspired by the work of the multifaceted Chilean artist Roberto Matta Echaurren, this exhibition opened in the new Astronomy Park in the green area surrounding the Planetarium. Born in Santiago on 11 November 1911, Roberto Matta was a painter, an architect, a philosopher and a poet. Deeply fascinated by science and influenced by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, he introduced the concept of space-time into his artwork, as well as bringing in several other astronomical elements. This aspect of his work is illustrated in this exhibition by the large cube that hosts the images and paintings on display, and also represents the multiple dimensions of spacetime. This exhibition is part of the commemorative activities that have taken place during 2011 for the centenary of Matta’s birth. Among the ...

19 oktober 2011: On Saturday 15 October 2011 ESO opened the doors of its headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany, to the public. Throughout the day, thousands of visitors had the chance to help build a full-size mock-up mirror of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) — the largest planned telescope in the world — and to experience many other aspects of ESO’s work. In this episode of the ESOcast, we look at how the giant mock-up was built by enthusiastic members of the public, and at the many other activities such as exhibitions, talks, and live video links to the Paranal Observatory in Chile, which were offered by ESO during the Open House Day. Credits ESO.Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser and Luis Calçada.Editing: Herbert Zodet.Web and technical support: Lars Holm Nielsen and Raquel Yumi Shida.Written by: Mathieu Isidro and Luis Calçada.Narration: Dr. J.Music: Movetwo.Footage and photos: ESO, Luis Calçada, Hans-Hermann Heyer ...

12 oktober 2011: For a German version, click here. The European Southern Observatory has lined up a series of exciting activities for the Open House Day 2011, scheduled for 15 October, between 11:00 and 18:00 at its Headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany. The highlights of this year’s programme include the building of a full-sized mock-up of the mirror of the planned European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) — the world’s biggest eye on the sky (weather conditions permitting). Visitors can also see real parts of the E-ELT, as well as experience animations and 3D walks through the telescope. At an exhibition about the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) project, participants will be able to control a simulation of a transporter, a specially designed vehicle rugged and durable enough to transport ALMA antennas safely to the Chajnantor plateau at an altitude of 5000 metres. In the Auditorium, visitors can attend talks by ESO astronomers, ...

6 oktober 2011: Although it is invisible, and has so far never been directly detected, dark matter dominates the Universe. Without this mysterious substance the motion of stars around the centres of their galaxies cannot be explained and, even more importantly, some specialists consider that none of the structures we observe in the Universe could have formed without dark matter. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are among the best candidates to explain what dark matter may be made of. Scientists are currently conducting several experiments using different methods to try to uncover the nature of dark matter particles. Dr. Jean-Côme Lanfranchi, from the Excellence Cluster Universe (TUM) will present one of these experiments, CRESST (Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers), to the participants at the next Café & Kosmos, on 11 October 2001. CRESST, which is located in an underground laboratory 1.3 km under the Gran Sasso mountain range in Italy, has ...

5 oktober 2011: For a German version, please go here. Media representatives are invited to attend the first live construction of a life-size replica of the 40-metre mirror for the planned European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The event takes place between 11:00 and 18:00 on Saturday 15 October 2011 at ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München weather conditions permitting. The E-ELT mirror is so large that it is difficult to envisage. The full-size replica will put this feat of engineering into perspective for the first time. Journalists attending the event will find unique photo opportunities to capture the immensity of the world’s largest planned telescope and the chance to interview E-ELT scientists. An E-ELT scale model will also be present to show what the entire observatory will look like when finished. The E-ELT is ESO’s most ambitious project so far. With start of operations planned for early in the next decade, the E-ELT ...

4 oktober 2011: The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae". One half of the prize goes to Saul Perlmutter (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley, USA) and the other half jointly to Brian P. Schmidt (Australian National University), and Adam G. Riess (STScI, Baltimore, USA).Observations from ESO’s observatories in Chile contributed to the discovery, which is one of ESO’s all-time Top-10 of scientific discoveries. The 3.6-metre and NTT telescopes at La Silla and the 8.2-metre VLT telescopes at Paranal provided vital data to both teams. In addition two of the followup projects were led by ESO staff, Chris Lidman and Bruno Leibundgut, and other ESO staff members, Isobel Hook and Jason Spyromilio, were contributors to crucial papers. This was a global effort involving most of the major observatories around the world.By making many very ...

