ESO 50th anniversary celebrations The Messenger Allocation of observing programmes La Silla–QUEST Survey b Pictoris and RS Puppis No. 150 – December 2012 – 150 No. ESO 50th Anniversary A Milestone for The Messenger in ESO’s 50th Anniversary Year Tim de Zeeuw1 nent launch of the construction of the trated book by Govert Schilling and Lars 39.3-metre diameter European Extremely Christensen (Europe to the Stars), many Large Telescope on Cerro Armazones additional images on the ESO website, 1 ESO with a projected start of operations in exhibitions and competitions, one of the about ten years’ time. Meanwhile, the latter with, as a prize, the opportunity number of Member States has increased to observe at Paranal, and a gala event In May 1974, Adriaan Blaauw launched to 14, with Brazil poised to join as the for representatives of the Member States The Messenger. He stated the goal first from outside Europe as soon as the and key contributors to ESO’s develop- explicitly: “To promote the participation Accession Agreement is ratified. ment, past and present (see the report of ESO staff in what goes on in the on p. 7, with copies of the speeches). In Organisation, especially at places of duty ESO’s mission is to design, construct and this special issue, four former Directors other than our own. Moreover, The operate powerful ground-based observ- General also contribute their reflections Messenger may serve to give the world ing facilities which enable astronomers on the significance of the 50th anniver- outside some impression of what hap­ to make important scientific discoveries sary: Lodewijk Woltjer (1975–1987), pens inside ESO.” Today The Messenger and to play a leading role in promoting Harry van der Laan (1988–1992), Riccardo is known the world over, and has reached and organising cooperation in astronomi- Giacconi (1993–1999) and Catherine a major milestone with the publication cal research. The achievement of these Cesarsky (1999–2007). of the current issue, number 150. It has goals would not have been possible with- certainly achieved its goal: the entire out the dedication and engagement of The need for good internal communica- collection gives a very interesting inside many individuals over the years, in par- tion over so many sites, together with the view of the development of ESO over ticular the motivated and highly skilled need to ensure that the community in much of its history (see also the article by ESO staff members carrying out in-house the Member States remains well informed Claus Madsen on p. 74). science, engineering and support activi- about ESO, is as valid a mission as it ties, matched by effort in technical and was in 1974, and maybe more so. While Coincidentally, this milestone occurs in scientific institutes and in industry in the many new channels of information the year of the 50th anniversary of ESO’s Member States, all of it strongly sup- exchange are now used routinely, The founding. On 5 October 1962, following ported by the governments of the Member Messenger continues to have an impor- many years of discussion and preparation, States and of that of Chile which hosts tant role. The layout and the content have a group of astronomers from Belgium, the Observatories. evolved over the years and the fraction France, Germany, the Netherlands and of scientific and technical articles has Sweden signed an international conven- Fifty years is a good anniversary at which increased, somewhat at the expense of tion that created ESO. The aim of the to take stock — to look back with pride the more informal and sometimes anec- Organisation was to build a large tele- on what has been achieved, to contem- dotal contributions in the early issues, scope in the southern hemisphere and to plate some of the detail on how it all no doubt caused by the increased size foster collaboration in astronomy. This led came to pass, and to learn from the past and complexity of the Organisation. I am to the construction of the La Silla Obser- while forging ahead into the future. The convinced that The Messenger will con- vatory in Chile with first light on the 3.6- anniversary has been celebrated in a tinue to have an important role, and I metre telescope obtained in 1976. The variety of ways — including a scientific strongly recommend this special edition early issues of The Messenger record the workshop (ESO@50, see the report to your attention. last steps leading to this achievement. on p. 64), a book by Claus Madsen (The Jewel on the Mountaintop) covering In the years since, The Messenger has nearly all of ESO’s history, a richly illus- Artist’s impression of the E-ELT on Armazones. faithfully chronicled how ESO’s pro- gramme expanded tremendously beyond the vision of the founding fathers. The build-up of La Silla was followed by the construction of the Paranal Observatory, Calçada ESO/L. hosting