Announcements

15 June 2018: Join us at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre for a special event on Saturday 30 June to mark Asteroid Day 2018. Over one million asteroids have the potential to impact the Earth, and so far we have detected just 1% of them. To raise awareness of the asteroid impact hazard, a global campaign, called Asteroid Day, was endorsed by the United Nations in 2016. ESO Supernova is joining forces with the European Space Agency and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics to host its own Asteroid Day event. Come along for a full day of family-friendly activities, including interactive demonstrations, hands-on experiments and engaging science talks. During the day you will find out all about how ESO’s telescopes search for asteroids, about discoveries they have made so far and also about ESO’s role in the International Asteroid Warning Network. You will also discover how scientists from the ...

7 June 2018: On Friday 22 June and Saturday 18 August, the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre will host Fragmented Future, a unique audiovisual experience performed by Munich-based ESO Music Ambassador tonelabs. The show immerses audiences in a unique audiovisual journey through the real and virtual Universe. Musicians Ali and Max, alias tonelabs, live in Munich and produce music which is not just a sequence of sounds, but also an attitude to life. In these special events at the ESO Supernova, they will present their composition Fragmented Future — a musical journey which invites audiences to discover new dimensions. Each track has its own unique atmosphere, colour, and mood and combines animations and videos from around the world. The performances, which will be in German, are free of charge and are aimed at the general public, including children over 8 years old. To book your tickets and learn more about this engaging ...

25 May 2018: On Sunday 10 June, Sunday 15 July and Wednesday 15 August, a brand new family activity called Solar Observations will be hosted at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. Come along to see the Sun like never before thanks to equipment provided by the Amateur Group for Astronomy Projects at ESO (AGAPE). Using a telescope shielded by a filter that acts like a very effective pair of sunglasses, you will discover the details of the surface of the Sun, including sunspots. Even if no sunspots are visible due to low solar activity, you will still have the opportunity to see a stunning view of the Sun using a telescope equipped with another special filter. The Sun is the closest star to Earth. Its light and warmth allows life on Earth to evolve and thrive. Although the Earth orbits the Sun at a seemingly huge distance of approximately 150 million ...

24 May 2018: On Friday 1 June, a new monthly planetarium show will be presented live for the first time at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. The Sky Next Month will be an informative and engaging show, guiding you through the upcoming observational highlights of the night sky. The second showing of The Sky Next Month will be on Friday 29 June and it will be presented monthly thereafter. Discover which planets are visible, if there are any meteor showers to be seen, and how to use the constellations as your guide to see other astronomical objects or events. Alongside this tour of the night sky, you will learn about all the latest exciting scientific discoveries and developments from ESO and partner institutes. Tickets for The Sky Next Month are free of charge and the show is aimed at the general public, including children over 8 years old. It will be ...

18 May 2018: We’ve all seen Hollywood blockbusters in which life on Earth is threatened by violent asteroid impacts, but just how realistic are these situations? Planets like the Earth are not the only objects orbiting the Sun; innumerable other smaller objects also whizz around our Solar System, and occasionally some of these pass close to the Earth. Scientists call objects that have the potential to approach Earth at a relatively close distance Near-Earth Objects. You are invited to join us at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre on 26 May for a free family activity that will give you the chance to engage with expert scientists and find out more about these fascinating objects. You will hear about our current knowledge of Near-Earth Objects, their potential hazards and the possible safety precautions we should take. The interactive activity, Near-Earth Objects, will also give you the chance to witness the “birth” of ...

17 May 2018: On Friday 25 May the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre will host a cultural performance — Mare Stellaris by Austrian electronic musician Stan Dart. In this show full of mesmerising music and stunning visuals, Stan Dart will take the audience on a journey to outer space and show that there is a connection to the cosmos that defies explanation and cannot be fully grasped. Inspired by icons like Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Kitaro, Stan Dart composes electronic dreams and weaves stories about space. The creativity and the research that combine to make his music are meticulous and magnetising. Accompanied by cosmic visuals, Mare Stellaris features a soundtrack that Dart, an ESO Music Ambassador, composed especially for the opening of the new ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. The performance, which will be in German, is free of charge and is aimed at the general public, including children over ...

4 May 2018: Have you ever wondered whether the colours in astronomical images are real? Have you thought about what makes the Hubble Space Telescope’s images so striking? Join us at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre for an engaging free public talk aimed at audiences of all ages that answers these fascinating questions. At ESO we are proud to have produced many of Hubble’s images for ESA over the past 18 years. Presented by Lars Lindberg Christensen, head of ESO’s education and Public Outreach Department, this talk sheds light on the complex and interesting story behind Hubble’s beautiful astronomical images. Lars will discuss how Hubble images are produced, how ESO plays a role in processing these images, and why Hubble’s spectacular images are much more than just documentary photos of objects and phenomena in space. The public talk Behind Hubble’s Images will be held in the state-of-the art planetarium at the ...