3 oktober 2011: The most complex ground-based astronomical observatory in the world, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), has officially opened for astronomers. The first released image, from a telescope that is still under construction, reveals a view of the Universe that cannot be seen at all by visible-light and infrared telescopes. Thousands of scientists from around the world competed to be the first few researchers to explore some of the darkest, coldest, furthest, and most hidden secrets of the cosmos with this new astronomical tool. In ESOcast episode 36 we get the latest news from ALMA, as it begins its first science observations, and we reveal its first public image. We also find out how astronomers around the world have been eagerly waiting to get their hands on this revolutionary telescope, and discover why this is only the beginning for the observatory. Credits ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO).Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser and Luis ...

3 oktober 2011: The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) in the United Kingdom is making £3.5 million (about 4 million euros) in funding available over the next two years for UK astronomers to take a leading role in the development of key instruments on the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The E-ELT will be the largest optical and infrared telescope in the world and its 40-metre-class main mirror will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes today. The project is currently awaiting final approval by the ESO Council. The start of E-ELT construction is planned for 2012, with the start of operations planned for early in the next decade.The preliminary funding from STFC, agreed after peer review, means crucial design and technology work is already underway. This will allow the UK to lead the development of one of the two first light instruments on E-ELT, while positioning two other ...

29 september 2011: Together with its international partners from North America and East Asia (NRAO and NAOJ), and with the Joint ALMA Observatory in Chile, ESO is inviting media to an online press conference on Monday 3 October 2011 at 10:30 CEST (08:30 UT). Early Science observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the largest ground-based astronomical project in existence, are planned to start over the weekend. Presentations about the excitement surrounding the planned start of Early Science, including the latest news and images from the ALMA project, will be given. Journalists will be offered the opportunity for discussion with scientists from the Joint ALMA Observatory and the ALMA partners. The speakers (to be confirmed) are: Lars-Åke Nyman, Joint ALMA Observatory Crystal Brogan, National Radio Astronomy Observatory Leonardo Testi, European Southern Observatory Sachiko K. Okumura, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan To participate in the teleconference and receive additional material, bona-fide members of ...

20 september 2011: The latest issue of Science in School is now available both online and in its print version. The European journal for science teachers explores a wide selection of scientific topics, through informative articles, fun games and activities for students. The topics range from biology and the human body to fun physics at amusement parks, combating climate change and aspects of astronomy. In particular, the issue features an activity for students in which they can hunt for asteroids using data from a robotic telescope, and an article on how observations not just in visible wavelengths of light, but across the whole electromagnetic spectrum, are vital for understanding the Universe.Science in School is published by EIROforum, a collaboration between eight European intergovernmental scientific research organisations, of which ESO is a member. The journal addresses science teaching both across Europe and across disciplines: highlighting the best in teaching and cutting-edge research.

14 september 2011: The newest edition of ESO’s quarterly journal, The Messenger, is now available online. In this issue, find out the latest from ESO, with topics ranging from new instruments to ground-breaking discoveries. Highlights include: How the TRAPPIST telescope has been helping the hunt for exoplanets. Plans for a new massive-multiplexed spectrograph for ESO. Learning some of the secrets of the outer Solar System, with a look into the tenuous atmospheres of Pluto and Triton. A study of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars using the Very Large Telescope Interferometer, which could also tell us about the future of our own Sun. A glimpse into the early universe with SINFONI surveys studying the growth of massive, distant galaxies. Download The Messenger in PDF format or visit The Messenger website to subscribe and receive a free printed copy.

12 september 2011: Astronomers using ESO’s leading exoplanet hunter HARPS have today announced more than fifty newly discovered planets around other stars. Among these are many rocky planets not much heavier than the Earth. One of them in particular seems to orbit in the habitable zone around its star. In this ESOcast we look at how astronomers discover these distant worlds and what the future may hold for finding rocky worlds like the Earth that may support life. Credits ESO. Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser and Luis Calçada.Editing: Herbert Zodet.Web and technical support: Lars Holm Nielsen and Raquel Yumi Shida.Written by: Mathieu Isidro and Richard Hook.Narration: Gaitee Hussain.Music: Movetwo.Footage and photos: ESO, Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org), Serge Brunier and H.H. Heyer.Directed by: Herbert Zodet.Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

9 september 2011: Recent developments in astroparticle physics are the theme of the international conference, Topics on Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP), which takes place from 5 to 9 September 2011 in Munich. TAUP will address current questions in modern astrophysics and particle physics. For instance, scientists will discuss new measurements from an experiment in which they might get the first direct detection of dark matter particles.To mark this event, Dr. Bela Majorovits and Dr. Robert Wagner (Max-Planck-Institut für Physik), two of the scientific organisers of the TAUP conference, will present observations and research results to Café & Kosmos. The Café & Kosmos participants will have the chance to get first-hand information on these developments, and to discuss them with TAUP experts.The Café & Kosmos series of discussions is organised jointly by ESO, the Excellence Cluster Universe and the Max-Planck Institutes for Physics, Astrophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics. The discussions take place on the ...

