Оголошення

06 червня 2014 р.: A new iPhone and iPad app named Kiwaka has been released today. Developed by the mobile app company LANDKA, in partnership with ESO and other leading scientific organisations, it is an “edutaining” app — combining education and entertainment — fusing gaming and learning about astronomy. Kiwaka is aimed at a broad audience and displays ESO imagery to delve deeper into interesting astronomical objects. Users will be provided with links to ESO content where they can explore the cosmos further on the ESO site. As the game progresses, the user journeys amongst the stars and learns about them along the way. A star map is provided after the game showing which constellations have been traversed. Kiwaka is an innovative method of astronomy outreach. Its combination of education with entertainment inspires the user both to have fun, and learn some astronomy, through easily accessible mobile technology — whilst utilising the wealth of ...

04 червня 2014 р.: Scientists have carried out a major upgrade to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) by installing an ultra-precise atomic clock at ALMA’s Array Operations Site — home to ALMA’s supercomputing correlator. The current rubidium-based time reference has been replaced by a more accurate hydrogen maser. This upgrade will benefit all ALMA users and will eventually allow ALMA to synchronise with a worldwide network of radio astronomy facilities to form an Earth-sized telescope with the magnifying power required to see details at the edge of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way [2]. This corresponds to a resolving power thousands of times greater than achievable with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Before ALMA can lend its unmatched capabilities to this and similar scientific observations, however, it must first transform into a different kind of instrument known as a phased array. This new version of ALMA will allow ...

03 червня 2014 р.: On 3 June 2014, during the 131st meeting of the ESO Council, the Spanish delegation informed the Council that the Spanish Council of Ministers had approved the participation of Spain in the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) supplementary programme. The Council very much welcomed the statement of the Spanish delegation and unanimously approved the participation of Spain in the E-ELT programme. The ESO Council and the ESO Executive are delighted that all ESO Member States are now in the E-ELT programme. Spain joined ESO in July 2006 and its membership was ratified by the Spanish Parliament in February 2007. Further details of the country’s extensive involvement with ESO are available here. Spain will be the fourteenth ESO Member State to join the E-ELT programme. The total investment from Spain amounts to a total of about 38 million euros. The European Extremely Large Telescope is expected to yield great advances in ...

30 травня 2014 р.: In March and April 2014, ESO’s videographer Herbert Zodet and three ESO Photo Ambassadors: Yuri Beletsky, Christoph Malin and Babak Tafreshi embarked on the ESO Ultra HD Expedition. Their goal was to capture footage at ESO’s three observing sites in Chile using state-of-the-art Ultra HD tools [1]. This ESOcast tells their story and shows some of the spectacular results. First the team visited ESO’s Paranal Observatory, home to the Very Large Telescope array (VLT) — ESO’s flagship facility. They then drove to ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array — a huge new facility dedicated to studying the cool Universe. Finally, the team headed to La Silla, ESO’s first observatory. The almost perfect atmospheric conditions in each of the sites provided crystal-clear views of the night sky. The expedition team collected a wide range of content including time-lapses, stills and panoramas in Ultra HD quality that can now be demonstrated in ...

30 травня 2014 р.: The European Southern Observatory (ESO) and its Science Outreach Network are collaborating with the science communication event organiser Sterrenlab to arrange the second ESO Astronomy Camp — Measuring the Universe. The camp will take place from 26 December 2014 to 1 January 2015 at the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley, located in Saint-Barthelemy, Nus, Italy. Several partners, including ESO, are providing bursaries that will be awarded to the winning applicants. The camp will explore the theme of distances in astronomy through lectures, hands-on activities, and nighttime observations with the telescopes and instruments at the observatory. Social activities, winter sports, and excursions will contribute to making the camp a memorable experience for the participants. ESO will be responsible for the scientific programme for the ESO Astronomy Camp, and will provide lecturers and material together with several other partners. A registration fee of 500 euros covers full ...

30 травня 2014 р.: As an additional part of the Austrian contribution when it joined ESO, two specialist teams from institutes in Austria have developed software tools that offer significant improvements over traditional methods. A team from the University of Innsbruck [1] has developed atmospheric correction algorithms and software methods, and at the University of Vienna [2], a team of astronomers and mathematicians has developed software for the automatic combination of data from separate astronomical observations in order to create final mosaicked products. The new atmospheric correction approach models and corrects for the influence of the Earth’s atmosphere on observational data obtained with ground-based telescopes. It saves valuable observing time whilst allowing very accurate correction — leading to a more efficient use of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Stefan Kimeswenger from the University of Innsbruck says: “We are convinced that the daily scientific work carried out by astronomers conducting telescope observations becomes much easier ...

