reaching new heights in astronomy (english)

8/13/2019 Reaching New Heights in Astronomy (English)

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ESO

EuropeanSouthernObservatory

Reaching

New Heights

in Astronomy


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ESO and Astronomy

Astronomy is the oldest of the naturalsciences. The majestic Milky Way,

stretching across the sky on a cleardark night, has been an awe-inspiringsight for generations of people fromall historical eras and cultures past andpresent.

Today, astronomy stands out as one ofthe most dynamic sciences, usingadvanced technologies and sophisti-cated techniques to study objects at theedge of the observable Universe, todetect planets around other stars and toexplore many other celestial bodies inunprecedented detail. We can begin to

answer some of humanitys most funda-mental questions, such as: Where didwe come from? Is there life elsewhere inthe Universe? How do stars and planetsform? How do galaxies evolve? What isthe Universe made of?

The European Southern Observatory(ESO) is the worlds foremost inter-governmental astronomical organisa-tion. It carries out an ambitious pro-gramme of designing, constructing and

operating the worlds most powerfuland productive ground-based observing

facilities. For this purpose, ESO is builton very constructive partnerships withthe scientic community and industry,and in some cases with other partiesaround the world.

Observing proposals to use ESOstelescopes outnumber the amount ofavailable nights by a factor of betweenthree and ve, or even more. Thisdemand is part of the reason why ESOis the most productive ground-basedobservatory in the world, with almostthree peer-reviewed papers based on

ESO data being published every dayon average. These scientic papersreport some of the most remarkablediscoveries in astronomy, and ESO iscommitted to continue enabling themby pursuing the most ambitious obser-vational astronomy project in history,the construction of the Extremely LargeTelescope.

Xavier BarconsESO Director General

ESOs Paranal Observatory,home to the Very Large Telescope.

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ESO/J.Girard

ESO/B.Tafreshi(twanight.org)

ESO/S.Guisard(www.eso.org/~sguisard)

The image shows the region of skyspanning from the constellation ofSagittarius (the Archer) to Scorpius(the Scorpion).

Reaching out to the stars at Paranal.

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Highlights from ESOs History

Founding membersBelgium, France,Germany, the Netherlandsand Sweden sign theESO Convention.

First light for theNew TechnologyTelescope.

8 June 2011

30 November 1966

17 March 2001

5 October 2012

6 November 1963

25 May 1998

30 September 2011

Infrared image of the Carina Nebula

from the HAWK-I camera on the VLT.

5 October 1962

23 March 1989

First images from theVLT Survey Telescope.

First light for the ESO1-metre telescope atLa Silla, the rst tele-scope to be used byESO in Chile.

First light for theVery Large TelescopeInterferometer.

ESO celebrates its50th Anniversary.

Chile is chosen as the sitefor the ESO observatoryand the Convenio(alsoknown as theAcuerdo),the agreement betweenChile and ESO, is signed.

First light for the VLTsrst Unit Telescope (UT1),Antu.

ALMA starts EarlyScience observationsand the rst image ispublished.

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ESO/T.Preibisch

7 November 1976

11 February 2003

19 June 2014 The future

22 June 1983

11 December 2009

5 May 1981

14 July 2005

26 May 2017

First light for the ESO3.6-metre telescope.

First light for the HighAccuracy Radial velocityPlanet Searcher (HARPS)at ESOs 3.6-metre tele-scope at the La SillaObservatory.

Groundbreaking cere-mony for the ExtremelyLarge Telescope (ELT)takes place.

As terabytes of astro-nomical data ow to theastronomers in ESOsMember States, newdiscoveries await...

First light for theMPG/ESO 2.2-metretelescope.

VISTA, the pioneer inginfrared survey telescope,starts work.

Inauguration of theESO Headquarters inGarching, Germany.

First light for the sub-millimetre AtacamaPathnder Experiment(APEX).

First Stone ceremony forthe ELT is attended bythe President of Chile,Michelle Bachelet Jeria.

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The ESO Sites

Northern Chile, which includes theAtacama Deser t, has exceptionallyclear and dark skies that, for300 nights a year, offer stunningviews of the southern skies, including

the important central region of theMilky Way and the two MagellanicClouds.

ESOs ofce in Santiago is an active centre for theeducation of new generations of researchers,and promotes exchanges between European and

Chilean scientists through collaborations.

The Gum 15 star formation regionimaged with the MPG/ESO 2.2-metretelescope.

At 5000 metres above sea level, the Chajnantor plateauis one of the highest astronomical sites in the world. Itis home to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeterArray (ALMA) a partnership of ESO, North Americaand East Asia in cooperation with the Republic ofChile and the Atacama Pathnder Experiment(APEX), a 12-metre telescope operating at millimetreand submillimetre wavelengths.

