ESO’s Educational Programmes

With its strong multidisciplinary character and powerful public appeal, astronomy can play an important role in modern science education. The stunning scientific results from ESO telescopes provide invaluable treasures for science teachers.

ESO’s educational programmes aim to stimulate interest in the natural sciences, and in astronomy and astrophysics in particular, among European youth. With their international dimension, they complement efforts by national education authorities, universities and individual schools and teachers. ESO is also an active partner of the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE).

ESO has been the leading force behind several high-profile educational pilot programmes, often carried out in collaboration with partners including the European Commission, such as The Future Astronomers of Europe, Astronomy On-Line and the Sea & Space projects, all carried out in the framework of the European Science and Technology Weeks.

These efforts are continued and strengthened through joint EIROforum activities, with programmes targeting school children such as Life in the Universe and Sci-tech – couldn’t be without it!, and the Physics on Stage and Science on Stage programmes, which are directed towards European science teachers. With its partners in the EIROforum, ESO also publishes Europe’s first international, multidisciplinary journal for science teaching, Science in School.

Every year, ESO organises an astronomy contest for students. This contest, Catch a Star!, caters for all ages and abilities. The youngest take part by making a drawing, while others are invited to write an essay about an astronomical topic of their choice.

ESO produces also, together with ESA, a series of astronomical exercises, available in many different languages. In addition, ESO has created a set of beautifully illustrated didactic sheets about the Solar System.

Recently, ESO has started a new, multidisciplinary teaching project, centred on the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA).