About ESO

ESO is the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere. Created in 1962, ESO provides state-of-the-art research facilities to European astronomers and astrophysicists and is supported by Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Several other countries have expressed a strong interest in joining the organisation.

Whilst the Headquarters (comprising the scientific, technical and administrative centre of the organisation) are located in Garching near Munich, Germany, ESO operates, in addition to the Santiago Centre, three observational sites in the Chilean Atacama desert. At La Silla, 600 km north of Santiago de Chile and at 2400 m altitude, ESO operates several medium-sized optical telescopes. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is located on Paranal, a 2600 m high mountain south of Antofagasta, which also hosts the VLT Interferometer and two survey telescopes, the VST and VISTA. The third site is the 5000 m high Llano de Chajnantor, near San Pedro de Atacama. Here a new submillimetre telescope (APEX) is in operation, and a giant array of 12 m submillimetre antennas (ALMA) is being constructed in collaboration with North America, East Asia and Chile.

ESO is currently engaged in design studies for an Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT.

The annual member state contributions to ESO are approximately 120 million Euros and ESO employs around 600 staff members.

ESO is a member of the EIROforum, the partnership of the seven European intergovernmental research organisations that operate major research infrastructures.