27 травня 2014 р.: ALMA Kids is a new mini-site created especially for children. It aims to familiarise them with astronomy, so that they understand what we know about the Universe, and help them to appreciate the contribution of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The content of this new ALMA educational space includes comics, discoveries explained in simple words, videos, and games, all within a playful design. This colourful virtual platform, which has both Spanish and English versions, was launched on 27 May 2014 at Constitution Plaza, Santiago, Chile, as part of the Santiago Student Science and Technology Fair. At the fair, children of all ages, from preschool to high school, will exhibit the scientific projects they have completed in public schools in the district of Santiago. At ALMA’s booth, visitors will be able to learn about astronomy and the functioning of the largest radio telescope in the world. There will also be ...

20 травня 2014 р.: A new prize called the De Zeeuw–Van Dishoeck Graduation Prize for Astronomy has been established to encourage young talent in astronomy in the Netherlands. It is named after ESO Director General, Tim De Zeeuw and Ewine van Dishoeck, respectively Professor of Theoretical Astronomy and Professor of Molecular Astrophysics at the University of Leiden. The Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW) officially announced the new prize at its annual meeting on 17 May 2014. The award consists of a certificate and cash prize of 3000 euros and will be awarded annually to the the best masters thesis in the field of astronomy written by a student studying at a Dutch university. “Smart students are the future of our field and we would like to encourage students to conduct independent, innovative research as early as possible,” said Ewine van Dishoeck, who, together with ESO Director General, Tim de Zeeuw, has ...

16 травня 2014 р.: On Thursday 19 June 2014 there will be a media event at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in northern Chile to mark the blasting of the top of Cerro Armazones, the 3000-metre peak that will be the home of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). To enable people from around the world to witness first-hand this exciting milestone, a live video stream will be webcast on Livestream from 16:30 UTC until around 18:30 UTC [1]. Limited places are still available for members of the media to attend in person the ceremony and to visit ESO’s Paranal Observatory. Please express your interest before Friday 23 May by filling out the ESO media visit form, noting that you wish to attend the E-ELT Groundbreaking under “Objective of the Visit.” Please note that further details for media are available here. Television broadcasters who cannot make it to the event will be offered full broadcast quality ...

14 травня 2014 р.: ESO has named the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, of the Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon (CAAUL) in Portugal as an ALMA Centre of Expertise, as an addition to the European ALMA Regional Centre network, in recognition of its ability to support the use of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). As an ALMA Centre of Expertise, CAAUL will have access to the European infrastructure that manages and develops this instrument, supporting its use within Portugal. The specific capabilities that CAAUL has developed in recent years will also be used to support ESO and the ALMA Regional Centre nodes in Europe in verifying ALMA data before they are delivered to scientists worldwide. José Afonso, Director of CAAUL, says that "it is gratifying to see once again the quality of Portuguese research recognised internationally. Our researchers are now using the most powerful telescope available, and the recognition of ...

12 травня 2014 р.: ESO invites you to take part in AstroCamera 2014 — an international competition in support of the popularisation of astronomy and astrophotography. As an honorary sponsor of the competition organised by the Hewelianum Centre, ESO will award prizes for the honourable mentions in the form of books and DVDs, while the winners will receive grants from the organisers. Launched initially on 28 January 2011 in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of the birth of the 17th century astronomer, Johannes Hevelius, the competition is open to all astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts. The life and achievements of Hevelius, a renowned observer of the night sky, have been an inspiration for the Hewelianum Centre to make the AstroCamera competition a regular event. This is the fourth time it has been held. The competition is organised into the following categories: Category I: deep sky objects (photographs of star clusters, galaxies, nebulae, etc.), Category II: ...

09 травня 2014 р.: The ESO Ultra HD Expedition may now be over, but there is much work being done behind-the-scenes to process and combine all the footage the team has taken — a staggering 10 TB of images and video. With four times the resolution of HD, Ultra HD takes our view of the night sky into a new, immersive dimension. The expedition team can now present some of their first results in dramatic Ultra HD footage — bringing the Universe closer than ever before. While the production of Ultra HD TV displays and cameras has flourished, very little Ultra HD content has been made universally available until now. ESO is now changing this by delivering free Ultra HD content to all, from consumer to broadcaster, under a very liberal licensing model. A little over a month ago, ESO’s videographer Herbert Zodet and the three ESO Photo Ambassadors: Yuri Beletsky, Christoph Malin and ...

05 травня 2014 р.: During the course of a visit by the ESO Director General, Tim de Zeeuw, to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, an agreement was signed between ESO and the IAC to perform experiments at the Teide Observatory related to forefront technology in the field of laser guide stars for adaptive optics. This technique will shortly be used at the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and will be essential to the successful operation of the future 39-metre European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) to be built by ESO in Chile. This collaboration between the IAC and ESO is intended to optimise aspects of laser guide star systems. These laser systems are some of the technology used in the technique of adaptive optics, which compensates for the atmospheric turbulence that affects ground-based observations. An artificial guide star is produced by shining a powerful laser into the sky — ...

