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.
Expanding Horizons: Call for White Papers Launched
Published: 07 Jul 2025
To encourage discussion of Expanding Horizons as broadly as possible across the astronomical community, and to help the SSC identify these key future astronomical challenges, the SSC and ESO are inviting researchers at all career stages to submit White Papers in response to this call. This input will also be used to define the key scientific themes to be discussed at an Expanding Horizons workshop, planned for the first half of 2026.
Further information about the Call and structure of the White Papers is available. The submission form will be made available soon a the same webpage.