ESO Science Announcements

First Data Release of the X-SHOOTER Survey of Low-Ionization Structures in Planetary Nebulae

The goal of the observing programme 0113.C-2186(A), PI A. Stavros, is to better understand the Low-Ionization Structures (LISs) commonly found in Planetary nebulae (PNe). This project uses X-shooter to obtain the first UV-to-NIR spectra from a sample of 12 LISs with different shapes and types in 9 PNe with a variety of morphologies, ages and stellar parameters.

Release of the UVES Spectra of Field Stars Observed under the ESO Programme 112.25ES

This data release provides FLAMES/UVES spectra observed as part of the ESO program 112.25ES.001 (P.I. P. Kervella) with the main scientific goal of estimating interstellar extinction of 16 Galactic Cepheid variable stars. For this purpose, neighbouring field stars of the Cepheids were observed, queried from the Gaia Data Release 3 catalog, with the FLAMES multi-object spectrograph. The instrument setup was such that, on average, 115 field stars were observed with the GIRAFFE spectrograph in MEDUSA mode and 2-7 field stars with the UVES spectrograph in the Red Arm mode. This release covers only the UVES data, as the ESO automatic reduction process covered the GIRAFFE spectra, which are available for download from the ESO Science Portal. The fibers fed to UVES have a diameter of 1 arcsec, and the cross-dispersed echelle spectroscopy provides a spectral resolving power of R=47,000.

ESO Opens a Call for Letters of Intent for Expanding Horizons

The aim of the Expanding Horizons process is for ESO to gather input from the community to decide on its next major programme, following the completion of ELT construction. ESO has now formally opened the call for Letters of Intent (LoI) for the Expanding Horizons process with deadline 1 December 2026. The submission of a LoI is a requirement for submitting a proposal.

ESO Period 118 Proposal Submission Statistics

ESO received 1286 valid proposals for observations in Period 118 (1 May 2027 - 30 April 2028). The deadline for proposal submission was 22 September 2026. On the VLT, the most demanded ESO instrument was MUSE with a request of 7170 hours, followed by ESPRESSO (5873 hours), and XSHOOTER (4971) hours. HARPS/NIRPS on the ESO 3.6-m telescope was the most demanded instrument at La Silla, with a combined request of 4470 hours, followed by SOXS, with a combined request of 3045 hours.

ALMA User Survey

ALMA is implementing the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU) to address the ALMA 2030 Development Roadmap and keep ALMA at the forefront of astronomical discovery. The WSU will bring major observing improvements, including increased instantaneous bandwidth (by at least 2x), improved sensitivity, and higher spectral resolution across wider bandwidths than is currently possible with ALMA. To help ALMA assess user support needs over the next decade we invite your input via the following ALMA user survey.

ESO Workshops Selected for 2027

ESO is delighted to announce the ESO workshops chosen to take place in 2027. These events will bring together astronomers from around the world to explore some of the most exciting frontiers in astrophysics. Fourteen proposals were submitted this year and reviewed by a panel of experts from ESO in Garching and Chile. After careful consideration, and with input from ESO's Programme Scientists, the top-ranked proposals were confirmed by the Heads of the Offices for Science and the Director for Science.

When Galaxies Meet: Zooming into the Multi-Scale Physics of Interaction and Mergers across Cosmic Time (GALMEET), Garching near Munich, 14 - 18 June 2027

This ESO workshop will explore the extreme environments and physical processes associated with galaxy interactions and mergers across cosmic time. Galaxy encounters often give rise to some of the most spectacular star-forming events, rapid accretion and coalescence of supermassive black holes, and powerful feedback phenomena capable of transforming galaxies completely. The workshop will revisit the recent advancements in this key area of galaxy evolution research, from both observational and theoretical perspectives, and envision future directions enabled by the next-generation multi-wavelength wide-field facilities and surveys.

Conference "Probing the Cosmos with White Dwarf Binaries", 26-30 July 2027, Garching near Munich

ESO is pleased to announce that the international conference "Probing the Cosmos with White Dwarf Binaries" will be held in person from 26 to 30 July 2027, at ESO's Headquarters in Garching bei München. This workshop will bring together researchers across the diverse sub-fields of white dwarf binaries to foster discussion in key areas, including: Galactic archaeology, binary evolution, pathways to Type Ia Supernovae, and multi-messenger & gravitational-wave sources.

Discontinuation of Support for the ESO MacPorts Repository

ESO announces the discontinuation as of 2026-09-01 of support for the ESO MacPorts Repository in favour of Homebrew, which has the advantage of providing a unique package management system for both Mac and Linux systems.