30 April 2018: On Friday 11 May at 19:00 CEST, a public talk — Massive Black Holes and Galaxies — will be presented at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. Join us to find out about how astronomers detect the existence of black holes, and what the latest measurements of black holes tell us about how and when these mysterious objects were formed. Since the discovery of quasars about 50 years ago, research has increasingly been hinting that a supermassive black holes resides in the centre of almost every galaxy. High-resolution measurements at infrared and radio wavelengths have made it possible to find convincing evidence for the existence of such a black hole in the centre of the Milky Way. Those measurements have also yielded new and unexpected information about the dense star cluster in the immediate vicinity of the black hole. New developments in infrared instrumentation and the adaptive optics of ...

25 April 2018: On Thursday 10 May, a family activity — Further than the Eye can See! — will be hosted at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. Come along to find out that the light our eyes see makes up just a small range of what the Universe provides us with, and to discover the importance of looking at different types of light in order to get the whole picture of the Universe. Our eyes are fantastic at detecting visible light. When looking at a rainbow we see all the colours from red to violet that are usually mixed in the sunlight. But why do we get sunburn when we’re lying unprotected in the Sun and not when we sit under a lightbulb? How can a surveillance camera see through the darkness? There must be some different kinds of light that our eyes can’t see. This activity will reveal one type ...

24 April 2018: A map of the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre is now available on our website. The map displays important information such as the locations of our state-of-the-art 14-metre diameter planetarium, our seminar rooms, and the thirteen different themes that make up our 2200 m2 exhibition. It also contains details of the whereabouts of key facilities such as restrooms, the cloakroom and the emergency exits. The map will help visitors to quickly discover all the highlights that the ESO Supernova has to offer. A printed copy of the map will also be available to pick up inside the ESO Supernova centre. The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre will open its doors to the public on 28 April 2018. To see the full range of activities on offer and to book a place at any forthcoming events, please use the following link. More Information The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor ...

23 April 2018: The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre is proud to join the educational programme linked to the 2018 International Documentary Film Festival Munich (DOK.fest München) with special screenings in our new state-of-the-art digital planetarium. On 13 May at 14:00, we will offer a sneak preview of the new ESO planetarium show Europe to the Stars, which will be shown regularly at the ESO Supernova from June 2018. This epic journey takes the audience behind the scenes at the most productive ground-based observatory in the world, revealing the science, history, technology and people of ESO. Discover ESO’s story of cosmic curiosity, courage and perseverance; a story of observing a Universe of deep mysteries and hidden secrets, and a story of designing, building and operating the most powerful ground-based telescopes on the planet. The show is aimed at the general public including children over 8 years old. For more information, please visit ...

23 April 2018: On Friday 4 May, a live planetarium show — Reaching New Heights — will be presented at the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. This show will take the audience on a journey around ESO’s state-of-the-art facilities, immersing them in Chile’s stunning scenery and wonderful dark skies. As the world’s leading ground-based astronomy organisation, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) builds and operates some of the best telescopes in the world, enabling exciting astronomical discoveries and the further understanding of our fascinating Universe. Reaching New Heights provides an overview of ESO, including amazing footage of the telescopes in the Atacama Desert, scientific simulations of discoveries made with these facilities, and a peek into the future as ESO sets out to build the world’s largest optical telescope, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The event is free of charge and is aimed at the general public including children over 8 years old. The ...

18 April 2018: On 28 April 2018, the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre will open its doors to the public. The inauguration of the centre will be celebrated with a series of events dedicated to its community of partners, supporters, neighbours and friends. In its first quarter, the centre has prepared a starry line-up of activities for its visitors. On 26 April we will host a press conference at the ESO Supernova, where media representatives will have the opportunity to learn more about the new planetarium and visitor centre, interview representatives from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the Klaus Tschira Stiftung (KTS) and the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) and participate in an exhibition tour and planetarium show. On the evening of the same day, an event will bring together the founders of the ESO Supernova, the extended team of architects, exhibition designers and project managers, as well as representatives from ...

