Oznámení

10. června 2019: A high-level Microsoft delegation, including the President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, visited ESO’s Paranal Observatory on Friday 24 May. The visit was hosted by a number of ESO staff, including the ESO Representative in Chile, Claudio Melo, and the Director of La Silla Paranal Observatory, Andreas Kaufer. The visit was an ideal opportunity for Microsoft and ESO to explore the possibility of cooperation in research and innovation, in particular to address the challenges facing ground-based astronomy in the area of giant telescopes such as the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). “Back in 2018, the Director of La Silla Paranal Observatory saw an interesting presentation by the General Manager of Microsoft Chile, Sergio Rademacher, presenting developments in areas like artificial intelligence and deep learning, etc.”, explained Claudio Melo. “At ESO, we had already started to discuss how to jointly operate the VLT and the ELT using the latest technological advances, so ...

7. června 2019: Several initiatives around the world are developing constellations of satellites to be put in relatively low Earth orbits, with the aim of providing communication services, most notably in areas poorly served by other means. Recent public and media attention has brought focus on the possible impacts to astronomy from these constellations, which may eventually reach numbers of tens of thousands of individual satellites. The 16 Member States of ESO, as well as other states and organisations around the world, are making substantial investments in the construction and operation of ground-based facilities to carry out fundamental scientific research advancing knowledge for humanity. The superb sky conditions required for the optimal performance of these facilities may be compromised by the passage of bright satellites across the field of view of the telescopes. Observing strategies are being considered by ESO and other observatories to minimise the impact of these constellations in astronomical observations. ...

7. června 2019: To enhance its programme of scientific cooperation with its host country Chile, ESO provides and manages an annual fund devoted to the development of disciplines related to astronomy and technology in Chile. The board, which consists of representatives of ESO and the Chilean Government (working through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), evaluates and selects the programmes to be supported by this fund, which fall into five areas: ESO grant funding to postdoctoral programmes in astronomy at Chilean academic institutions. Funding for academic faculty positions for periods of up to two years at Chilean academic institutions. Funding to support the development and presentation of educational programmes for the teaching and dissemination of astronomy in Chile. Funding to support development programmes and the construction of technological systems for astronomy. Funding to support the development of astronomy in areas not covered by the above four categories. The Joint Committee of ESO and the ...

7. června 2019: On 2 July, at 21:15 CEST, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) will provide a live webcast of the 2019 La Silla Total Solar Eclipse, should weather conditions be favourable and Internet broadband performs as expected. We invite entities in our Member States and beyond to consider incorporating the webcast into any public events that they are planning around the eclipse. We also invite members of the general public to simply enjoy the broadcast on our website. This is a unique opportunity to be part of the only total solar eclipse visible from an ESO Observatory for the next 212 years. The webcast will be available in HD on ESO’s website and on ESO’s Youtube Channel, and will run from 21:15 CEST until the end of the eclipse at about 24:00, with totality beginning at 22:39 [1]. It will be a “raw” feed and will not include commentary but we will ...

3. června 2019: On 29 May 2019, students from the Oskar von Miller Technical College, Meran, Italy visited the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre, bringing the total number of student visitors since the centre's inauguration to over 10 000. To mark this milestone, each student was given a gift as a memento of their visit, and the accompanying teacher received the ESO publication "The Jewel on the Mountaintop" for the school’s library. The ESO Supernova reached this milestone after just over one year of sharing astronomy and space with the public through its engaging education programme, exhibitions, public talks, and planetarium shows. Over the last 13 months, school groups from 11 different countries, among them eight ESO member states, joined the education programme. The centre places a particular emphasis on education and encourages visits from school classes, for which special activities and workshops can be arranged. Teacher training sessions at the ESO ...