Apply Now for ESO Studentships - First Annual Call

Are you a PhD student eager to dive into the cutting-edge scientific world at one of the most prestigious observatories on the planet? The ESO research studentship programme offers you a chance to do just that. This exceptional programme is open to students enrolled in a PhD programme in astronomy or related fields. You will continue your doctoral research under the formal supervision of your home university, but with the added benefit of spending a minimum of six months (Chile) or one year (Germany), and up to two years at ESO, working closely with a dedicated ESO staff astronomer.

Xavier Barcons Concludes his Term as Director General

At the end of his nine years as ESO Director General, Xavier Barcons reflects on ESO’s scientific contributions, international standing, organisational challenges, sustained growth during this period, and exciting perspectives for the future.

Introducing the 2026 ESO Fellows - Germany and Chile

The Offices for Science are very pleased to present the 2026 ESO Fellows. Here is an introduction to the Fellows due to start in Garching and Chile later this year.

Major New ALMA Science Archive Features

The ALMA Science Archive has received substantial feature upgrades, some of which have been worked on for years.

Comparison of Panel Review and Distributed Peer Review at ALMA

Since 2021, ALMA has used a distributed peer review model instead of traditional panel-based review. In a recent study, John Carpenter and Andrea Corvillon analysed more than 20,000 proposals and over 160,000 individual reviews over 13 ALMA cycles (Cycles 0–12) to examine whether the statistical patterns of proposal evaluation changed. Overall, the study finds that the outcomes of distributed peer review are statistically consistent with those of traditional panel review. You can read a summary of the result on the ALMA website and the paper accepted for publication in PNAS.

ESO Fellowship Programme 2026 / 2027

ESO's prestigious postdoctoral fellowship programme in both Garching (Germany) and Santiago (Chile) offers outstanding early-career scientists the opportunity to further develop their independent research programmes. From exoplanets to cosmology, observational, theoretical and fundamental astrophysics, these are all areas where ESO Fellows can benefit from a highly dynamic scientific environment, at some of the most advanced ground-based telescopes in the world. Do watch ESOCast 165 to hear what previous ESO fellows have to say about the fellowship programme or watch the virtual tour to ESO's premises from 2020 or 2021 where young scientists could ask questions about the fellowship programme.

Registration Open for ESO Workshop "Bridging Horizons: Harnessing ESO's Current Facilities for the Dawn of Exoplanet Population Studies", 2-6 November 2026

Observations with the VLT, VLTI, and ALMA have pioneered exoplanet science over the past decade. With upcoming results from ESA missions such as Gaia, PLATO, and Ariel, exoplanet research is entering a transformative era of population-scale characterisation surveys. This workshop will bring the community together to explore how current ESO facilities, together with powerful archival resources, can best complement exoplanet demographics, atmospheres, and planet formation at the dawn of population-scale studies.

Fast Track Channel FTC 117A Time Allocation

The time allocation process for ESO telescopes for the first Fast Track Channel FTC 117A (1 September 2026 - 28 February 2027) has been completed. This was based on the scientific evaluation of the Distributed Peer Review (DPR). A total of 505 hours of Service Mode observations (excluding filler programmes) were allocated on the VLT/VLTI, which is 10% higher than the total time initially reserved for this first FTC call (460 hours). As a reminder, only VLT/VLTI Normal programmes with a maximum time request of 30 hours were offered in FTC 117A.

Release of SPHERE Data Indicating the Presence of a Companion for Betelgeuse

Betelgeuse is the most studied Red Super Giant. In 2024, through a reinterpretation of its long secondary period (LSP), a close orbiting stellar companion was suggested to exist, with a maximum elongation in December 2024. The goal was to search for this secondary component.

First Data Release from the INSPIRING ESO Large Programme

The first Phase 3 data release from the INSPIRING ESO Large Programme (1103.D-0797) is now available through the ESO Science Archive. This release provides fully reduced and calibrated VLTI/PIONIER observations obtained in the GRISM_H mode for eight post-AGB binary systems.   The INSPIRING programme uses VLTI observations to study the inner rims of dusty circumbinary discs around post-AGB binaries.

Call for Proposals for Period 118

The Call for Proposals for observations at ESO telescopes in Period 118 (1 May 2027 - 30 April 2028) has been released. Please consult the Period 118 document before applying for time on ESO telescopes. All technical information about the offered instruments and facilities can be found on the ESO webpages linked from the Call for Proposals. The proposal submission deadline is on 22 September 2026, 12:00 CEST.