Mededelingen 2019

13 september 2019: The winners of Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2019 were announced at an award ceremony at the National Maritime Museum on 12 September 2019. The photographs will be showcased in an exhibition at the museum from 13 September. ESO joined the competition in 2016 by contributing a judge and further spreading the word about the competition among its community. The overall winner of the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2019 competition is Hungarian photographer László Francsics who takes home a prize of £10 000. Francsics with his ‘Into the Shadow’ image captivated and astounded the judges. Taken in Budapest, Hungary, the photograph depicts a creative and artistic composition of the 35 phases of the total lunar eclipse that occurred on 21 January 2019. Competition judge Ed Robinson said: “For a single multiple-exposure image to capture this event with such positional precision, creative innovation and beauty is nothing short ...

9 september 2019: The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration, the team who captured an image of a black hole for the first time, has been awarded the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in recognition of this achievement. The feat used an Earth-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes, including two in which ESO is a major partner: the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX). Three current and recent ESO employees are among the scientists who will share in the prize. The ALMA and APEX telescopes [1][2] location in Chile were indispensable in achieving the unprecedented resolution required for this breakthrough. The large combined collecting area of ALMA's antennas also made it the most sensitive facility in the EHT by far, and a key part of the entire network, enabling the EHT to capture ten times fainter signals. The Breakthrough Prize Foundation and its founding sponsors — Sergey ...

27 augustus 2019: De voormalige directeur-generaal van ESO, Lodewijk Woltjer, is op zondag 25 augustus 2019 op 89-jarige leeftijd overleden. Lodewijk Woltjer, bij velen bekend als Lo, was van 1975 tot 1987 de derde en langst zittende directeur-generaal van ESO. Al voordat hij de functie van directeur-generaal op zich nam had hij een sterke visie op de toekomst van ESO. Een van zijn belangrijkste bijdragen was de oprichting van een wetenschapsafdeling, die ESO omvormde van een zuiver functionele sterrenwacht tot een actieve wetenschappelijke onderzoeksorganisatie. Professor Woltjer was niet alleen verantwoordelijk voor deze fundamentele verandering en uitbreiding van de ESO-activiteiten, maar hield tijdens zijn ambtstermijn toezicht op tal van belangrijke ontwikkelingen. Het gaat daarbij onder meer om de totstandkoming van het ESO-hoofdkantoor in Garching en de toetreding van twee nieuwe lidstaten, Italië en Zwitserland, in 1982. Verder tekende hij een overeenkomst met de directeur van het Max Planck Instituut om de zogeheten 2,2-meter MPG/ESO-telescoop ...

2 augustus 2019: The latest issue of the free magazine Science in School is now available online and in printed form. This European journal for science teachers offers up-to-date information on cutting-edge science, teaching materials and projects in science education, interviews with inspiring scientists and teachers and many other useful resources for science teachers. It aims to promote science teaching by encouraging communication between teachers, scientists and others involved in European science education. Celebrating the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, this issue includes an insight into the women scientists who contributed to the table of chemical elements, in addition to a retrospect on how the periodic table could have looked like. In the News from EIROs section, readers are invited to follow astronaut Luca Parmitano on his expedition to the ISS. Teaching activities include: experiments to understand some of the key principles of space science; a quiz about the ...

2 augustus 2019: The first set of 18 blanks for the primary mirror of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope have arrived safely at Safran Reosc in Poitiers, France. The contracts for casting the blanks of the mirror segments, as well as polishing, mounting and testing them, were signed in 2017 with respectively the German company SCHOTT and the French company Safran Reosc, a subsidiary of Safran Electronics & Defense. Mirror blanks are packed by six into a special wooden transport crate and six of these crates can fit inside a regular shipping container. Sophisticated shock sensors travel with the blanks to measure any sudden acceleration or shock that could affect the blanks. The shipping container with the first 18 blanks was sent from SCHOTT in Mainz, Germany, on 23 July and arrived at Safran Reosc the following day. The ELT mirror blanks are made of the low-expansion glass-ceramic Zerodur® [1] and are circular, measuring ...

18 juli 2019: Asteroid 2006 QV89, a small object 20 to 50 metres in diameter, was in the news lately because of a very small, 1-in-7000 chance of impact with Earth on 9 September 2019. In the first known case of ruling out an asteroid impact through a “non-detection”, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have concluded that asteroid 2006 QV89 is not on a collision course this year. In general, when an asteroid is found to have even a tiny chance of impacting Earth, further observations and measurements are taken. These “astrometric” data refine our understanding of the asteroid’s path, improving our understanding of the risk it poses and often excluding any chance of collision altogether. However, the case of asteroid 2006 QV89 is peculiar. The object was discovered on August 2006 and then observed for only ten days. These observations suggested it had a 1-in-7000 chance ...

