You are about to experience one of the world’s most remarkable places for astronomy, science and technology...
Far from any city and above the clouds — in one of the driest places on Earth — are huge telescopes, just waiting for night to fall.
This is the story of an epic adventure…
A story of cosmic curiosity, courage and perseverance…
The story of how Europe went South to explore the stars.
ESO is Europe’s portal to the stars. Here astronomers from fifteen countries join forces to unravel the secrets of the Universe.
How?
By building the largest telescopes on Earth. Designing sensitive cameras and instruments. Scrutinising the heavens.
Their work has looked at objects near and far, from comets traversing the Solar System, to distant galaxies at the very edge of space and time, giving us fresh insights and an unprecedented view of the Universe.
A Universe of deep mysteries and hidden secrets. And staggering beauty.
But the exploration of the southern sky still took lots of courage, passion and perseverance.
The telescope is of course the central tool that allows us to unravel the secrets of the Universe.
Telescopes collect far more light than the unaided human eye, so they reveal fainter stars and let us peer deeper into space. Like magnifying glasses, they also show finer detail.
And, when equipped with sensitive cameras and spectrographs, they provide us with a wealth of information about planets, stars and galaxies.
The VLT is ESO's flagship facility. Four identical telescopes, joining forces on top of Cerro Paranal, in the north of Chile. Built in the late 1990s, they provided astronomers with the best available technologies.
The VLT consists of four telescopes.
Together, they can act as a virtual telescope measuring 130 metres across.
Light collected by the individual telescopes is channeled through evacuated tunnels and brought together in an underground laboratory.
Here, the light waves are combined using laser metrology and intricate delay lines.
The net result is the light-gathering power of four 8.2-metre mirrors, and the eagle-eyed vision of an imaginary telescope as large as fifty tennis courts.
Four auxiliary telescopes give the network more flexibility.
They may appear tiny next to the four giants. Yet, they sport mirrors 1.8 metres across. That’s bigger than the largest telescope in the world just a hundred years ago!
ESO closely cooperates with industry, in both Europe and Chile
Access roads had to be constructed. Mountain tops had to be levelled.
The Italian industrial consortium AES built the main structure of the four VLT telescopes.
The German glass company Schott produced the delicate VLT mirrors.
At REOSC in France, the mirrors were polished to a precision of a millionth of a millimetre.
Meanwhile, universities and research institutes across Europe developed sensitive cameras and spectrometers.
And throughout the world, the European Southern Observatory contributes to exhibitions and science fairs.
Countless ways to participate in the discovery of the cosmos!
But in terms of outreach, nothing beats the Universe itself.
Astronomy is a visual science. Images of galaxies, star clusters and stellar nurseries fire our imagination.
ALMA is a joint project of Europe, North America and East Asia.
It operates like a giant zoom lens. Close together, the 66 antennas provide a wide-angle view.
But spread apart, they reveal much finer detail over a smaller area of sky.
At 5000 metres above sea level, the array provides an unprecedented view of the microwave Universe.
The birth of the very first galaxies in the Universe, in the wake of the Big Bang.
Cold and dusty clouds of molecular gas — the stellar nurseries where new suns and planets are born.
And: the chemistry of the cosmos.
ALMA will track down organic molecules — the building blocks of life.
While ALMA is already completed, ESO’s next dream machine is still a few years away.
See that mountain over there? That’s Cerro Armazones.
Not far from Paranal, it will be home to the largest telescope in the history of mankind.
Meet the European Extremely Large Telescope. The world’s biggest eye on the sky.
Is there life beyond Earth? What's the origin of the Universe?
ESO’s new monster telescope will help in our quest to understand.
We’re not there yet, but it won’t take long.
So what’s next? Well, no one knows.
But ESO is ready for the adventure.
Let us now return to your tour which is about to start.
If you are at Paranal, you soon will discover the jewel on the mountaintop: the Very Large Telescope, or VLT.
But you will also discover another jewel, this time hidden underground: the award-winning Residencia.
You will also catch a glimpse the future of astronomy: the European Extremely Large Telescope, or E-ELT, currently under construction.
If you are at the La Silla Observatory you will see the ESO 3.6-metre telescope, now home to the world's foremost extrasolar planet hunter and the New Technology Telescope, or NTT, the precursor of the VLT
Welcome on board! In preparation for your tour, please pay attention to the following safety instructions:
Use sunglasses, hats, protective clothing and sunscreen over SPF35.
Drink plenty of bottled water or juice.
Move around slowly.
Wear a helmet inside the telescope buildings.
If you feel unwell: inform your guide immediately!
In an emergency: follow the guide and the Emergency Coordinator’s instructions.
Do not leave litter, do not smoke, illegal drugs and alcohol use are forbidden.
Fasten your seat belt and please respect the speed limit of 60 km/h.
Follow your guide’s instructions at all times throughout the tour.
Finally, please take your helmet.
If you have questions please ask your guide.
Now, enjoy your visit!
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