ESO operates three major telescopes (3.6m telescope, New Technology Telescope (NTT), 2.2m Max-Planck-ESO telescope) at the La Silla Observatory. They are equipped with state of the art instruments either built completely by ESO or by external consortia, with substantial contribution by ESO. These instruments are currently:
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Telescope
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Focus
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Nasmyth A
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Cassegrain
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Nasmyth B
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fibre fed from Cassegrain
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n/a
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EFOSC2 up to P80
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n/a
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n/a
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n/a
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n/a
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n/a
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They are operated by the La Silla Science Operations Department.
At its October 2003 meeting, the Scientific Technical Committee recommended that the possibility of providing a visitor focus on the NTT be investigated by ESO.
GROND is an imaging instrument to investigate Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows and other transients simultaneously in seven filter bands. Several dichroic beamsplitters feed light into three NIR channels and four visual channels, each equipped with its own detector. GROND has become operational in 2007.
GROND has been built by the high-energy group of MPE in collaboration with the LSW Tautenburg and ESO, and is operated at the MPI/ESO 2.2m telescope.
La Silla is running an All Sky Monitor on the DIMM. Real-time images are available here.