es2626 — Organisation Release
Open House Day at ESO
Get a look behind the scenes on 3 October 2026
10 September 2026
On Saturday 3 October 2026, from 10:00 to 17:00 CEST, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) will open its doors during the Open House Day of the Garching Research Campus. This will be an exciting opportunity to visit ESO and other renowned research institutes for a behind the scenes experience, all for free. Of course, the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre will also be open and offering planetarium shows throughout the day.
Discover the science and technology behind ESO’s state-of-the-art telescopes, meet the people working on and with them, and find out how instruments are prototyped and tested. ESO astronomers and engineers are at the premises all day to answer your questions. ESO will even provide a live connection to Chile, where the organisation’s telescopes are hosted. In short: a perfect Science Day Out!
The full list of activities being offered in the ESO Headquarters building will be announced approximately one week before the event here.
For the majority of events at ESO headquarters, pre-registration is not necessary, and spots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. An exception are shows in the ESO Supernova planetarium. Please check the details below.
There are seven live shows offered, each lasting ca. 30 minutes. Each show will cover the same content, giving visitors information about what can be seen on the night sky and about ESO telescopes. There is no translation available for any show. One show is scheduled in English at 13:30. The show is recommended for visitors aged 8 years and upwards. Unlike the standard shows in the ESO Supernova programme, please note that seats for these shows are not pre-assigned.
Planetarium Programme
Pre-booking online for the shows at 10:30, 12:30, and 14:00 will open on Monday 28 September 2026 at 12:30. Tickets are free and you can book up to 4 tickets per booking. There will be no waiting list for seats for these shows. If cancellations are made, the tickets will be bookable online again, so please do keep checking.
For the remaining shows at 11:30, 13:30, 15:30 and 16:30, we will give out tickets on a first-come, first-served basis on 3 October. Please come to the ESO Supernova "Void" on the ground-floor 45 minutes before the start of the show. (For example, tickets for the 11:30 show are available from 10:15 onwards.) Per person, up to 4 tickets are available. For each show, a limited number of 104 tickets will be available. Additionally up to 3 wheelchair spaces are available.
Every show will start on time. We will open the doors to the planetarium 10 minutes before the show starts. If you are not at the entrance of the planetarium at least 5 minutes before the show starts, your ticket becomes invalid. It cannot be used for a different show.
During the day you can also visit the exhibition in the ESO Supernova, where you can engage with staff of ESO and ask questions.
More information
- All activities are free of charge.
- ESO has a cafeteria where food and light refreshments will be available in exchange for a donation to the ESO Charity Group.
- Share your impressions of your visit online using the event’s hashtag #TagDerOffenenTür and by tagging us @eso_supernova and @esoastronomy on Facebook and Instagram
- Media representatives who wish to attend the event are kindly asked to confirm their participation by contacting press@eso.org.
- Please note that the ESO Supernova visitor parking will be closed on 3 October. Please use the larger parking areas within the campus. Only disabled parking is available close to the building. Please use the bell at the entrance barrier to gain access.
- We recommend travelling with public transport and allowing plenty of time for your journey.
Links
- Campus-wide Open House Day website
- ESO Supernova website
- ESO Open House Day website
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- Follow us on Instagram
Contacts
ESO
Email: ESO-OHD@eso.org
About the Release
| Release No.: | es2626 |