28 квітня 2014 р.: To enhance their programmes of scientific cooperation with the host country, ESO provides and manages an annual fund for the development of astronomy and technology related disciplines in Chile. The board, consisting of members from ESO and the Chilean Government, working through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, evaluates and selects programmes to be supported by this fund. These fall in 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 committee will consider all proposals that contribute to the development of ...

25 квітня 2014 р.: The latest issue of the free magazine Science in School is now available online and in print. This European journal for science teachers offers inspiring articles, fun games and hands-on activities for students in every issue. It aims to promote inspiring science teaching by encouraging communication between teachers, scientists and everyone else involved in European science education. Some of the highlights of this issue include: how to use citizen science in the classroom, how archaeology and genetics reveal the cause of the Black Death, glaciers on Mars, and how a simple fungus used to brew beer is now used around the world to advance cancer research. Teaching activities include: how to evaluate Planck’s constant using simple equipment in the classroom and how to teach chemistry for the youngest of children. Science in School is published by EIROforum, a collaboration between eight European intergovernmental scientific research organisations, of which ESO is ...

16 квітня 2014 р.: Thanks to a new app developed in partnership with the Polish company Bridge, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) will appear in 3D before your eyes by using your tablet or smartphone along with a print-out of a PDF file, called a tracker. The app can be just for fun or used as an educational tool to learn more about ALMA by visualising the array of 66 antennas at a touch of your screen. By zooming in on selected antennas you will be able to see details in the three-dimensional model. To download the ALMA augmented reality app for free please visit Google Play and the iTunes AppStore. The tracker document is also available in PDF form on the ESO web pages. ALMA is an array of 66 antennas spread out over up to 16 kilometres on the Chajnantor Plateau at 5000 metres above sea level in northern Chile. It ...

15 квітня 2014 р.: ESO’s Paranal–Armazones site in Chile has been shortlisted as one of two potential sites in the southern hemisphere for the international Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) — a large array for ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. This is an important step towards the realisation of the project and if the site is selected, this will open up a new frontier for ESO. On 10 April 2014 Government representatives from the 12 of the countries [1] involved in the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) project met in Munich and decided to start negotiations with the two sites — Aar in Namibia and ESO's Paranal–Armazones site in Chile — keeping Leoncito in Argentina as a third option. The CTA project is an initiative to build the next generation of ground-based, very high energy gamma-ray instruments. The CTA project aims to use detection of high-energy gamma-rays to provide a deeper insight into the high-energy Universe. The representatives ...

11 квітня 2014 р.: Astronomy enthusiasts across the world can now enjoy the best ESO images and news from the Universe on their Samsung Smart TV devices. The company launched the application AstroImages in December 2013 in Latin America and they are now expanding and releasing this product in Smart TVs around the world. AstroImages allows users to see the beautiful images obtained and made available exclusively by ESO in their homes. Featuring content ranging from press releases, with the latest news in astronomy, the Pictures of the Week , and the top 100 images taken by ESO. "With this application you can enjoy the beauty and splendour of our Universe through the spectacular images of ESO on your TV. Discover more about the Solar System, nebulae and star clusters, and many other wonders of the skies in your home," says Daniel Petrini of Samsung Electronics. AstroImages can be found within the Educational category ...

04 квітня 2014 р.: Auer Weber has won a Best in Interior and Architecture award for the ESO Headquarters extension project at the Architecture, Interior, Technical Solutions (AIT), Awards 2014. After being shortlisted as one of six finalists in the category of Office/Administration, the ESO Headquarters extension project went on to receive a special mention at the award ceremony at the Light+Building Trade Fair 2014 held in Frankfurt, Germany on 2 April 2014. The AIT Award was first launched in 2012 and immediately became one of the largest competitions for architecture and interior design worldwide. An internationally renowned jury of architects and interior designers judge the awards — this year from a total of 573 submitted works from 31 countries. The award is divided into eight different categories [1] where all types of architectural projects and interior spaces can be submitted. On 10 March 2014, an international jury selected the ten to fifteen best ...

04 квітня 2014 р.: During the week of 16 June 2014 there will be a major media event at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in northern Chile to mark the blasting of the top of Cerro Armazones, the 3000-metre peak that will be the home of the European Extremely Large Telescope. The ceremony will be attended by VIPs from both Chile and the ESO Member States as well as representatives of the local communities, senior officials from the project and ESO staff. It will be a significant milestone in the construction of the largest optical/infrared telescope in the world. Members of the media are invited to attend in person to both witness the ceremony and to visit ESO’s Paranal Observatory at its spectacular site in the Atacama Desert. Please express your interest by filling out the ESO media visit form, noting that you wish to attend the E-ELT mountain blasting event under “Objective of the Visit.” ...