the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the VLT Interferometer and the survey telescopes VISTA and VST. The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) partner- ship operating a 12-metre submillimetre antenna on Chajnantor was a precursor to the intercontinental partnership that is constructing the world’s largest radio telescope, the Atacama Large Millimeter/ submillimeter Array (ALMA), on the same site and with initial operations already started. The next giant step is the immi- 2 The Messenger 150 – December 2012 ESO 50th Anniversary Reflections from Past Directors General Three Threads through Time Lodewijk Woltjer national income (NNI), this growth also plan for the 39-metre telescope. In addi- implied a strengthening of the financial tion, the new instrumentation projects capacity to undertake more challenging for the VLT interferometer and for the Unit The celebration of 50 years of ESO recalls projects. The recent agreement with Telescopes of the VLT have made ESO early discussions about the purpose Brazil further adds to the weight of the the envy of the world and increased its of ESO. Was this only to construct a 3.6- organisation. Of course, ESO becomes science productivity by factors unimagi- metre telescope to explore the south- less European, but the cultural closeness nable three decades ago. The model of ern Milky Way, or was ESO part of the between Latin America and Europe shared instrumentation development European revival in science and technol- does not make this a very important between ESO and its Member States, ogy and, more generally, an attempt to issue. Moreover, relations with Chile have as planned in the original VLT proposal, restore its independence? When I came developed very favourably; although the has been a full success for both. The to ESO the latter aspect would gradually Chilean contribution consisted mainly technological capabilities of the institutes assume a dominant importance. Three of sites, Chilean scientists rapidly became are infinitely superior to those of only lines of evolution of ESO were started de facto members of the broader ESO thirty years ago. at that time, and it is interesting to see community. that, during the last decade, this long- ESO has demonstrated that European term ambition has more or less been The agreement between Sweden, cooperation works. The sum of its completed. The three lines involved the Germany and ESO made it possible member countries is much larger than a transformation of ESO from a limited twenty-five years ago for ESO to become simple addition would suggest. But association of the six founding countries part of the millimetre/submillimetre com- ESO’s long-term future depends not only into a pan-West-European organisation, munity that studies the cold Universe. on factual successes. As in the past, the expansion of the wavelength region This thread became more fully developed a common ideology will remain neces- covered by ESO and the development with the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub- sary. Undoubtedly the current economic of a strong European centre for astronomi- millimeter Array (ALMA) project. problems will pass after a shorter or cal science and technology. longer time. Far more serious is the risk The third thread in ESO’s evolution began of the loss of the European ideals so With the accession of Italy and Switzer- with some instrumentation projects. visible in different places. In this respect land thirty years ago, the representative- This activity became more extensive with it is essential that ESO take care not ness of ESO in the European context the development of the New Technology to lose Member States due to temporary was much improved and the successful Telescope, begun after the accession economic problems. ESO activities, incorporation of these countries made of Italy and Switzerland. The subsequent including the vital Fellowship programme, possible the subsequent further growth VLT approval in 1987 sealed ESO’s should continue to unite the young sci- of the organisation to fourteen members. entry into the field of major telescope entists of the continent towards a com- Since the ESO budget is based on net technology, which has now allowed it to mon future. ESO/H. H. Heyer La Silla Observatory at twilight. The Messenger 150 – December 2012 3 ESO 50th Anniversary Reflections from Past Directors General ESO from Age Fifty to Ninety Harry van der Laan are far along. In this note I presume that that is expected to begin with the E-ELT the go-ahead light for humankind’s big- and the James Webb Space Telescope gest eye destined for Cerro Armazones has arrived. In 2002 three Directors General wrote will jump from amber to green. their reflections on the state of the organisation to mark ESO’s fortieth birth- With the survey telescopes VISTA and 2027, the sixty-five-year-old ESO: what day.