(ESO/WFI, Optical; MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al., Submillimeter; NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al., X-ray, ESO/M.-R. Cioni/VISTA Magellanic Cloud survey, Reuters/ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/ R. Gendler, J-E. Ovaldsen, C. Thsne, and C. Feron. Like other observatories in the area, La Silla is far from sources of light pollution and has one of the darkest night skies on Earth. The observatory hosts visitor instruments, attached to a telescope for the duration of an observational run and then removed. #, As soon as the Sun sets over the Chilean Atacama Desert, ESO's VLT begins catching light from the far reaches of the Universe. The observatory is one of the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. [56][57], The main facility at Paranal is the VLT, which consists of four nearly identical 8.2-metre (27 ft) unit telescopes (UTs), each hosting two or three instruments. These crystal-clear night skies explain why Chile is the home of not only ALMA, but also several other astronomical observatories. The organisation publishes three types of press releases. The star (and the Milky Way) must have formed soon after the Big Bang. This aerial view shows beautifully the Chilean Atacama Desert around the ESO Paranal Observatory, home to the VLT (at bottom right). Its instrumentation includes a 67-million-pixel wide-field imager (WFI) with a field of view as large as the full moon,[44] which has taken many images of celestial objects. These data sets cover the sky at all wavelengths, from gamma- and X-rays through optical, infrared and radio waves. It is likely that the Sun formed in a similar star formation region more than four billion years ago. [60], Data from the VLT have led to the publication of an average of more than one peer-reviewed scientific paper per day; in 2017, over 600 reviewed scientific papers were published based on VLT data. APEX is based on a prototype ALMA antenna that is modified to be operated as single dish radio telescope. Observatories have developed other methods, such as this one using carbon dioxide snow. "Light curve of interstellar asteroid Ê»Oumuamua". A view of the Chajnantor plateau, showing the ALMA antennas ranged across the unearthly landscape. The ELT will be the largest visible and near-infrared telescope in the world. [143] ESO also publishes announcements[144] and Pictures of the Week[145] on its website. #, A color composite of visible and near-infrared images of the dark cloud Barnard 68. The KMOS spectrograph, shown when it was undergoing tests at the UK Astronomy Technology Center in Edinburgh, before it was shipped to Chile to become a powerful new instrument on the VLT. Interview date: Thursday, 13 May 1976. We want to hear what you think about this article. La Silla Observatory operated by European Southern Observatory, Chile, South America. User Support Astronomer - European Southern Observatory (ESO) Deadline: January 14, 2021: Website: Click to learn more: Position: User Support Astronomer: Employer: European Southern Observatory (ESO) Location: Garching, Germany: Job type: Temporary European Southern Observatory, annual report 1997. by European Southern Observatory | European Southern Observatory | European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere.. The crescent Moon, although not visible in this image, casts stark shadows over all the antennas. These images are from ESO's top-100 list. The mirror's surface is so delicate that normal cleaners used for household mirrors are not appropriate. The four 8.2-meter Unit Telescopes stand out to the right on the summit of Mount Paranal. Plan to visit European Southern Observatory Paranal, Chile. On November 15, 1963 Chile was chosen as the site for ESO's observatory. As soon as the Sun sets over the Chilean Atacama Desert, ESO's VLT begins catching light from the far reaches of the Universe. It operates the La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile and has its … This technology (developed by ESO and known as active optics) is now applied to all major telescopes, including the VLT and the future ELT. [64] The four unit telescopes, UT1, UT2, UT3 and UT4, are since known as Antu (sun), Kueyen (moon), Melipal (Southern Cross), and Yepun (Evening Star),[65] with the latter having been originally mistranslated as "Sirius", instead of "Venus". A careful look at the central part of this object reveals not only the knots, but also many remote galaxies seen right through the thinly spread glowing gas. While the cause of this phenomenon is unknown, observers have suggested that the black hole may be spinning rapidly. The crescent Moon, although not visible in this image, casts stark shadows over all the antennas. Because the star cannot be older than the universe itself, the universe must be older than this. Scientists think this could indicate that the star became less bright and partially obscured by dust. ESO strives to attract and appoint exceptional talents to support its development as a world leader in Astronomy. The ALMA transporters, two giant custom-built vehicles, can move the antennas across the Chajnantor plateau, allowing different configurations of the array. Tim de Zeeuw talks on ESO and its 50th Anniversary. La Silla, located in the southern Atacama Desert 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of Santiago de Chile at an altitude of 2,400 metres (7,900 ft), is the home of ESO's original observation site. ESO = European Southern Observatory Modern geographical name of the location of the photograph: (Cerro) El Morado, Andes, Chile. In addition to the main array, ALMA will also have a compact array, composed of four 12-meter antennas plus twelve 7-meter antennas. 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