Science Users Information

These pages are aimed at ESO community astronomers and contain all the information required in order to prepare, execute, process and exploit observations with ESO facilities. They also provide information on the scientific activities taking place at ESO. Details can be accessed via the navigation menu.


ESO Science Announcements

Call for Proposals for ESO Workshops in 2025

Published: 12 Mar 2024

In its efforts to promote the scientific exchange among astronomers, the Directorate for Science at ESO continues to provide support and funding for the organisation of scientific workshops in Santiago and in Garching as well as co-funding for some external workshops. Science workshops are an essential component of ESO's programmes and represent a unique opportunity to promote and foster ideas and collaborations within the scientific community.

ESO Fellow Julia V. Seidel Awarded the MERAC Prize to the Best Thesis on Observational Astrophysics

Published: 11 Mar 2024

Congratulations to ESO Fellow Julia V. Seidel on being awarded the prestigious 2024 MERAC Prize for the Best Doctoral Thesis in Observational Astrophysics! A well-deserved honor for her exceptional groundbreaking research on climate and atmospheric circulation regimes of exoplanets.

2024 Release of VLT/VLTI Instrument Data Reduction Software Packages

Published: 29 Feb 2024

The annual public release of ESO VLT/VLTI instrument data reduction software packages is scheduled for end of May 2024. Pre-built packages will be provided for Fedora 38 and 39 and on a best effort basis Fedora 40 (to be released in April) may be added later during 2024. For macOS, installation via MacPorts is supported and recommended.

More than 1000 Studies Using ESO Data Published in 2023

Published: 29 Feb 2024

For the seventh year in a row, observations conducted at ESO’s observatories have led to more than 1000 scientific publications in a year. Recently, the ESO Library, Documentation, and Information Services Department has updated their detailed statistics on publications using ESO data, presenting each facility's contributions in 2023.

Call for Proposals for Period 114

Published: 20 Feb 2024

The Call for Proposals for observations at ESO telescopes in Period 114 (1 October 2024 - 31 March 2025) has been released. Please consult the Period 114 document before applying for time on ESO telescopes. All technical information about the offered instruments and facilities is contained on ESO web pages that are linked from the Call. The proposal submission deadline is 12:00 CET 21 March 2024.

The Messenger

The Messenger 191 is now available. Highlights include:

  • Barcons, X.: Sixty Years of Engagement Between ESO and Chile: Past, Present and Future
  • Bacon, R., et al.: Scientific Highlights from Ten Years of the MUSE Collaboration
  • Romaniello, M. et al.: The ESO Science Archive Facility: Status, Impact, and Prospects

The ESO Science Newsletter

The February 2024 issue is now available.

The ESO Science Newsletter, mailed approximately once per month, presents the most recent announcements. Subscription is controlled through the Manage Profile link on the User Portal. Back issues (2013-) are archived.


Pitch Your Research to ESO COMM

Are you an author on an upcoming scientific study based on ESO data that could be relevant to journalists or the wider public? Or are you a Principal Investigator on ESO observations with potential to become stunning images? If so, please consider sending to ESO your paper and/or a preview of the image(s) obtained with ESO telescopes.