Chajnantor Plateau

At 2600 metres above sea level, 130 kilometres southof Antofagasta and 12 kilometres inland from thePacic coast of northern Chile, Paranal is one of thedriest areas on Earth. It is home to the Very LargeTelescope an array of four Unit Telescopes and fourmovable 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes, which formpart of the VLT Interferometer and two powerfulsurvey telescopes: the VST and VISTA.

Cerro Paranal

The 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope is under

construction here, just 23 kilometres from theParanal Observatory, and will be integrated intothe Paranal operational system.

Cerro Armazones

Vitacura, Santiago de Chile, Chi le

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ESOs rst observatory was built at 2400 metresabove sea level and 600 kilometres north ofSantiago in Chile. It is equipped with several opti-

cal telescopes with mirror diameters of up to3.6 metres. The ESO 3.6-metre telescope is nowhome to the worlds foremost exoplanet hunter,HARPS (the High Accuracy Radial velocity PlanetSearcher).

La Silla

ESOs Headquarters are located in Garching beiMnchen in Bavaria, Germany. This is the scien-tic, technical and administrative centre of ESO.The site is home to a technical building, whereESOs most advanced instruments are developed,built, assembled, tested and upgraded. It is alsohome to one of the largest computer archivesof astronomical data in the world and to the ESO

Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre.

Headquarters, Garching, Germany

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ESO/M.Kornmesser

ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/

NRAO)

Several of ESOs agship telescopes were used

in a continuous long-term study to obtain themost detailed view ever of the surroundings of themonster lurking at the heart of our galaxy asupermassive black hole.

1 | Stars orbiting the Milky Wayssupermassive black hole

Two independent research teams, using observa-tions of supernovae which included data fromESOs telescopes at La Silla and Paranal, showed

that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating.The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded forthis result.

2 | The accelerating Universe

The long-sought world, designated Proxima b,orbits its cool red parent sta r every 11 days and

has a temperature suitable for liquid water toexist on its surface. This rocky world is a little moremassive than the Earth and is the closestexoplanet to us and it may also be the closestpossible abode for life outside the Solar System.

3 |Planet found in the habitablezone around the nearest star,Proxima Centauri

The VLT obtained the rst ever image of a planet

outside our Solar System. The ve-Jupiter-mass

planet orbits a star that failed to ignite nuclear

reactions a brown dwarf at a distance of55 times the mean Earth-Sun distance.

5 | First image of an exoplanet

In 2014, the Atacama Large Milli-meter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)revealed remarkable details of aforming planetary system. Theimages of HL Tauri were the sharpest

ever made at submillimetre wave-lengths. They show how formingplanets gather up dust and gas in aprotoplanetary disc.

4 | Revolutionary ALMA imagereveals planetary genesis

ESO Science Highlights

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SDSS

ESO/

L.Calada

ESO/N.Bartmann/spaceengine.org

Deep-eld image taken with the

Wide Field Imager (WFI) on theMPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescopelocated at the La Silla Observatory.

Using the VLT, astronomers measured the age of theoldest star known in our galaxy. At 13.2 billion yearsold, the star was born in the earliest period of star for-mation in the Universe. Uranium was detected in a starborn when the Milky Way was still forming, and usedas an independent estimate of the age of the galaxy.

6 | Oldest star known in the Milky Way

The atmosphere around a super-Earthexoplanet was analysed for the rst time using

the VLT. GJ 1214b was studied as it transitedits parent star and some of the star lightpassed through the planets atmosphere. Theatmosphere is either mostly water in the formof steam or dominated by thick clouds orhazes.

7 |Direct measurements of thespectra of exoplanets and theiratmospheres

For the rst time, the VLT detected carbon

monoxide molecules in a galaxy seen asit was almost 11 billion years ago, a feat thathad remained elusive for 25 years. Thisallowed astronomers to obtain the most pre-cise measurement of the cosmic temperaturein such a remote epoch.

8 | Cosmic temperatureindependently measured

Using ground and space telescopes, includingESOs VLT, astronomers found a system ofseven Earth-sized planets just 40 light-yearsaway orbiting the ultracool dwarf star knownas TRAPPIST-1. Three of the planets lie in thehabitable zone, increasing the possibility thatthe star system could play host to life. Thissystem has both the largest number of Earth -sized planets yet found and the largest numberof worlds that could support liquid water ontheir surfaces.

