ESO Movie 02: Window on the Universe

The European Southern Observatory was established in 1962 with the aim of fostering collaboration between European astronomers.

It operates an observatory at the 2640-m high summit of the La Silla mountain in the Chilean Atacama desert. Currently, there are 14 optical telescopes (between 0.4 and 3.6-m) and a 15-m submillimetre telescope at the observatory. The telescope park includes the 3.5-m New Technology Telescope, one of the most advanced optical telescopes ever built.

ESOs next telescope will be the 16-m equivalent aperture Very Large Telescope (VLT) which will become the worlds largest astronomical telescope.

ESOs headquarters are located in Garching, near Munich, Germany. Here, an important scientific research centre has been established, where scientists from all over the world work together in various fields of research and development. Currently, 8 European countries are members of the organisation.

Through its many activities, ESO provides a window on the Universe for Europes astronomers and a possibility for European researchers to remain at the forefront of their science.