ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive astronomical observatory. It operates three sites in Chile — La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor — on behalf of its fourteen member states. It builds ALMA together with international partners, and designs the European Extremely Large Telescope.
ESO, the European Southern Observatory, builds and operates a suite of the world's most advanced ground-based astronomical telescopes.
Latest News Stories
The Cosmic Bat
The delicate nebula NGC 1788, located in a dark and often neglected corner of the Orion constellation, is revealed in a new and finely nuanced image that ESO is releasing today. Although this ghostly cloud is rather isolated from Orion’s bright stars, the latter’s powerful winds and light have had a strong impact on the nebula, forging its shape and making it home to a multitude of infant suns.
Announcements
- ESO employees engaged in "Solidarity Mission" in Chile (9/3/2010)
- E-ELT Site Selection Advisory Committee Recommends Cerro Armazones in Chile (4/3/2010)
- A Muse for the Very Large Telescope (1/3/2010)
- Update to Visiting Astronomers with planned trips to ESO observatories (28/2/2010)
- ESO Expresses Support for Victims of Chile Earthquake; No Damage to ESO Observatories (28/2/2010)
- ESO Call for Proposals for Period 86 released. Deadline is 31 March 2010 (26/2/2010)
- Around the World in 80 Telescopes is first runner up in IYA2009/Mani Bhaumik Prize for Excellence in Astronomy Education and Public Outreach (26/2/2010)
- ESO videos are now available for subtitling in your own language (18/2/2010)
- European Young Scientist Prizewinner Visits ESO Facilities in Chile (17/2/2010)
- World's Most Precise Stellar Spectrograph Gets Polarised Vision (15/2/2010)
- ESO Director General meets the President of Chile (14/1/2010)
Latest ESOcasts
- ESOcast 15 — Recoating a Giant VLT Mirror
- ESOcast 14 — Orion in a New Light
- ESOcast 13 — A sharper view of the Universe with the VLT Interferometer
Picture of the Week
