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European Southern Observatory + +lES+ OBSERVATORY (()) EUROPEAN SOUTHERN + COVER COUVfRTURf UMSCHLAG This cover highlights two IIhljor events Cette couverture met en evidence deux Dieser Umschl<lg hebt zwei 'wichl ofthe ye<lr, Clflmin<ltion ofsever<ll ye<lrs' evenements m<ljeurs de l',mnee - points Ereignisse des j,z/nes herv0/' - Hö of prep<lr<ltory development work. The Clflmirhlrzts de plusieurs <lrmees de tr<l­ punkte j<llnel,mger 'lHn'bereitender f contr<lct for the Unit Telescopes' M<lin V"'tX de developpements pnip,maoires. wicklungs<lrbeiten. Der Vertr,lg iiber Structure W,IS signed on September 24 Le contr,ll rel<ltzj"'ll<l structure principde Struktltr der vier finzelteleskope (see ,l!so the introdltction on p<lge 11). in des telescopes individuels du VLT <I ete VLT wurde <Im 24. September Imt October it W<lS decided to <ldopt ,m en­ signe le 24 septembre (voir l'intraduc­ zeichnet (siehe <!uch die finleitung I, c!osure type for the VLT which IIhlxi­ tion et LI photo 'Il<l p<lge 11). En octobre, d,ls Foto 'I/tf Seite 11). im Oktober m<llly protects the telescope <lrul its sensi­ l<l deeision fut prise d'<ldopter Itri type de die Entscheidung ji'ir einen Gelltiude tive prillhlry mirror while en<lbling ex­ bitiment qui, d'une p<lrt, ojji'e une pro­ ji'ir d,IS VLT, der einerseits einen md cellent therrn<ll <lnd <lir flow control to tection m<lximde du telescope et de son mden Schutz der Teleskope und ih elimin,lle deterior<ltion of seeing by this mirair princip,1! delic<lt et (jui, d'<lutre empfirul/ichen H'I/Iptspiegel ge·ühi. enclosure. p<lrt, g<lr<lntit Itri excellent contrale ther­ leistet und <Indererseits eine 'I/tsgezei, mique et du p,lss,zge d'<lir <lfin d'em­ nete Kontrolle der W,irrneenl'wickli. pecher une driteritJrtltion du «seeing» p<lr und der Lujtströmung gest<lttet und ce bitimen/. ellle Verschlechtenmg des "Seeir. durch d<ls Gebdude verhindert. Annual Report / Rapport annuel / Jahresbericht 1991 presented to the Council by the Director General presente au Conseil par le Directeur general dem Rat vorgelegt vorn Generaldirektor Prof. Dr. H. van der Laan EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY Organisation Europeenne pour des Recherches Astronomiques dans l'Hemisphere Austral Europäische Organisation für astronomische Forschung in der südlichen Hemisphäre Table Table des Inhalts­ ...... of Contents matleres verzeichnis INTRODUCTION 5 INTRODUCTION 5 EINLEITUNG............ 5 RESEARCH 15 RECHERCHES 15 FORSCHUNG 15 The European Coordination Le Centre Europeen de Coor­ Die Europäische Koordina­ Facility for the Space dination pour le Telescope tionsstelle für das Weltraum- Telescope (ST-ECF) 47 Spatial (ST-ECF) 47 teleskop (ST-ECF) 47 Relations with Chilean Relations avec les instituts Beziehungen zu chilenischen Institutes 49 chiliens 49 Instituten 49 Image Processing 50 Traitement d'images 50 Bildverarbeitung 50 ESO Conferences and Work- Conferences et colloques ESO-Konferenzen und Work- shops 52 ESO 52 shops 52 FACILITIES INSTALLATIONS EINRICHTUNGEN Telescopes 55 Telescopes 55 Teleskope 55 Infrastructure Improve- AmeIiorations de l'infra- Verbesserungen der Infra- ments 60 structure 60 struktur 60 VLT Instrumentation 60 Instrumentation du VLT 60 VLT-Instrumentierung 60 Instrumentation for the Instrumentation pour l'observa- Instrumentierung für das La Silla Observatory 64 toire de La Silla 64 Observatorium La Silla 64 ORGANIZATIONAL, ORGANISATION, ORGANISATIONS-, FINANCIAL AND MATIERES FINANZ- ADMINISTRATIVE FINANCIERES ET UND VERWALTUNGS­ MATTERS 71 ADMINISTRATIVES 71 ANGELEGENHEITEN .... 71 APPENDIXES ANNEXES ANHANG Appendix 1- Annexe 1- Anhang 1- Use ofTelescopes 76 Utilisation des telescopes ..... 76 Verwendung der Teleskope ... 76 Appendix 11 - Annexe 11- Anhang 11- Programmes 101 Programmes 101 Programme 101 Appendix III - Annexe 111- Anhang III- Publications 113 Publications 113 Veröffentlichungen 113 Appendix IV - Annexe IV- Anhang IV- Council and Committee Membres du Conseil et des Rats- und Ausschuß- Members in 1992 129 Comites en 1992 129 mitglieder für 1992 129 3 Introduction Introduction Einleitung This Annual Report continues the Ce rapport annuel est ainclure dans Dieser Jahresbericht setzt die Serie series of ESO's official records la serie des archives officielles de offizieller ESO-Aufzeichnungen where the Organization's services l'ESO ou les services et realisations fort, in denen Dienstleistungen und and achievements are documented. de l'Organisation sont decrits. Un Erfolge der Organisation festgehal­ The livelier account is found in our compte rendu plus vivant peut etre ten werden. Die lebendigere Dar­ journal THE MESSENGER, the trouve dans THE MESSENGER, stellung findet sich in