Historic examples of ESO-developed technologies
IHAP Interactive Data Reduction Software Package (ESO Development) | The ESO IHAP data analysis system has its origins in the early 1970s when the first mini-computers were introduced onto La Silla. It aimed to provide astronomers with an easy-to-use and interactive data reduction tool that could be used even at the telescope during observations. Initially this was used for spectroscopic observations, and was extended to image data around 1976 when the first 2-D image display units were introduced. Although by modern standards, IHAP was a rather simple system, it embraced many ideas such as Graphical User Interfaces that have since become standard today. In its day, it was used in many astronomical institutions in Europe and elsewhere. |
Technical CCD systems (Technology extended through an ESO procurement contract) | For the VLT project, ESO required Peltier-cooled CCD detector systems for wavefront sensing, acquisition and guiding applications. The Technical CCD (TCCD) heads had to be very compact and have an extremely small thermal signature to avoid disturbing the local environment as any thermal disturbance could be interpreted as a physical distortion of the telescope mirror. No commercial CCD system could be found to fulf |