17 juli 2019: ESO astronomer Paolo Padovani has been awarded the “Sparlamento Prize in Research and Development 2019” for his contribution to enhancing Italian excellence in astronomy. The ceremony took place on 5 July 2019, at the Italian House of Parliament in Rome — the first time ever an astronomical ceremony was held in the building. Paolo Padovani is studying Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) using data covering the entire electromagnetic spectrum and works on very deep radio surveys and neutrino astronomy. During his first years at ESO, he led the organisation’s participation in the Virtual Observatory and since 2011 he has been working in the ELT Science Office under the Directorate of Science. The prize ceremony for this new award organised by Sparlamento included a presentation from Padovani about ESO and the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), in which he highlighted the influence of Italy, and a lectio magistralis about "Neutrinos from supermassive black ...

10 juli 2019: The latest edition of ESO's quarterly journal, The Messenger, is now available online. Find out the latest news from ESO on topics ranging from new instruments to the latest science discoveries. Highlights include: Astronomy in Ireland by T. Ray et al. ELT – Where the Secondary Mirror Becomes a Giant by M. Cayrel et al. KLASS – The Role of Low-Mass Galaxies from Cosmic Dawn to Cosmic Noon by A. Fontana et al. ESO Science Ambassadors by C. Harrison et al. Download The Messenger in PDF format or visit The Messenger website to subscribe and receive a free printed copy. The printed version will be distributed after 25 July 2019. This product is also available in the ESOshop.

20 juni 2019: ESO is delighted to announce that this year’s Tycho Brahe Medal has been awarded to Prof. Guy Monnet, a former ESO astronomer and Head of the Instrumentation Division. The medal, awarded by the European Astronomical Society (EAS), recognises “the development or exploitation of European instruments or major discoveries based largely on such instruments”. Joining in 1995, Prof. Monnet spent more than 15 years of his career at ESO, during which he made many of the contributions that are recognised by this award. The medal specifically recognises his fundamental contributions to the implementation of 3D spectroscopy on optical and infrared telescopes, and his international leadership on the instrumentation programmes of large observatories. Both of these achievements are demonstrated by the work he did at ESO; as the first head of the Instrumentation Division, he oversaw the completion of the first generation of instruments for the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the largest ...

20 juni 2019: The winner of the AstroCamp 2019 bursary offered by ESO has now been selected. Overall the camp received nearly 100 applications from 18 countries, most of these applications being from ESO member countries. ESO is delighted to announce that Carolina Chinigò, an Italian student doing an International Baccalaureate in the United Kingdom, is the winner of the ESO bursary. The ESO bursary covers the camp fee, including full-board accommodation, camp activities, internal travel to and from Porto airport, and insurance. With this bursary, ESO is delighted to provide Carolina with assistance to participate in this potentially career-defining event. In total, 18 students aged between 15 and 18 have been invited to attend this year’s summer AstroCamp: 11 girls and 7 boys, from Brazil, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The ESO-supported summer AstroCamp is an academic programme devoted to astronomy and physics, organised by the Centre ...

19 juni 2019: The European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Irish Research Council (IRC) have signed an agreement to augment the existing ESO studentship programme for Ireland-based PhD students, designed to enhance Ireland’s involvement in ESO. The agreement was signed on 5 June 2019 by Peter Brown, Director of the IRC, and Xavier Barcons, Director General of ESO, at a ceremony in Dublin, Ireland. The programme offers students the opportunity to apply for a one- or two-year studentship at ESO’s facilities, either in Garching, Germany or in Chile. Eligible students must be enrolled in a PhD programme in astronomy or a related field at an eligible higher education institution in the Republic of Ireland. The IRC will fund the studentships of the successful applicants, during which they will carry out research under the co-supervision of an ESO staff astronomer and their supervisor from their home institution. Ireland is the newest of ESO’s 16 ...

14 juni 2019: The ESO Annual Report 2018 is now available (PDF). It presents a summary of ESO’s many activities throughout the year, from progress on the design, construction and operation of a suite of the world's most advanced ground-based astronomical telescopes to ESO’s efforts to promote and organise cooperation in astronomical research. Readers will discover, among other topics: Research highlights from ESO facilities, including: imaging planets as they form around their host stars; tracing the chemistry of stars and their environments, probing the dynamics in the environments around supermassive black holes; and star formation in a galaxy only 250 million years after the Big Bang. A summary of activities at ESO’s front-line observatories in Chile. The latest news from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). News about ESO staff and infrastructure — including the opening of the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. This product is available ...

11 juni 2019: ESO’s scientific observations sometimes come with eye-catching by-products — dazzling images produced by the telescopes. ESO’s instruments are built to capture data on elusive objects untold light-years from Earth. For this purpose, they are among the most sensitive instruments in the world, and can produce exquisitely detailed images of these distant phenomena. From nebulae to supernovae, this video unveils the beauty hidden in the night sky by showcasing some of the most captivating images from ESO’s telescopes alongside mesmerising artists’ impressions of celestial objects. Take ten minutes to revel in the awe-inspiring wonders with which we share our Universe — a true celestial symphony. This new ESOcast is the thirteenth in ESO’s Chile Chill series, videos that immerse you in the world of astronomy. You can subscribe to the ESOcasts on iTunes, receive future episodes on YouTube or follow us on Vimeo. Many other ESOcast episodes are also available. Find ...