8 september 2011: On Monday 12 September 2011, astronomers will report significant new results in the field of exoplanets, obtained with the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, better known as HARPS, the spectrograph on ESO's 3.6-metre telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile. An online press conference to announce the new results and offer journalists the opportunity for discussion with the scientists will be held at 16:00 CEST on Monday, 12 September 2011. The teleconference presenters are: Dr. Francesco Pepe, Geneva Observatory, Switzerland Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany Dr. Markus Kissler-Patig, ESO, on the future of exoplanet research with the E-ELT To participate in the teleconference and receive additional material, bona-fide members of the media must get accredited by contacting Richard Hook by email (rhook@eso.org). Reporters will need access to a computer with a recent version of Adobe Flash Player installed and an adequately fast internet connection. ...

5 september 2011: We have all looked up at the sky at night and seen the stars twinkle. It may be pretty and romantic, but it is also a big problem for astronomers, as the shimmering starlight blurs observations. In this ESOcast we visit the Allgäu public observatory amid the picturesque landscape of southern Germany. Here, as night falls, a team of scientists and engineers prepares to field test a laser guide star unit, which will soon be on its way to ESO’s Paranal Observatory. This cutting edge technology can help astronomers cancel out the effects of the turbulence in the atmosphere and obtain much sharper views of the Universe. Credit ESO.Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser and Luis Calçada. Editing: Herbert Zodet. Web and technical support: Lars Holm Nielsen and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Oli Usher and Herbert Zodet. Narration: Dr. J and Robert Fosbury. Music: John Dyson (from the album ...

2 september 2011: The ultimate in high altitude, high-tech catering has arrived in Chile to serve chilled "provisions" to the antennas at the largest astronomical complex in the world, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).Although it may look just like an airline catering truck, this vehicle is designed to carry something considerably more delicate than airplane meals! Each of the giant ALMA antennas contains a set of state-of-the-art, extremely sensitive superconducting receivers, or detectors, which are cryogenically cooled to –269 degrees Celsius (4 degrees above absolute zero). Until now, servicing these detectors has required moving the entire antenna, which weighs about 100 tonnes, from its observing site on the 5000-metre Chajnantor plateau down to the support facility at 2900 metres.The newly arrived servicing truck, called the Front End Service Vehicle (FESV), is a custom designed truck packed with the equipment required to transport these delicate detector systems without having to move the entire ...

31 augustus 2011: The ESO Call for Proposals for Period 89 has been released. The deadline is 29 September 2011, 12:00 noon CEST.

29 augustus 2011: For a German version of this announcement please go here. The European Southern Observatory (ESO), the world’s most productive astronomical observatory, will open its doors to the public for one day, on Saturday 15 October 2011 between 11:00 and 18:00 at ESO Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany. This event is part of the Open House Day activities for the whole Garching research campus, and several other local institutes will also open their doors to the public.The highlight of ESO’s Open House Day 2011 — weather conditions permitting — will be the outdoor construction of a full-sized model of what will be the biggest telescope mirror ever built. Using 798 cardboard hexagons, each roughly 1.4 metres across, visitors will assemble a mock-up of the 39.3-metre diameter main mirror of the European-Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The mock-up will occupy an area of nearly 1000 square metres on the ground next to ...

29 augustus 2011: The unique location of ESO’s Paranal Observatory, in the middle of the Atacama Desert in Chile, was the venue chosen by the prestigious Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen to launch a pioneering technological achievement: the Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia, a watch that combines solar time with sidereal time, together with astronomical displays such as a chart of the stars overhead for a given geographical location.The Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia is the most complex timepiece ever created by IWC, in perfect harmony with the high precision requirements of the astronomical observations at Paranal. “With a history already stretching back over 140 years, IWC sets a new benchmark with this watch. No wonder IWC decided to premier this watchmaking milestone at the Very Large Telescope,” says Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.Media professionals from all over the world attended the event and experienced the unique ambience as the domes opened at sunset. They also ...