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European Southern Observatory facts for kids

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European Southern Observatory
Formation 1962
Type research organization for astronomy
Membership
 14 member countries
Website www.eso.org

The European Southern Observatory (ESO, officially called the European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere), is a research group for astronomy, made up of fourteen countries from Europe. Made in 1962 to give state-of-the-art facilities and a view the Southern Sky to European astronomers, it is well known for using some of the largest and most advanced telescopes in the world, such as the New Technology Telescope (NTT), the telescope that helped create active optics technology, and the VLT (Very Large Telescope), made of four 8-meter class telescopes and four 1.8-m Auxiliary Telescopes.

Member countries

Member country Joined
 Belgium 1962
 Czech Republic 1 January 2007
 Denmark 1967
 Germany 1962
 Finland 1 July 2004
 France 1962
 Italy 24 May 1982
 Netherlands 1962
 Portugal 27 June 2000
 Spain 1 July 2006
 Sweden 1962
 Switzerland 1981
 United Kingdom 8 July 2002
 Austria 1 July 2008

Images for kids

  • Directors General of ESO – First Stone Ceremony

    Directors general of ESO (from left to right): Lodewijk Woltjer, Harry van der Laan, Catherine Cesarsky, Tim de Zeeuw and Xavier Barcons

  • Observatorio la silla1

    La Silla cluster of telescopes

  • 3.6-m Telescope at La Silla

    The ESO 3.6 m Telescope

  • The NTT Enclosure

    The New Technology Telescope

  • The Great Dane

    Dome of the Danish 1.54-metre telescope that has been in operation at La Silla Observatory since 1979.

  • 360-degree Panorama of the Southern Sky

    A 360-degree panoramic view of the southern night sky from Paranal, with telescopes in foreground

  • The Very Large Telescope and the star system Alpha Centauri

    The Very Large Telescope and the star system Alpha Centauri.

  • The Globular Cluster 47 Tu

    Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae

  • Science-archive-data

    ESO science archive

  • Artist’s impression of ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre

    Artist's impression of ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre.

  • Esocast hd

    ESOcast is a video podcast series with the latest news and research in astronomy.

  • VISTA’s infrared view of the Orion Nebula

    VISTA's infrared view of the Orion Nebula

  • Helix Nebula

    The Helix Nebula

  • Omega Centauri by ESO

    The Globular Cluster Omega Centauri

  • Guisard - Milky Way

    A 340-million pixel starscape from Paranal

  • NGC 2264 by ESO

    NGC 2264 and the Christmas Tree cluster

  • Centre of the Milky Way

    The Centre of the Milky Way

  • NGC 2467 and Surroundings

    NGC 2467 and Surroundings

  • A reproduction of a composite colour image of the Horsehead Nebula and its immediate surroundings - Eso0202a

    The Horsehead Nebula

  • Messier 78

    Messier 78: a reflection nebula in Orion

  • Eta Carinae Nebula

    The WR 22 and Eta Carinae regions of the Carina Nebula

  • The hidden fires of the Flame Nebula

    The hidden fires of the Flame Nebula

  • Early Morning on Paranal

    Early morning on Paranal

  • The future ALMA array on Chajnantor

    The future ALMA array on Chajnantor (artist's rendering)

  • 360-degree Panorama of the Southern Sky

    Rare 360-degree Panorama of the Southern Sky

  • Lagoon Nebula (ESO)

    370-million-pixel starscape of the Lagoon Nebula

  • ESO - The Milky Way panorama (by)

    The Milky Way panorama

  • ESO-The Omega Nebula-phot-25a-09-fullres

    The Omega Nebula

  • ESO Centaurus A LABOCA

    Centaurus A

  • R Coronae Australis region

    The R Coronae Australis region imaged with the Wide Field Imager at La Silla

See also

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European Southern Observatory Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.