10 juni 2019: On 2 July 2019, a total solar eclipse will be visible from ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. To celebrate this rare astronomical event, La Silla will open its doors to 1000 visitors. The observatory’s regular inhabitants will also remain on site to take astronomical observations and these groups of astronomers will take advantage of La Silla’s excellent location and existing equipment in novel ways, seizing the rare opportunity represented by the eclipse. ESO has accepted seven proposals for astronomical observations for either scientific or outreach purposes during the eclipse. Some of the groups are using pre-existing telescopes at La Silla, including the NTT, ExTrA, TAROT and REM, and others will construct temporary setups, benefitting from La Silla’s infrastructure and resources. There is a long history of using eclipses for scientific observations, including early research into the Sun’s atmosphere and the famous confirmation of General Relativity in 1919 by Eddington. ...

10 juni 2019: A high-level Microsoft delegation, including the President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, visited ESO’s Paranal Observatory on Friday 24 May. The visit was hosted by a number of ESO staff, including the ESO Representative in Chile, Claudio Melo, and the Director of La Silla Paranal Observatory, Andreas Kaufer. The visit was an ideal opportunity for Microsoft and ESO to explore the possibility of cooperation in research and innovation, in particular to address the challenges facing ground-based astronomy in the area of giant telescopes such as the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). “Back in 2018, the Director of La Silla Paranal Observatory saw an interesting presentation by the General Manager of Microsoft Chile, Sergio Rademacher, presenting developments in areas like artificial intelligence and deep learning, etc.”, explained Claudio Melo. “At ESO, we had already started to discuss how to jointly operate the VLT and the ELT using the latest technological advances, so ...

7 juni 2019: Several initiatives around the world are developing constellations of satellites to be put in relatively low Earth orbits, with the aim of providing communication services, most notably in areas poorly served by other means. Recent public and media attention has brought focus on the possible impacts to astronomy from these constellations, which may eventually reach numbers of tens of thousands of individual satellites. The 16 Member States of ESO, as well as other states and organisations around the world, are making substantial investments in the construction and operation of ground-based facilities to carry out fundamental scientific research advancing knowledge for humanity. The superb sky conditions required for the optimal performance of these facilities may be compromised by the passage of bright satellites across the field of view of the telescopes. Observing strategies are being considered by ESO and other observatories to minimise the impact of these constellations in astronomical observations. ...

7 juni 2019: To enhance its programme of scientific cooperation with its host country Chile, ESO provides and manages an annual fund devoted to the development of disciplines related to astronomy and technology in Chile. The board, which consists of representatives of ESO and the Chilean Government (working through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), evaluates and selects the programmes to be supported by this fund, which fall into five areas: ESO grant funding to postdoctoral programmes in astronomy at Chilean academic institutions. Funding for academic faculty positions for periods of up to two years at Chilean academic institutions. Funding to support the development and presentation of educational programmes for the teaching and dissemination of astronomy in Chile. Funding to support development programmes and the construction of technological systems for astronomy. Funding to support the development of astronomy in areas not covered by the above four categories. The Joint Committee of ESO and the ...

7 juni 2019: On 2 July, at 21:15 CEST, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) will provide a live webcast of the 2019 La Silla Total Solar Eclipse, should weather conditions be favourable and Internet broadband performs as expected. We invite entities in our Member States and beyond to consider incorporating the webcast into any public events that they are planning around the eclipse. We also invite members of the general public to simply enjoy the broadcast on our website. This is a unique opportunity to be part of the only total solar eclipse visible from an ESO Observatory for the next 212 years. The webcast will be available in HD on ESO’s website and on ESO’s Youtube Channel, and will run from 21:15 CEST until the end of the eclipse at about 24:00, with totality beginning at 22:39 [1]. It will be a “raw” feed and will not include commentary but we will ...

3 juni 2019: On 29 May 2019, students from the Oskar von Miller Technical College, Meran, Italy visited the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre, bringing the total number of student visitors since the centre's inauguration to over 10 000. To mark this milestone, each student was given a gift as a memento of their visit, and the accompanying teacher received the ESO publication "The Jewel on the Mountaintop" for the school’s library. The ESO Supernova reached this milestone after just over one year of sharing astronomy and space with the public through its engaging education programme, exhibitions, public talks, and planetarium shows. Over the last 13 months, school groups from 11 different countries, among them eight ESO member states, joined the education programme. The centre places a particular emphasis on education and encourages visits from school classes, for which special activities and workshops can be arranged. Teacher training sessions at the ESO ...

21 mei 2019: The ESO Supernova team has published the schedule of planetarium shows through the end of the year 2019. Visitors interested in coming to our centre in the next seven months can now book their planetarium tickets online. The heart of the ESO Supernova is a digital planetarium which offers a unique experience through the use of state-of-the-art visualisation techniques. The shows are displayed on a 360-degree dome 14 metres in diameter. The clear, digital projection and three-dimensional astronomical database ensure a unique and immersive experience. These are just a few of the reasons why our visitors are keen to attend one of our planetarium shows. Due to the ever increasing demand from our visitors, planetarium shows are now open for booking until the end of 2019. You can check the available shows online (planetarium shows are displayed in blue; language is indicated by a flag icon), then make your reservation ...