9 | Record-breakingplanetary system

ESO telescopes provided denitive proof that long gamma-

ray bursts are linked with the ultimate explosion of massivestars, solving a long-time puzzle. In additi on, a telescope

at La Silla observed for the rst time the visible light from ashort gamma-ray burst, showing that this family of objectsmost likely originate from the violent collision of two mergingneutron stars.

10 | Gamma-ray bursts the connections withsupernovae and merging neutron stars

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UT1 (Antu)

UT2 (Kueyen)

UT3 (Melipal)

VST

UT4 (Yepun)

VISTA

VLTI

Name VLT

Site Cerro Paranal

Alti tude 2635 metres

Wavelengths Ultraviolet/optical/infrared

Components/techniques Interferometry with 4 telescopes (maximum baseline130 metres); 3 of which have adaptive optics

Optical design Ritchey-Chrtien reector

Primary mirror diameter 8.2 metres

Mount Alt-Azimuth

First light May 1998September 2000

The Very Large Telescope

The 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes arehoused in compact, thermally-controlledbuildings, which rotate synchronouslywith the telescopes. This signicantlyminimises local effects on the observing

conditions, such as air turbulence in thetelescope tube, which might result fromvariations in temperature and wind ow.

The rst of the Unit Telescopesbegan routine scientic operations on1 April 1999 and since then the VLThas made an immense impact on obser-vational astronomy. It is the most pro-ductive individual ground-based facilityin the world, and VLT results lead to,on average, the publication of more thanone and a half peer-reviewed scienticpapers every day.

ESOs Paranal Observatory also hoststhe NGTS (Next-Generation TransitSurvey) and SPECULOOS (Search forhabitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOlStars) national telescopes.

The Very Large Telescope array is theoptical agship facility for Europeanastronomy at the beginning of the thirdmillennium. It is the worlds mostadvanced optical and infrared observa-

tory, consisting of four Unit Telescopeswith main mirrors 8.2 metres in dia-meter. They can be used individually ortogether, like the four movable 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes, to form aninterferometer. These telescopes areso powerful that they can obtain imagesof celestial objects that are four billiontimes fainter than can be seen with theunaided eye.

The VLT instrumentation programme isthe most ambitious ever conceivedfor a single observatory. It includes

cameras and spectrographs that covera broad spectral region, spanning ultra-violet (0.3 m) to mid-infrared (20 m)wavelengths.

This spectacular image of the OrionNebula star-formation region was

obtained from multiple exposures usingthe HAWK-I infrared camera on ESOs

Very Large Telescope in Chile. Th is isthe deepest view ever of this region andreveals more very faint planetary-massobjects than expected.

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ESO/H.Drassetal.

Y.Beletsky(LCO)/ESO

ESO/G.Hdepohl(atacamaphoto.com)

Taken from inside the dome of thefourth Unit Telescope of ESOs

Very Large Telescope (VLT), thisspectacular shot captures the VLTsLaser Guide Star (LGS) trained onthe centre of the Milky Way.

The setting Sun dips below thehorizon of the Pacic Ocean, bathing

the Paranal platform in light in thisamazing aerial image from the

Atacama Deser t in nor thern Chile.

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GerhardHdepohl/a

tacamaphoto.com

Paranal 4 laser guide star system

pointing at the Carina Nebula.

Adaptive Optics

Turbulence in the Earths atmosphere

distorts images obtained from the ground

and causes stars to twinkle. But astrono-

mers at ESO use a method called adaptive

optics to compensate for the effect of the

atmosphere.

Sophisticated deformable mirrors con-

trolled by computers can correct in

real time for the distortion caused by the

turbulence of the Earths atmosphere,

making the images obtained almost as

sharp as those taken from space.

A reference star located very c lose in the

sky to the object under study is needed

to measure the distortions caused by the

atmosphere so that the adaptive mirror

can correct for them.

Since suitable stars are not always availa-

ble, astronomers create articial reference

stars by shining a powerful laser beam

90 kilometres up into the Earths upper

atmosphere.

ESO is a leader in the development of

adaptive optics and laser guide star

technologies and collaborates with

European institutes and industries. ESOs

adaptive optics facilities have obtained

many remarkable scientic results. These

include the rst direct observations

of an exoplanet (see p. 8), as well as thedetailed study of the environment around

the black hole at the centre of the Milky

Way (see p. 8).

The nex t generation of adaptive optics

has been installed on the VLT. This tech-

nology employs multiple laser guide stars

and also includes advanced extreme

adaptive optics instruments such as

planet nders. Even more advanced sys-

tems, tailored to meet the challenges of

the ELT, are under active development.

The use of multiple guide stars paves

the way for obtaining a wider correctedeld of view, a result that will be vital for

future VLT and ELT science.