21. května 2019: The ESO Supernova team has published the schedule of planetarium shows through the end of the year 2019. Visitors interested in coming to our centre in the next seven months can now book their planetarium tickets online. The heart of the ESO Supernova is a digital planetarium which offers a unique experience through the use of state-of-the-art visualisation techniques. The shows are displayed on a 360-degree dome 14 metres in diameter. The clear, digital projection and three-dimensional astronomical database ensure a unique and immersive experience. These are just a few of the reasons why our visitors are keen to attend one of our planetarium shows. Due to the ever increasing demand from our visitors, planetarium shows are now open for booking until the end of 2019. You can check the available shows online (planetarium shows are displayed in blue; language is indicated by a flag icon), then make your reservation ...

8. května 2019: Astronomer Bianca Poggianti of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica has been awarded a grant of 2.5 million euros by the European Research Council (ERC) for a project based on data from ESO facilities. GAs Stripping Phenomena in galaxies (GASP) is one of 222 projects across Europe to be awarded the highly competitive advanced grant, as announced by the ERC. The ERC project GASP is based on the ESO Large Programme of the same name that studies the mechanisms of gas removal in galaxies and their consequences for star formation. GASP uses vast quantities of data, much of which was gathered with the MUSE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), as well as with ALMA and APEX. According to Poggianti, this use of data across a wide range of wavelengths is one aspect that makes GASP unique, for the first time allowing astronomers to study various phases of gas and ...

6. května 2019: The latest issue of the free magazine Science in School is now available online and in printed form. This European journal for science teachers offers up-to-date information on cutting-edge science, teaching materials, science education projects, interviews with inspiring scientists and teachers, reviews of books, and many other useful resources for science teachers. It aims to promote science teaching by encouraging communication between teachers, scientists and others involved in European science education. Some of the highlights of this issue include: an article about how highly sophisticated lasers on new satellites help to improve weather forecasting; a review of the important influence that tree canopies have on our climate; and an introduction to how to build a particle trap with 3D printers at home. Teaching activities include: creating artwork using microorganisms; identifying subatomic particles using bubble chamber photographs; and an experiment to determine the best laundry detergent for different stains. Science in ...

30. dubna 2019: On 17 April 2019, the Senate of Chile awarded the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) a medal for its instrumental role in capturing the first-ever image of a black hole. The picture, unveiled by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) on 10 April to enormous public interest and excitement, was created using data taken at eight radio telescopes around the world, including two in which ESO is a major partner: ALMA and APEX, the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. These telescopes’ location in the extremely dry conditions of the Atacama desert in Northern Chile is ideal for millimeter-submillimeter astronomy, and the large combined collecting area of the ALMA antennas was indispensable in achieving the unprecedented resolution and sensitivity required for this breakthrough. In addition to recognising the role of the observatory as a whole, the Chilean Senate honoured seven scientists individually with medals for their work. Among them were Rubén Herrero-Illana, an ESO ...

29. dubna 2019: The 2019 Olivier Chesneau Prize has been awarded to Jozua de Boer, for his PhD thesis entitled “High-contrast Imaging of Protoplanetary Disks“. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, having completed his PhD there in 2018. The Prize was established by ESO and the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur to commemorate the life and work of the pioneering astronomer Olivier Chesneau [1]. It is awarded biennially for the best PhD thesis completed in the field of high angular resolution astronomy. Jozua impressed the board of judges with the breadth of his work combining recognised skills with novel instruments such as SPHERE— the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument installed on ESO’s Very Large Telescope. Studying these planet-forming discs presents a great challenge to astronomers because they are very dim compared to the stars they surround, but Jozua overcame those challenges by means of careful calibration, data ...

9. dubna 2019: On 10 April, at 15:00 CEST, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) invites members of the general public to watch the live webcast of a press conference announcing a groundbreaking result from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). The event is organised by the European Commission, the European Research Council, and the EHT. It will be streamed online on the ESO website, by the ERC, and on social media. We will take a few questions from viewers on social media using the hashtag #AskEHTeu . An ESO press release will be issued shortly after the start of the conference. A total of six major press conferences will be held simultaneously around the globe in Belgium (Brussels, English), Chile (Santiago, Spanish), China (Shanghai, Mandarin), Japan (Tokyo, Japanese), Taiwan (Taipei, Mandarin), and the USA (Washington, D.C., English). Starting at 15:07 CEST, a Reddit Ask Science “Ask Me Anything (AMA)” thread will be open. ESO ...

