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Press Releases 2000

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eso0005 — Organisation Release

Next VLT Instrument Ready for the Astronomers — FORS2 Commissioning Period Successfully Terminated

8 February 2000: The commissioning of the FORS2 multi-mode astronomical instrument at KUEYEN , the second FOcal Reducer/low dispersion Spectrograph at the ESO Very Large Telescope, was successfully finished today. This important work -- that may be likened with the test driving of a new car model -- took place during two periods, from October 22 to November 21, 1999, and January 22 to February 8, 2000.

eso0004 — Organisation Release

And Then There Were Three...! — VLT MELIPAL Achieves Successful "First Light" in Record Time

28 January 2000: This was a night to remember at the ESO Paranal Observatory! For the first time, three 8.2-metre Very Large Telescopes (VLTs) were observing in parallel, with a combined mirror surface of nearly 160 metres squared. In the evening of January 26, the third 8.2-metre Unit Telescope, MELIPAL ("The Southern Cross" in the Mapuche language), was pointed to the sky for the first time and successfully achieved "First Light". During this night, a number of astronomical exposures were made that served to evaluate provisionally the performance of the new telescope. The ESO staff expressed great satisfaction with MELIPAL and there were broad smiles all over the mountain.

eso0003 — Organisation Release

Final Tests before MELIPAL "First Light" — Secondary Mirror Now in Place

21 January 2000: Happy expectations are again growing at ESO's Paranal Observatory. For the third time in less than two years, the special moment of "First Light" for an 8.2-metre VLT Unit Telescope is getting close -- now is the turn of MELIPAL.

eso0002 — Organisation Release

"First Light" Approaches for VLT MELIPAL

12 January 2000: After the first two Unit Telescopes of ESO's Very Large Telescope started their operation in 1999, the year 2000 will witness the "first light" of the other two telescopes, starting with MELIPAL.

eso0001 — Organisation Release

ESO PR Highlights in 1999

5 January 2000: Many different activities took place at ESO during the past year. They range from technological and scientific feats to official and astronomical events at the ESO sites in Europe and Chile.

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