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ESO/G.Hdepohl

Light rays

Atmospheric turbulence

Secondary mirror

Primary mirror

Deformable mirror

Computer Turbulence measure

Astronomica l camera

The 4 laser guide star system on UnitTelescope 4 of the VLT.

Illustration showing how adaptiveoptics works.

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Name Auxiliary Telescopes

Site Cerro Paranal


Wavelengths Optical/infrared

Components/techniques Interferometry with 4 smaller telescopes (maximumbaseline 200 metres)

Optical design Ritchey-Chrtien with coud optical train


Mount Alt-Azimuth

First light January 2004December 2006

The VLT Interferometer

Although light from the four 8.2-metreUnit Telescopes can be combined inthe VLTI, most of the time these largetelescopes are used individually forother purposes, and so are only availa-

ble for interferometric observations fora limited number of nights every year.

In order to exploit the power of the VLTIevery night, four smaller Auxiliar y Tele-scopes (ATs) are available. The ATs aremounted on tracks and can be movedbetween precisely-dened observingpositions. From these positions, lightbeams are reected from the AT mirrorsand combined in the VLTI.

The ATs are very unusual telescopes self-sufcient in their ultra-compact

protective domes, they carry their ownelectronics, ventilation, hydraulicsand cooling systems, and include theirown transporters which lift the tele-scopes and move them from one posi-tion to another.

The telescopes of the VLT can be com-bined to form the Very Large TelescopeInterferometer (VLTI), allowing astrono-mers to see details up to 16 times nerthan with the individual telescopes

alone. With the VLTI, it is possible tosee details on the surfaces of stars andeven to study the environment closeto a black hole at the centre of anothergalaxy.

Light beams from the telescopes arecombined in the VLTI using a complexsystem of mirrors in undergroundtunnels, where the light path lengthsmust be kept equal to within onethousandth of a mill imetre over morethan 100 metres. With this 130-metrelarge virtual telescope, the VLTI can

perform measurements equivalent topicking out the head of a screw on theInternational Space Station, 400 kilo-metres above us in orbit, from theground.

Panoramic view of the Very LargeTelescope Interferometer tunnel.

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P.Horlek/ESO

Sunset at Paranal with one of theAuxiliary Telescopes open and readyfor observations.

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ESO/J.Emerson/VIS

TA

Name VISTA

Site Close to Cerro Paranal


Wavelengths Near-Infrared

Component 67-megapixel camera VIRCAM; eld of view 1.65 1.65

Optical design Modied Ritchey-Chrtien reector with corrector lenses

in camera


Mount Alt-Azimuth fork

First light 11 December 2009

Name VST

Site Cerro Paranal


Wavelengths Ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared

1,058 268-megapixel camera OmegaCAM; eld of view 1 1

Optical design Modied Ritchey-Chrtien reector with correctors


Mount Alt-Azimuth fork

First light 8 June 2011

Survey Telescopes

VISTA has a 4.1-metre main mirror andis the most powerful near-infrared sur-vey telescope in the world. At the heartof VISTA is a 3-tonne camera containing16 detectors sensitive to infrared light

with a combined total of 67 megapixels.It has the widest coverage of any astro-nomical near-infrared camera.

The VST is a state-of-the-art 2.6-metretelescope equipped with OmegaCAM,a monster 268-megapixel CCD camerawith a eld of view more than fourtimes the area of the full Moon. It com-plements VISTA and is surveying thevisible-light sky.

The Visible and Infrared Survey Tele-scope for Astronomy (VISTA) and theVLT Survey Telescope (VST) are sitedat ESOs Paranal Observatory. They arethe most powerful dedicated imaging

survey telescopes in the world and theyhugely increase the scientic discoverypotential of the Paranal Observatory.

Many interesting astronomical objects from dim brown dwarf stars in the MilkyWay to the most remote quasars arehard to nd. The largest telescopescan only study a minute part of the skyat any one time, but VISTA and theVST are designed to image large areasquickly and deeply. The two telescopesare creating vast archives of both imagesand catalogues of objects that will be

harvested by astronomers for decadesto come.

This wide-eld view of the Orion Nebula

(Messier 42), lying about 1350 light-yearsfrom Earth, was taken with VISTA at ESOsParanal Observatory in Chile.

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ESO/B.Tafreshi(twanight.org)

ESO/B.Tafreshi(twa

night.org)

The VISTA telescope enclosureat sunset.

Inside the VST dome with theMilky Way shining above.

