Astronomical News
Announcement of the Conference ESO@50 – The First 50 Years of ESO
3–7 September 2012, ESO Headquarters, Garching, Germany
A special science workshop will be held results, and an outlook for science with Isobel Hook (United Kingdom); Konrad at ESO Headquarters to mark the 50th the E-ELT. Kuijken (the Netherlands); Bruno anniversary. The ESO@50 workshop is Leibundgut (ESO); Maria-Teresa Ruiz intended to provide an original perspec- The meeting will consist of invited reviews (Chile); Monica Tosi (Italy); Linda Tacconi tive on the scientific challenges of the and contributed talks covering the many (Germany); Michael West (ESO). coming decade, building on the achieve- diverse scientific areas in which ESO has ments from the science community contributed, including the Solar System, The Local Organising Committee is using ESO facilities. This five-day work- exoplanets, stellar birth and the interstel- composed of Eric Emsellem, Bruno shop will focus on the main scientific lar medium, stellar death, the Milky Way, Leibundgut, Jorge Melnick, Markus topics where ESO has made important nearby galaxies, galaxy surveys, distant Kissler-Patig, Christina Stoffer, Leonardo contributions. Key speakers will be invited galaxies, galaxy clusters and cosmology. Testi, Svea Teupke and Michael West. to give overviews of each field (includ- ing some historical perspective) and then The distinguished Scientific Organising The registration deadline is 31 May 2012. focusing on the present science status Committee is composed of: Beatriz surrounding these questions. The next Barbuy (Brazil); Xavier Barcons (Spain; Further details are available at: science steps will also be emphasised. president of ESO Council); Willy Benz http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2012/ Some “bonus” tracks will be included, (Switzerland); Jacqueline Bergeron ESOat50.html or by email to: such as introducing the first ALMA results, (France); Emanuele Daddi (France); Tim [email protected] the latest unpublished VLT/I and La Silla de Zeeuw (ESO); Eric Emsellem (ESO);
Announcement of the ESO Workshop Ecology of Blue Straggler Stars
5–9 November 2012, ESO Vitacura, Santiago, Chile
An accumulation of observational evi- as of the dynamics of clusters. Spread dence now points to the fact that the two over a week and held at the ESO-Chile mechanisms thought to be responsible headquarters in Santiago, the workshop for blue stragglers – mergers and mass will consist of extended invited reviews, transfer – are operating in the same with ample time for contributed talks and cluster: the exact preponderance of one space for posters. mechanism over the other possibly depending on the cluster’s property, that The scientific organising committee is is, the blue stragglers’ ecology. For exam- composed of: Giovanni Carraro (ESO, ple, it would seem natural that the most co-chair); Henri Boffin (ESO, co-chair); populous systems, i.e. globular clusters, Giacomo Beccari (ESO); Alison Sills should produce the largest population (McMaster University, Canada); Melvyn of blue stragglers, irrespective of the Davies (Lund University, Sweden); The existence of blue straggler stars, mechanism involved. Recently, however, Francesco Ferraro (University of Bologna, which appear younger, hotter, and more it was shown that Galactic open clusters Italy); Robert Mathieu (University of massive than their siblings, is at odds seem to contain the largest proportions Wisconsin, USA); Hagai Perets (Harvard with a simple picture of stellar evolution, of blue stragglers, a proportion only University, USA); and Javier Ahumada as such stars should have exhausted approached by the low luminosity dSphs. (Universidad de Córdoba, Argentina). their nuclear fuel and evolved long ago to become cooling white dwarfs. Obser This is the first workshop ever devoted The registration deadline is 31 July 2012. vations have revealed that blue stragglers to these unique objects. The workshop exist in globular clusters, open clusters, aims at bringing together theoreticians Further details are available at: dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSph) of the and observers in order to compose a http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2012/ Local Group and OB associations. Field complete picture of the progress in the bss2012.html, or by e-mail to: blue stragglers have also been identi- field. It will also bring together specialists [email protected] fied from their anomalous kinematics and of binaries and multiple systems, stellar metallicity. evolution and stellar populations, as well
The Messenger 147 – March 2012 47