ESO is one of the world's leading research organisations. It is dedicated to astronomy and astrophysics, and operates the La Silla Paranal Observatory in the Atacama desert in Chile, on behalf of its thirteen member states.

ESO, the European Southern Observatory, builds and operates a suite of the world's most advanced ground-based astronomical telescopes.

Latest News Stories


The Wild, Hidden Cousin of SN 1987A
  
Over a decade after it exploded, one of the nearest supernovae in the last 25 years has been identified. This result was made possible by combining data from the vast online archives from many of the world's premier telescopes.

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James Bond at Paranal

Image of the Week

Milky Way above Paranal

Panorama


Look around inside a VLT dome! (Quicktime VR)