This is the public release of VLT/MUSE integral field spectroscopy observations of a 3'x8' mosaic along the southern major axis of the Local Group spiral galaxy M33, obtained under ESO Programme 109.22XS.001 (PI: G. Cresci). The observations were carried out in seeing-limited wide-field mode (WFM), covering the nominal wavelength range 4750 and 9350 Å .

ALMA is pleased to report on the extraordinary response to the Cycle 13 Call for Proposals, which closed on 23 April 2026. Cycle 13 received a total of 1,843 proposals, accounting for more than 37,000 hours requested time on the 12-m Array. These numbers set a new record, underscoring the high level of competition for ALMA.

This international conference, jointly organised by ESO, INAF - Arcetri and Macquarie University, aims to bring together the diverse scientific communities developing and preparing to exploit these instruments. Although each facility has unique strengths - MAVIS pushing diffraction-limited performance into the visible on an 8-m telescope, and the ELT instruments delivering unmatched infrared sensitivity and resolution on a 39-m aperture - their science cases are deeply complementary.

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is proceeding rapidly with expected first telescope light in 2029 and first science light in late 2030. To oversee the scientific coordination of this facility, Joël Vernet has been hired as the ELT Programme Scientist through an international call, replacing Michele Cirasuolo.

A new spectroscopic dataset of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 180728A and its associated supernova SN 2018fip is now publicly available through the ESO Science Archive Facility. The release comprises 13 epochs of observations obtained with the X-shooter instrument at ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), covering the evolution of the GRB afterglow and the emergence of the associated supernova. The dataset provides a detailed time series that enables studies of the transition from afterglow-dominated emission to supernova-dominated spectra.

The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at Paranal is now owned and operated by INAF, which is responsible for processing the data and releasing them via the ESO Archive. Imaging data products included in the current DR3 for a number of projects were obtained using the wide-field camera OmegaCAM with the g, r, i, and z filters. 

On 17 June 2026, ESO will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fellowship Programme with events in Garching and Vitacura. The Director General, the Director for Science, and Fellows from across the years will come together to share memories, revisit moments and anecdotes, and reflect on the experiences that have shaped ESO from within.

The 2025 Chesneau prize for the best PhD thesis in High Angular Resolution Astrophysics has been awarded to two outstanding young researchers: Dr. Violeta Gamez Rosas (left image) and Dr. Manon Lallement (right image). Violeta Gamez Rosas is awarded the prize for her ground breaking observations and astrophysical results on the Active Galactic Nucleus NGC1068 with VLTI/MATISSE, VLTI/GRAVITY and ALMA, as featured in a previous ESO press release in 2022. Manon Lallement is awarded the prize for the development of the FIRST-PL instrument at the Subaru Telescope, using photonic lanterns, as well as the first astrophysical results she obtained using this instrument.