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ESO/L.Calada

Name ELT

Site Cerro Armazones


Wavelengths Optical/near-infrared

Technique Built-in adaptive optics using 2.6-metre deformablemirror and up to 8 laser guide stars

Optical design Five-mirror design

Primary mirror diameter 39 metres

Mount Alt-Azimuth

First light 2024

ELT

Telescope. The ELT has a novel ve-mirror design and the primary mirror iscomposed of 798 hexagonal segments,each about 1.4 metres across but only5 centimetres thick.

The ELT is expected to see rst lightin 2024, and it will tackle the biggestscientic challenges of our time. It willaim to study Earth-like planets orbitingin the habitable zones around otherstars, where life could exist one ofthe Holy Grails of modern observationalastronomy. It will also per form stellararchaeology by studying old stars andstellar populations in nearby galaxies,as well as making fundamental contribu-tions to cosmology by studying therst stars and galaxies, and probing

the nature of dark matter and darkenergy. Astronomers are also expectingnew and unforeseeable questions toarise from the discoveries made withthe ELT.

Extremely large telescopes are oneof the highest priorities in ground-basedastronomy. They wil l vastly advanceastrophysical knowledge, allowingdetailed studies of planets around other

stars, the rst objects in the Universe,supermassive black holes, and thenature and distribution of the dark mat-ter and dark energy that dominate theUniverse.

ESOs revolutionary Extremely LargeTelescope (ELT) will have a 39-metremain mirror with a collecting area ofalmost 1000 square metres, making itthe worlds biggest eye on the sky.The ELT will be bigger than all currentlyexisting large optical research tele-scopes combined and will gather about

15 times more light than the largestsingle optical telescopes today. Itsadaptive optics technology will provideimages 15 times sharper than thosefrom the NASA/ESA Hubble Space

Size comparison of the primary mirrors of giant optical telescopes under construction.

El Pen,Chile

(planned 2020)

8.4 metres

Large Synoptic

Survey Telescope

39 metres

Cerro Armazones,Chile

(planned 2024)

Extremely Large

Telescope

Mauna Kea,Hawaii

(planned 2022+)

30 metres

Thirty Meter

Telescope

Giant Magellan

Telescope

24.5 metres

Las CampanasObservatory, Chile

(planned 2021+)

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ESO/M.Tarenghi

23 kilometres

VISTA Very La rge Telescope Paranal Basecamp

Cerro Paranal

Cerro Armazones

Armazones Basecamp

Road

This artists rendering shows anight view of the Extremely LargeTelescope in operation on Cerro

Armazones in northern Chi le.

Upper: This graphic comparesthe dome of the Extremely Large

Telescope with those of other majorground-based telescope facilitiesthat are currently under construction.

Lower: This map of the region ofnorthern Chile shows ESOs Paranaland Cerro Armazones sites and theroad between them.

Large Synoptic SurveyTelescope

Extremely LargeTelescope

Thirty MeterTelescope

Giant MagellanTelescope

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ESO/B.Tafreshi(twa

night.org)

ALMA

High on the Chajnantor Plateau in theChilean Andes, ESO and its globalpartners operate the Atacama LargeMillimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA),the largest astronomical project in

existence. ALMA is a state-of-the-artradio observatory that studies lightfrom some of the coldest objects in theUniverse.

ALMA is composed of 66 high-precision antennas: the main arrayof fty 12-metre antennas, which acttogether as a single telescope, andan additional compact array of four12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas.

ALMA probes the Universe at mil limetreand submillimetre wavelengths with

unprecedented sensitivity and resolu-tion its vision is up to ten times assharp as that of the NASA/ESA HubbleSpace Telescope. The light it observeslies between infrared light and radiowaves in the electromagnetic spectrum,and comes from vast cold clouds ininterstellar space and from some of theearliest and most distant galaxies inthe Universe. Such regions are oftendark and obscured in visible light,but shine brightly in the millimetre andsubmillimetre parts of the spectrum.

ALMA studies the building blocks ofstars, planetary systems, galaxies andlife itself, allowing astronomers toaddress some of the deepest questionsabout our cosmic origins.

Because millimetre and submillimetreradiation is heavily absorbed by watervapour in the Ear ths atmosphere, ALMAwas built 5000 metres above sea levelon the Chajnantor plateau in northernChile. The site has one of the driestatmospheres on Earth and the condi-tions are unsurpassed for observing.

ALMA is a partnership of ESO, theU.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)and the National Institutes of Natural

Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperationwith the Republic of Chile. ALMA isfunded by ESO on behalf of its MemberStates, by NSF in cooperation with theNational Research Council of Canada(NRC) and the National Science Councilof Taiwan (NSC) and by NINS in cooper-ation with the Academia Sinica (AS)in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy andSpace Science Institute (KASI).