3. dubna 2019: 2018 was another banner year for research at ESO, leading to ESO’s retaining the distinction of being the world’s most productive observatory. ESO’s observatories continue to set the bar for astronomical research, and with 1093 publications in 2018 ESO exceeded the productivity of any other ground- or space-based observatory. The largest contributor to this result was ESO’s flagship facility, the VLT (Very Large Telescope)/VLTI (Very Large Telescope Interferometer) at Paranal. A total of 618 papers were published using data from the VLT in 2018. The most productive instrument this year was UVES with 139 publications, closely followed by X-shooter, MUSE, and FORS2. Other telescopes at Paranal made significant contributions to ESO’s research output in 2018, especially the VST (VLT Survey Telescope) and VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy). Data from these facilities contributed to 48 and 105 papers respectively. ESO’s telescopes at La Silla Observatory continued to be ...

1. dubna 2019: Evropská komise, Evropská výzkumná rada (European Research Council) a zástupci projektu Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) pořádají tiskovou konferenci, na které budou prezentovány přelomové výsledky programu EHT – pozorování nejbližšího okolí superhmotné černé díry. Kdy: 10. dubna 2019, 15:00 SELČ Kde: Tisková konference se uskuteční na adrese Berlaymont Building, Rue de la Loi (Wetstraat) 200, B-1049 Brusel, Belgie. Úvodní slovo pronese Carlos Moedas, Evropský komisař pro výzkum, vědu a inovace. Co: Tisková konference prezentující přelomové výsledky programu EHT Kdo: Carlos Moedas, Evropský komisař pro výzkum, vědu a inovace, přednese svoje postřehy; Anton Zensus, vedoucí EHT Collaboration Board, doplní svůj pohled a představí panel vědců EHT, kteří objev vysvětlí a budou odpovídat na dotazy: Heino Falcke, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Nizozemí (vedoucí EHT Science Council) Monika Mościbrodzka, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Nizozemí (koordinátorka pracovní skupiny EHT) Luciano Rezzolla, Goethe Universität, Frankfurt, Německo (člen panelu EHT) Eduardo Ros, Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn, Německo (tajemník panelu ...

14. března 2019: Evropská jižní observatoř (ESO) a Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy České republiky (MŠMT) podepsali dohodu, která českým studentům a začínajícím pracovníkům umožní výukový a školící program v ESO.Dohoda byla dnes podepsána v Garchingu Pavlem Dolečkem, náměstkem pro sekci vysokého školství, vědy a výzkumu na MŠMT, a Xavierem Barconsem, generálním ředitelem ESO. Mezi účastníky byli Kristina Larischová, generální konzul České republiky v Mnichově, Jan Kreuter, konzul pro politiku a obchod, a zástupci ČR v ESO, Jan Buriánek a Jan Palouš.Hlavním cílem programu, který je financován MŠMT, je podpora požadavků českého průmyslu a výzkumu. Školení bude probíhat v ESO, podporu mohou získat studenti českých univerzit a vysokých škol a mladí vědci a technici.Tato dohoda je v souladu s ideami MŠMT, které se snaží podporovat mezinárodní kooperaci České republiky ve vědě a výzkumu a podporovat úroveň vědeckých a technologických znalostí v ČR.Program také pomůže s plněním cílů ESO při utužování mezinárodní spolupráce v ...

13. března 2019: ESO will host the 2019 IAU Astronomy Education Conference on 16–18 September 2019 at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. The conference will bring together astronomers, astronomy education researchers, and education practitioners to further the IAU’s commitment to improving the quality, quantity, community, and impact of astronomy education research and practice. Hosting this conference will leverage the ESO Supernova’s standing as a cutting-edge astronomy education centre offering a diverse educational programme to school children, kindergartners, and teachers. Conference attendees will be able to fully explore the Supernova’s activities, including workshops, tours, and over 2200 m2 of interactive exhibits, as well as the largest tilted planetarium dome in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The conference will focus on three main themes: astronomy education research; astronomy education standards, curriculum and instruction; and primary and secondary teacher education. These themes will be covered in talks, posters and workshops. The topics will be examined ...