10 April 2018: On 27 April 2018, ESO is inviting all digital enthusiasts to meet the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre, a new cutting-edge astronomy centre for the public that will open its doors the next day. The Meet #ESOSupernova event is aimed at keen social media users, passionate bloggers and other digital content creators from both the local community (Munich, Bavaria and Germany) and the European and international community. The event is organised in Garching, near Munich in Germany, at the Headquarters of the European Southern Observatory, where the ESO Supernova is also located. The planned language of the event is German, but depending on the participants attending, English may also be used. From 09:00 until 13:00, event participants will have the chance to enjoy an immersive experience at the ESO Supernova. A special exhibition tour will give participants the opportunity to test our exhibits. They will also become familiarised with ...

5 April 2018: Over the past months, the ESO Supernova team has been preparing the programme for the new Planetarium & Visitor Centre, due to open to the public on 28 April 2018. We are delighted to announce that a printed version of the programme is now available, in addition to the online version which can be used to book activities directly. The programme contains information about the range of planetarium shows, guided tours and educational workshops offered by the ESO Supernova. It also features special public events such as science talks, concerts and much more. For more information, see the press release about the online version of the programme. The printed programme will be distributed to various tourism outlets, hotels and other partners, to ensure that our incredible Planetarium & Visitor Centre reaches as broad an audience as possible. It will also be available in the ESO Supernova itself and can be ...

3 April 2018: The latest issue of the free magazine Science in School is now available online and in print. 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, reviews of books and other resources, and many other useful resources for science teachers. It aims to promote science teaching by encouraging communication between teachers, scientists and everyone else involved in European science education. Some of the highlights of this issue include: an interview with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer; an article about the iron-eating bacteria on the wreck of the Titanic; and 10 things you might not know about fracking. Teaching activities include: colourful redox reactions using lollipops; and a set of challenges involving bouncing and falling objects to investigate simple physics principles. Science in School is published by EIROforum, a collaboration between eight European intergovernmental scientific research ...

29 March 2018: ESO will host a press conference on 26 April 2018 at 13:00 CEST, at its Headquarters in Garching, Germany, to present the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre on the occasion of its inauguration. The media will be introduced to the facility and there will be opportunities for interviews. There will also be a tour of the exhibition as well as a planetarium show. The press conference will be in German, but there will be opportunities for interviews in English and material will be provided in both languages where possible. This invitation is addressed exclusively to media representatives. To participate in the conference, bona fide members of the media must register by completing an online form. Space is limited so we recommend early registration. The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre is a cutting-edge astronomy centre for the public and an educational facility. The centre hosts the largest tilted planetarium ...

26 March 2018: Applications for the ESO-supported Summer AstroCamp 2018 will open on 1 April. AstroCamp is an academic programme in the field of astronomy and physics that aims to stimulate curiosity and critical thinking, organised by the Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto (CAUP). The camp takes place from 5–19 August 2018 in a secluded and tranquil setting, away from the stresses of urban centres. The programme is intended for secondary school students from European Union countries, in one of their final three years of education before university. Students of all backgrounds will come together and take two courses consisting of daily lessons, assignments, and a final exam. Some further highlights include: Observing the dark night skies with the naked eye and telescopes (including the Perseid meteor shower); Skyping with astronomers and physicists from different countries; A computational project, working with data from the world’s best telescopes; Social activities such ...

23 March 2018: The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre offers unique venue alternatives for event organisers in Munich. Our events brochure provides information about the spaces for hire and the available services. The centre can cater for events ranging from conferences, meetings, and workshops to cocktail parties and other evening events. The centre has two highlights in terms of venue alternatives. The 360-degree planetarium offers an immersive and spectacular environment. The Void is a spherical room displaying the Milky Way Galaxy on its walls, and its star roof can light up with the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. Other spaces include the 2200 m2 exhibition area, two seminar rooms and the open-air rooftop terrace from which the Alps are visible on a clear day. Any event for which the ESO Supernova is chosen as the host venue will benefit from parking, cloakroom access, and wifi throughout the building. We can also recommend ...

21 March 2018: School students from around the world are invited to take part in the 2018 Catch a Star contest. This is a European astronomical writing contest, with prizes that will leave students starry-eyed! To participate, students should submit a written report on an astronomical topic of their own choice — for example, an astronomical object, phenomenon, observation, scientific problem or theory. Reports must be written in English and be no more than 5000 words in length. Contestants may work in groups of up to three students, plus a group leader who is not a student. Each submission must be emailed as a PDF file to astro.edu@gmail.com. The deadline for all entries is 17:00 CET on 14 December 2018. There will be five lucky winners chosen, and each winner will have the chance to carry out their own remote observations at the National Astronomical Observatory “Rozhen”, Bulgaria, or to hold a video ...