Name ALMA

Site Chajnantor


Wavelengths Submillimetre

Technique Interferometry with 150-metre to 16-kilometre baselines

Optical design Cassegrain

Antenna diameter 54 12 metres; 12 7 metres

Mount Alt-Azimuth

First light 30 September 2011

This view shows several of the ALMAantennas and the central regions ofthe Milky Way above.

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ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/N

RAO)/M.Kaufman&theNASA/ESAHubbleSpaceTelescope

ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO

),J.Bally/H.Drassetal.

This image, a composite of data

from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and theNASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope,shows a very rare cosmic sight: apair of interacting galaxies that havetaken on an ocular structure.

Stellar explosions are most often

associated with supernovae, thespectacular deaths of stars. But new

ALMA observat ions of the OrionNebula complex provide insights i ntoexplosions at the other end of thestellar life cycle, star birth.

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APEX

A complementary facil ity for millimetreand submillimetre astronomy is alsolocated on the Chajnantor Plateau: theAtacama Pathnder Experiment (APEX).This 12-metre telescope is based on an

ALMA prototype antenna and operatesat the ALMA site. APEX was operationalfor many years before ALMA and istaking on an important survey role nowthat ALMA is complete.

Like ALMA, APEX is designed to workat submillimetre wavelengths, which arekey to revealing some of the coldest,dustiest and most distant objects in theUniverse. Over the years, it has probed

Name APEX

Site Chajnantor


Wavelengths Submillimetre

Optical design Cassegrain

Primary antenna diameter 12 metres

Mount Alt-A zimuth

First light 14 July 2005

the wild ear ly lives of todays mostmassive galaxies, studied matter tornapart by a supermassive black hole,and detected molecules of hydrogenperoxide in interstellar space for the rst

time. APEX is also used study the con-ditions inside molecular clouds, such asthose in the Orion Nebula or the Pillarsof Creation in the Eagle Nebula, advanc-ing our understanding of the cradles ofgas and dust where new stars are born.

APEX is a collaboration between theMax-Planck-Institut fr Radioastronomie,the Onsala Space Observatory andESO. The telescope is operated by ESO.

The Atacama Pathnder Experiment

(APEX) telescope looks skyward duringa bright, moonlit night on Chajnantor,one of the highest and driest observatorysites in the world.

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ESO/DigitizedS

kySurvey2

ESO/WFI(Optical);MPIfR

/ESO/APEX/A.

Weissetal.(Submillimetre);NASA/CXC/CfA/R.

Kr

aftetal.(X-ray)

ESO/B.Tafreshi(twa

night.org)

This dramatic new image of cosmicclouds in the constellation of Orionreveals what seems to be a ery

ribbon in the sky.

Colour composite image ofCentaurus A, revealing the lobesand jets emanating from the activegalaxys central black hole.

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ESO/B.Tafreshi(twa

night.org)

La Silla

The La Silla Observatory has been anESO stronghold since the 1960s.Here, ESO still operates two of the best4-metre-class telescopes, enablingLa Silla to maintain its position as one

of the most scientically productiveobservatories in the world.

The 3.58-metre New TechnologyTelescope (NTT) broke new ground intelescope engineering and design. It wasthe rst telescope in the world to have acomputer-controlled main mirror (activeoptics), a technology developed at ESOand now applied to the VLT and mostof the worlds current large telescopes.

The ESO 3.6-metre telescope has beenin operation since 1977. Following major

upgrades, it remains at the front line of4-metre-class telescopes in the southernhemisphere. It is home to the worldsforemost exoplanet hunter: HARPS, aspectrograph with unrivalled precision.

The infrastructure of La Silla is alsoused by many of the ESO MemberStates for targeted national projectssuch as the Swiss 1.2-metre LeonhardEuler telescope, the MPG/ESO 2.2-

metre and the Danish 1.54-metre tele-scopes. The Rapid Eye Mount (REM)and TAROT (Tlescope Action Rapidepour les Objets Transitoires RapidAction Telescope for Transient Objects)are gamma-ray burst chasers. TheTRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets andPlanetesImals Small Telescope), ExTrA(Exoplanets in Transits and their Atmos-pheres) and MASCARA (The Multi-siteAll-Sky CAmeRA) telescopes hunt forexoplanets. In addition, BlackGEM looksfor optical counterparts to gravitationalwave detections, and the Test-Bed

Telescope a project in collaborationwith ESA surveys articial and naturalnear-Earth objects.

Three-colour composite mosaic imageof the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16, or

NGC 6611), based on images obtainedwith the Wide Field Imager cameraon the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescopeat the La Silla Observatory.

