Announcements

9 October 2018: On 15 and 16 October 2018 ESO will host a Teacher Training Workshop initiated by Denmark’s Physics and Chemistry Association (Copenhagen/Zealand division). The participants will attend lectures and laboratory visits, engage in hands-on sessions and benefit from the educational programme of the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. Throughout the workshop, participants will be introduced to cutting-edge astronomy, groundbreaking telescope innovations and advancements in detector technology. They will also experience inquiry-based learning methods designed to engage students and improve their science literacy and problem-solving skills. By learning about astronomy in a direct way, the participants will return to Denmark as ambassadors of astronomy who will educate the next generation of scientists and engineers. This will be the first ESO Teacher Training Workshop organised for Danish educators. The ESO Supernova regularly offers teacher training sessions that not only connect teachers with astronomers and engineers, providing them with an understanding of the ...

8 October 2018: ESO, the world’s most productive ground-based observatory, will open its doors to the public on Saturday 13 October 2018 between 11:00 and 18:00 CEST. The ESO Open House Day event will be held at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience the world of ESO first hand by taking part in many different activities; the programme of activities for the day is set out below. Our Open House Day is part of the Tag der offenen Tür that is taking place across the Garching research campus, as well as at several other local institutes. If you need help finding your way around during the Open House Day, look out for our members of staff, who will be wearing name badges. As ESO is an international organisation, our staff speak several languages between them. Media representatives who wish to attend the event are asked ...

8 October 2018: ESO is proud to announce the release of the English version of Mexica Archaeoastronomy: Between Space and Time, a brand new open-source planetarium show illustrating the important role played by astronomical observation in the evolution of pre-Hispanic cultures in central Mexico. The 20-minute show was produced by Frutos Digitales in collaboration with ESO. The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre is excited to add Mexica Archaeoastronomy: Between Space and Time to its growing collection of planetarium shows. Mexica Archeoastronomy adopts a style similar to that of Mayan Archeoastronomy, an earlier result of ESO’s collaboration with Frutos Digitales, and artfully intertwines science and mythology. The new show delves into how the Mexicans used the calendrical and astronomical knowledge of previous cultures to found the capital of their empire, Tenochtitlan. Vibrant colours, shapes and sounds transport the viewer to a culture that, to this day, still lives on in the hearts of ...

13 September 2018: On Saturday 13 October 2018 between 11:00 and 18:00 CEST, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) will open its doors to the public at its headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany. This event forms part of the Open House Day activities taking place across the whole Garching research campus, when several other research institutes also open their doors to the public. The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre will also be open on the day with its usual programme, which can be found here. ESO can be found at location number 39 on this map of the campus. Information on how to travel to ESO’s Headquarters in Garching can be found here. Some of the highlights of the 2018 programme are: See the ESO Headquarters buildings — join guided tours through the innovatively styled office building and the technical building. Learn how ESO creates artificial stars, see what mirror prototypes for ...

8 August 2018: ESO and its Science Outreach Network are collaborating with the science education event organiser Sterrenlab and the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley (OAVdA) to organise the sixth ESO Astronomy Camp. The camp will take place from 26 December 2018 to 1 January 2019, in the Aosta Valley, Italy. The camp will explore the theme of exoplanets in several astronomical sessions, including 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 and OAVdA will be responsible for the scientific programme of the ESO Astronomy Camp, and together with several other partners will provide lecturers and material. The registration fee of €550 covers full-board accommodation at the hostel in Saint Barthélemy, supervision by professional staff, all astronomical and leisure activities, materials, excursions, internal ...

26 June 2018: Die neueste Ausgabe des kostenlosen Magazins Science in School ist jetzt online und als Printversion erhältlich. Das europäische Magazin für Lehrerinnen und Lehrer im Bereich Naturwissenschaften bietet neue Informationen zu aktuellen Themen, Unterrichtsmaterialien und Projektideen zum naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht, Interviews mit engagierten Wissenschaftlern und Lehrkräften, Buchrezensionen und eine Menge weiterführender Materialien für Lehrer. Es will den naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht unterstützen, indem es den Dialog zwischen Lehrern, Wissenschaftlern und Personen im Umfeld der naturwissenschaftlichen Ausbildung in Europa fördert. Hauptthemen der aktuellen Ausgabe sind unter anderem die Kuration von „Big Data“ in der Molekularbiologie, eine Einführung in die Astro Pi Challenge für Schulen und die Evolution neuer Arten. Die Unterrichtsprojekte umfassen Experimente mit Bananen zur Förderung des Verständnisses biochemischer Prozesse, Physikunterricht am Beispiel Verkehrssicherheit und eine Reihe chemischer Experimente zur Destillation aromatischer Pflanzenstoffe. Science in School wird vom EIROforum herausgegeben, einer Kooperation von acht europäischen, länderübergreifenden Organisationen, darunter der ESO, zur naturwissenschaftlichen Forschung. Die ...

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 ...