Announcements

6 July 2015: New educational material about radio astronomy, ALMA at School, co-authored by the Joint ALMA Observatory and ESO, is now available for free in the educational material section of ESO’s website in both English and Spanish. The manual contains an overview of the history of radio astronomy leading up to ALMA, and sections on the physics of radio astronomy and how radio astronomy is used to explore our cosmic origins. Diagrams, photographs and illustrations are featured throughout the manual, clarifying and visualising key elements of the story behind radio astronomy, as well as its physics and applications. At the back of the book are a set of ten classroom activities to actively engage students, and a series of slides that can be used in the classroom to illustrate key concepts.

31 March 2015: It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Dr. Klaus Tschira, who passed away unexpectedly today in Heidelberg at the age of 74. Klaus Tschira was a devoted supporter of science education and astronomy, and a close friend of ESO. The foundation he established offered to ESO the donation of a state-of-the-art facility to showcase astronomy to the public: the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre. Work on the building began in early 2015 and it was a privilege to hold a special groundbreaking ceremony on 24 February in the presence of Dr. Tschira. We extend our most sincere condolences to his family and his colleagues.

6 March 2015: On Thursday 16 April at 16:00 ESO invites students and staff from all institutions on the Forschungscampus Garching to a presentation of the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre which will be held at ESO Headquarters in the Eridanus auditorium. The ESO Supernova is being built at the site of ESO Headquarters and will open in mid-2017. This event will allow students, staff and anyone else at Forschungscampus Garching to hear about the opportunities associated with this project that are relevant to them. The project coordinator, Fabian Reckmann and the head of the public outreach department, Lars Lindberg Christensen, will present the status of the project and explain how other interested institutions and individuals can become part of the project or otherwise support it. The ESO Supernova will be a cutting-edge astronomy centre providing visitors with an immersive experience that will leave them in awe of the Universe we live ...

24 February 2015: A groundbreaking ceremony for the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre took place today at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching, Germany. This event marked the beginning of the main construction phase of the facility. The ESO Supernova will be a magnificent showcase for astronomy for the public. It is made possible by a collaboration between the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) and ESO. The Klaus Tschira Stiftung (KTS), a German foundation that supports the natural sciences, mathematics and computer science, offered to fully fund the construction and ESO will run the facility. The striking building was designed by the architects Bernhardt + Partner. This new facility will provide visitors with an immersive experience of astronomy and ESO’s scientific results, projects and technological breakthroughs. It will include a fulldome planetarium and more than 2000 square metres of permanent and temporary exhibitions. Further rooms housing conference facilities will also host a variety ...

26 January 2015: On 24 February 2015, at 12:30, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held at ESO’s Headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany, to mark the start of construction work for the ESO Supernova Planetarium and Visitor Centre. The centre will be a magnificent showcase for astronomy and will be open to the public free of charge. It is made possible by a collaboration between the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS), the research institute of the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, and ESO. The Klaus Tschira Stiftung offered to fully fund the construction and ESO will run the facility. This new facility will provide visitors with an immersive experience of astronomy in general, along with ESO’s scientific results, projects, and technological breakthroughs. It will include a fulldome planetarium and more than 2000 square metres of permanent and temporary exhibitions. Further rooms housing conference facilities will also host a programme of lectures, workshops and conferences. ...

26 November 2013: A photo project, developed by ESO Photo Ambassador, Serge Brunier, with ESO in 2009, has given birth to a new 360-degree fulldome planetarium show produced by Point Du Jour/TOTAVISION Le Plus–Communauté Urbaine de Dunkerque/RSA Cosmos. The show called Le Navigateur du Ciel (The Navigator of Outer Space), is 30 minutes long and is available in French and English. In recognition of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, ESO commissioned the famous French astrophotographer Serge Brunier to take on the challenging task of creating a photo of the entire sky as seen from both the southern and the northern hemispheres. The resulting photo has almost 1 billion pixels and is one of the best and most natural all-sky images taken so far. To accomplish such a stunning feat, Serge Brunier had to travel to the driest place on Earth, the Atacama Desert, crossing it from south to north, and to the ...

21 November 2013: On 3 December 2013 at 11:00 CET, ESO will host a press conference in Garching bei München, Germany, to announce plans to build an exhibition centre and planetarium at the ESO Headquarters in Bavaria. The new building for the popularisation of astronomy is being funded through a donation from the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, a German foundation that supports the natural sciences, mathematics and computer science. The new centre will be supported by operational funding from ESO and is designed to inspire people to look up at the stars, and teach people about the importance of astronomy and its effects on our day-to-day lives. The project is based on an idea that originated out of cooperation between ESO and the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies — the research institute of the Klaus Tschira Stiftung. The construction work is scheduled to begin in 2014. Public interest in astronomy and space science has ...

25 September 2012: Planetarium show lovers have an exciting adventure to embark on: the search for water in the Universe. In early October “Water: a cosmic adventure” will be released — a 30-minute planetarium show that follows astrophysicist Eva Luna as she explores the turbulent origins of the vital molecule. The show was created by the Association des Planétariums de Langue Française (APLF) in collaboration with Hamburg Planetarium and ESO. Realistic 3D animations and breathtaking footage will take you on a fascinating journey to the driest place on Earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile, where ESO’s ground-breaking telescopes search for planets that contain the essential molecule for life. Released during its 50th anniversary year, the show highlights ESO’s greatest achievements while presenting some of the most spectacular images of the La Silla Observatory, the Very Large Telescope at Paranal and never before seen 3D models of the biggest eye on the sky — ...

9 March 2012: The European Southern Observatory has launched an initiative to attach extra information about context (metadata) to the images in its huge collection. The Astronomy Visualization Metadata standard that is now implemented has been developed in collaboration with many other major observatories, including partners from NASA, ESA, the California Academy of Sciences and the University of Arizona. It is now easier than ever to learn more about the fantastic imagery of the Universe, including the archives of ESO. The Astronomy Visualization Metadata (AVM) standard was created to make access to astronomical images easier by collecting extra information in a standard way [1]. This extra information — known as metadata — includes details similar to those included with every digital snapshot picture coming from cameras today — who took the picture, when was it taken, where in the sky was the camera pointed and so on. It is, however, specifically designed for ...