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The ESO 3.6-metre telescopedome is silhouetted against the skyin a nighttime view of the La Silla

Observatory.

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CTAO

CTA

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) isa next-generation ground-based obser-vatory being built for very high energygamma-ray astronomy. It is foreseenthat ESOs Paranal Observatory will

host the southern array of the telescope,which would be supported by the exist-ing advanced ESO infrastructure.

The CTA plan is to have around 118 tele-scopes worldwide, with 99 telescopesat the larger southern site, around tenkilometres south-east of the VLT. ESOwould operate the southern array andin return, 10% of the observing time onboth the southern and the northernarray on La Palma would be madeavailable to scientists in the ESOMember States. In addition, 10% of the

observing time on the southern arraywill be reserved for Chilean scienceinstitutes.

CTA serves as an open facil ity to awide astrophysics community. Over1350 scientists and engineers fromve continents, 32 countries and over210 research institutes are currentlyparticipating in the CTA project.

CTA with its large collecting areaand wide sky coverage will bethe largest and most sensitive high-energy gamma-ray observatory in theworld. It will detect gamma-rays with

unprecedented accuracy and will be10 times more sensitive than existinginstruments.

Gamma-rays are emitted by some ofthe hottest and most powerful objectsin the Universe, such as supermassiveblack holes and supernovae. Althoughthe Earths atmosphere preventsgamma-rays from reaching the surface,CTAs mirrors and high-speed cameraswill capture short-lived ashes ofthe characteristic eerie blue Cherenkovradiation that is produced when

gamma-rays interact with the atmos-phere. Pinpointing the source of thisradiation will allow each gamma-rayto be traced back to its cosmic source,helping astronomers to study someof the most extreme and violent eventsin the high-energy Universe.

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Artists rendering of southern si teof the Cherenkov Telescope Ar ray.

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A.Duro/ESO

ESO & Chile

On 6 November 1963 the initial agree-ment between the Government of Chileand ESO was signed. This was thebeginning of a more than 50-year inter-national success story and the forging

of an important cultural link betweenChile and Europe. ESO is engaged ina close and very fruitful collaborationwith Chile at many levels, includinggovernment, universities, science insti-tutes and industry.

During this collaboration Chilean scien-tic, technological and engineeringprowess has developed in step with theadvances in astronomy and its asso-ciated technologies in ESOs MemberStates. This advancement has madeChilean scientists and engineers very

valuable partners for ESO.

ESO contributes to the developmentof astronomy in Chile through the fundsmanaged by the ESOGovernment ofChile Joint Committee and the ALMA

CONICYT Joint Committee, nancinga wide range of activities in science,astrotechnology, and education. TheChilean astronomical community alsohas preferential access to a percentage

of observing time on ESO telescopes.

In addition, ESO carries out severalregional and local cooperation pro-grammes in the regions of Coquimboand Antofagasta, where the observatorysites are located. ESO also promotesnatural conservation programmesand an awareness of the local heritage,including the dark skies, in thoseregions.

The cooperation between Chile andESO has proved to be not only solid and

long-lasting, but also exible. Mostimportantly, this association opens anexciting pathway into the future forthe benet of Chile, the ESO MemberStates, and the progress of science andtechnology.

Laguna Miiques is situated high in theAndean Altip lano, c lose to the border toArgentina. Located about 80 kilometressouth of ALMA, visitors pass by thisbeautiful lake when driving on Route 23to Argentina.

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From Idea to Published Paper:The Data Flow

The operation of ESO telescopes forms

a seamless process that starts when

astronomers submit a proposal for an

observing project that addresses specic

scientic objectives. Proposals are peer-reviewed by experts from the community

and the approved projects are translated

into a detailed description of the observa-

tions to be made.

The observations are then performed

at ESOs telescopes, and the data

collected are immediately made available

to the corresponding research teams via

the ESO archive. The scientic observa-

tions and their associated calibration data

are also used by ESO scientists to monitor

the quality of the data and the behaviour

of the instruments in detail, to ensurethat their performance is always within

specication. This entire process relies

on the continuous transfer of huge

amounts of data between the observato-

ries in Chile and ESOs Headquarters in

Garching, Germany.

All the scientic and calibration data

gathered are stored in the ESO Science

Archive Facility. This contains a complete

record of all observations obtained since

the start of operations on Paranal by the

Very Large Telescope, its interferometer

and the survey telescopes VISTA and

the VST. It also contains observations

obtained with the La Silla telescopes

and with the APEX submillimetre radio

telescope on Chajnantor. Observationsstored in the archive typically become

publicly available one year after they were

obtained, allowing them to be used by

other researchers.

