ESO Activities (In-Kind Projects, FWF P26130 and Software), University Innsbruck, Austria

The idea of an European observatory on the southern hemisphere was immediately born after the end of the 2^nd World War. This should counteract the existing dominance of the USA. The European southern observatory (ESO) was founded in Paris in 1962 and the first observatory opened in Cerro La Silla, an extremely dry area in Chile, in March 1969.

Austria has joined since the middle of 2008.

The first observatory at Cerro LaSilla at a height of 2400 meterslocated about 600 km north of Santiago de Chile - images 1962 and 50 years later 2012
(c) ESO/J. Dommaget

Todays additional facilities are:

(c) ESO/G.Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com)

left: Cerro Paranal with the VLT telescopes at an altitude of 2600 meters located 975 km north of Santiago de Chile - in background 190 km eastwards the snow covered 6720 meters high volcano Llullaillaco. below: The radio antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at an altitude around 5040 meters at the Plateau de Chajnantor 1200 km north of Santiago de Chile. (c) ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) and J. Guarda (ALMA)

Next future plans are the installment of the E-ELT at the Cerro Armazones (3060 meters, 22 km east of Cerro Paranal).

(c) ESO

As a part of the admission payment, software modules are developed and contracts are awarded to companies of Austria (in-kind projects). These software projects are programmes for the planning, calculation and calibration of observational data which make it possible to use the telescopes more efficiently or to carry out more exact measurements. The software development is carried out by astrophysicists and mathematicians of the University of Vienna and Innsbruck in close cooperation with the ESO.

Furthermore the ESO and the Austrian Community are both interested in awarding contracts to Austrian companies. At present, advertising for this is handeled over the ESO sides economy chamber Austria (WKÖ).