11. března 2019: ESO has signed contracts for the manufacture of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) M5 Mirror with the French companies Safran Reosc and Mersen Boostec. Safran Reosc will supply the M5 Mirror along with the auxiliary equipment required for its handling, transport, operation and maintenance. Mersen Boostec will supply the mirror’s lightweight substrate to Safran Reosc’s specifications, and will also be responsible for the supply of the M5 replacement blanks if necessary [1]. The contracts were signed by Philippe Rioufreyt, CEO of Safran Reosc, Jérôme Lavenac, Operations Managing Director of Mersen Boostec, and Xavier Barcons, ESO Director General, at a ceremony held today at ESO Headquarters in Garching, Germany. Also in attendance were French Consul General in Munich, Pierre Lanapats, and Deputy Consul General in Munich, Benoît Schneider, as well as ESO Council Delegate for France, Laurent Vigroux. The contract with Safran Reosc builds on an existing cooperative relationship with the ...

8. března 2019: The latest edition of ESO's quarterly journal, The Messenger, is now available online. Find out the latest news from ESO on topics ranging from new instruments to the latest science discoveries. In this special issue of the ESO Messenger, several articles give an overview of the upcoming 4-meter Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST). 4MOST is a new wide-field spectroscopic survey facility under development for the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. Paranal is one of the finest observing sites worldwide and provides access to astronomical objects in the southern hemisphere, such as the galactic center and the Magellanic Clouds. The 4MOST design allows tens of millions of spectra to be obtained via five-year surveys, even for targets distributed over a significant fraction of the sky. Highlights of this edition include: 4MOST: Project Overview and Information for the Call for Proposals - de Jong ...

7. března 2019: ESO today officially became a shareholder of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory gGmbH (CTAO). The necessary formal steps were concluded during the meeting of the CTA Council on 7–8 March at ESO’s headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany after ESO participating in the project for some time as an observer. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next-generation ground-based observatory designed to detect very high energy gamma-rays. When completed, the array will comprise 118 telescopes shared between sites in the northern and southern hemispheres. ESO already signed an agreement on 19 December 2018 to host the southern site of the CTA in the Atacama desert near the ESO Paranal Observatory in Chile. The Paranal site, home of the Very Large Telescope, offers excellent viewing conditions and well-established infrastructure, making it an attractive location for new facilities such as CTA–South. The northern site of the CTA will be based on La ...

26. února 2019: Over the past few months, the ESO Supernova team has been preparing the latest programme of exciting events and shows for the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. We are delighted to announce that our April–June 2019 programme is now available for booking online. Since its official inauguration on 26 April 2018, the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre has entertained and educated visitors with a range of captivating planetarium shows, guided tours, educational workshops, and special events. The April–June programme features new additions to the exciting range of shows in the ESO Supernova’s state-of-the-art digital planetarium, as well as a wonderful array of special events. The new programme is now available online and bookings can be made for all public events. Tickets are available either online or at the ESO Supernova reception. The ESO Supernova offers a captivating variety of planetarium shows in both German and English which explore ...

18. února 2019: The Armenian President, Armen Sarkissian, visited ESO’s Headquarters today in Garching bei München, Germany, as part of a wider tour of the Garching Forschungszentrum, one of the largest centres for scientific research in Germany. During his visit, the President met with the Director General Xavier Barcons and a diverse cross-section of ESO staff. He was also given a guided tour of ESO’s Headquarters, including ESO’s high-tech integration hall, where instruments are prepared to be mounted on ESO’s world-leading telescopes. The President has a longstanding involvement in science, particularly physics; he has a PhD in theoretical physics and mathematics, and has held various research positions at prestigious institutes. Prior to his career in politics, the President was a professor of physics at Yerevan State University and later at the University of Cambridge. Among his various research topics, President Sarkissian used to work on the internal structure of neutron stars. As well ...