The tradit ional way of observing is to allow

astronomers to travel to the telescope

to carry out the observations themselves,

assisted by expert locally-based person-

nel. Known as visitor mode, this allows

astronomers to adapt their observing

strategies to the atmospheric conditions

and the results as they are obtained.

But the necessary observing conditionscannot be guaranteed on any given night.

ESO has also developed an alternative

scheme, called service observing.

Each predened observation species

the acceptable conditions which should

be obtained in order to full its scientic

goals. Based on these specications,

observations are exibly scheduled at

the telescope and carried out. The many

advantages of exible scheduling have

made service observing the mode of

choice for about 6070 % of VLT users.

The data centre at ESOs Head-quarters in Garching bei Mnchen,Germany, which archives and dis-tributes data from ESOs telescopes.

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ESO/MaxAlexander

Partnerships

Fostering cooperation in astronomyis at the core of ESOs mission. Theorganisation has played a decisive rolein creating a European Research Areafor astronomy and astrophysics.

Every year, thousands of astronomersfrom the Member States and beyondcarry out research using data collectedat ESO observatories. Astronomersoften form international research teamswith members in several countries.

ESO has an extensive programmefor students and fellows, and seniorscientists from the Member States andother countries work as visiting scien-tists at the ESO sites, contributing tothe mobility of European scientists. In

addition, ESO maintains a programmeof international conferences with themesin frontline astronomical science andtechnology, and provides support forthe international journalAstronomy &Astrophysics.

European industry plays a vital role inESO projects. Close collaboration witha large number of European high-techindustries provides users with progres-sively better astronomical telescopes

and instruments, made possible by theactive and enthusiastic participationof commercial partners from all theMember States and Chile.

In the eld of technology development,ESO maintains close connectionswith many research groups at scienticinstitutes in the Member States andbeyond. Astronomers in the MemberStates are therefore involved in theplanning and realisation of scienticinstruments for current ESO telescopes,and for other existing or planned tele-

scopes. Instrument development offersopportunities for national researchcentres of excellence, attracting youngscientists and engineers.

Working at ESO

Are you interested in working in a stimulating international environment at the forefront of

technology? At ESO you will experience an inclusive, international, and multicultural working

environment, where respect and collaboration are paramount and where individual and

team contributions are encouraged. Whether you join our technical, science or support teams,

you will be part of a diverse and talented team, contribut ing directly to some of the mostchallenging astronomical projects. Seejobs.eso.organd www.linkedin.com/company/european-

southern-observatory.

Staff and conference visitors at ESO.

Flags of the ESO Member States onthe Very Large Telescope platform.

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http://jobs.eso.org/http://www.linkedin.com/company/european-southern-observatoryhttp://www.linkedin.com/company/european-southern-observatoryhttp://www.linkedin.com/company/european-southern-observatoryhttp://www.linkedin.com/company/european-southern-observatoryhttp://jobs.eso.org/


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ArchitektenBernhardt+Partner(www.bp-da.de)

Education and Public Outreach

Targeted investments in education and

outreach enable ESO to share both

the science of astronomy in general and

the results from the most important

ground-based observatory in the world

with the public and the media. ESO pro-duces a wide range of free high-quality

outreach products such as images, videos

and print products.

The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visi tor

Centre at its Headquarters in Germany

is the rst open-source planetarium in the

world and a cutting-edge free astronomy

centre for the public. The Centre provides

an immersive experience, including inter-

Stay in touchESO has a diverse and active presence on social media across a variety of platforms, reaching

hundreds of mi llions of people per year across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr,

YouTube, and LinkedIn. Connect with us to stay up-to-date with the latest discoveries, be the frst

to see breathtaking images taken by ESO telescopes, and get insight into the daily operations of

our cutting-edge observatories. ESO also sends out weekly and monthly newsletters containing

stunning images of the Unive rse, the latest science results f rom ESOs te lescopes, and news

about the organisat ion.

active astronomical exhibitions that

share the fascinating world of astronomy

and ESO, leaving visitors in awe of

the Universe we live in. It also delivers

curriculum-based educational workshops

for students and teachers, providingunforgettable learning experiences for

schools.

In conjunction with the ESO Supernova,

ESO produces free planetarium shows

for other planetariums, innovative and

authentic open-source science visuali-

sations, and the rst real-time, data distri-

bution system for planetariums around

the world.

The ESO Supernova Planetarium &Visitor Centre will be a showcase forastronomy for the public. It is madepossible by a collaboration betweenthe Heidelberg Institute for TheoreticalStudies (HITS) and ESO.

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nmesser

www.eso.org
http://www.eso.org/http://www.eso.org/

reaching new heights in astronomy (english)

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