unserer vier­ quarterly which is increasingly notre revue trimestrielle qui voit sa teljährlich erscheinenden Zeitschrift popular among both readers and au­ popularite s'accroitre aussi bien au­ "THE MESSENGER", die sich bei thors, .a medium where the science pres des lecteurs que des auteurs, et Lesern und Autoren zunehmender service organization, which ESO is, par l'entremise de laquelle l'organi­ Beliebtheit erfreut. Über dieses Me­ and its user community exchange sation scientifique de service qu'est dium tauschen ESO als Organisa­ messages between and among each l'ESO assure la communication avec tion im Dienste der Wissenschaft other. Highlights of science and et au sein de la communaute des und seine Benutzergemeinschaft technology are also marked by press utilisateurs. Les faits marquants de Nachrichten mit- und untereinan­ releases, of which there were nine la science et de la technologie sont der aus. Wissenschaftliche und tech­ this year as listed on page 128. That aussi signales par des communiques nologische Glanzlichter wurden Annual Reports are of practical im­ de presse, neuf cette annee (voir liste auch durch Pressemitteilungen ak­ portance was the experience of page 128). L'importance pratique zentuiert, deren es dieses Jahr 9 an ESO's historian Professor Adriaan des rapports annuels a pu etre veri­ der Zahl waren, wie auf Seite 128 Blaauw, who drew heavily upon fiee par le Professeur Adriaan aufgeführt. Daß Jahresberichte von them for the completion of his Blaauw, historien de l'ESO, qui les a praktischer Bedeutung sind, war eleven MESSENGER articles cov­ largement utilises pour la redaction Prof. Adriaan Blaauws Erfahrung, ering the period 1953 -1975, a se­ de ses onze articles parus dans THE der sich ihrer in großem Maße zur ries the author subsequently trans­ MESSENGER et couvrant la pe­ Fertigstellung seiner elf, den Zeit­ formed into a fascinating, richly riode 1953-1975. Cette serie d'arti­ raum 1953 -1975 umfassenden, illustrated book which appeared as cles a ete ulterieurement transfor­ MESSENGER-Artikel bediente. an ESO publication in November. mee par son auteur en un livre fasci­ Diese Serie setzte der Autor nach­ nant et richement illustre qui a paru folgend in ein faszinierendes, reich en tant que publication ESO en no­ mit Photos versehenes Buch um, das vembre. in Form einer ESO-Veröffentli• chung im November erschien. Rather than chronicle the yearby Plutot que de me livrer aun inven­ Anstatt das Jahr anhand von Höhe• highlights, I wish to concentrate this taire des faits marquants de l'annee, punkten nachzuzeichnen, möchte Introduction upon the dualities in je souhaite me concentrer dans cette ich diese Einleitung auf die Dualität ESO's character brought about in introduction sur le caractere de dua­ in ESOs Wesen beschränken, die part by the temporary but lengthy lite que represente pour l'ESO, zum Teil verursacht wird durch die assignment to design and construct d'une part la tache temporaire mais zeitlich befristete, jedoch langan­ the Very Large Telescope while neanmoins de longue haleine de dauernde Aufgabe, das Very Large operating La Silla, the world's conception et de construction du Telescope zu entwerfen und zu largest optical/infrared observatory Tres Grand Telescope (VLT), d'au­ konstruieren, während gleichzeitig a~ the same time. Running the La tre part, l'obligation d'assurer si­ La Silla, das größte optisch/infrarote Silla Observatory is an activity that multanement la bonne marche de La Observatorium der Welt betrieben has grown organically over nearly Silla, le plus grand observatoire du werden muß. Letzteres ist eine über 5 thirty years, streamlined and tuned monde dans les domaines visible et nahezu 30 Jahre organisch gewach­ to the needs of users and honed to as infrarouge. Faire fonctionner l'Ob­ sene Aktivität, die straff organisiert near perfect a routine as scarcity of servatoire de La Silla est une activite und genau auf die Benutzerbedürf• resources and the dependence on qui s'est organiquement developpee nisse abgestimmt ist sowie in nahe­ external transport and communica­ sur environ trente annees, le but zu perfekt ausgefeilter Routine tions systems allow. Maintaining poursuivi etant une rationalisation funktioniert, so wie es die Knapp­ the high quality of these services et une adaptation aux besoins des heit der Ressourcen und die Abhän• requires constant attention to utilisateurs, dans la limite des res­ gigkeit von externem Transport und numerous details by ESO staff in sources disponibles et en tenant von Kommunikationssystemen er­ Chile and at Headguarters as well as compte des contraintes imposees möglichen. Um die hohe Qualität an eye for priorities and the subse­ par les moyens de transport et les dieser Dienstleistungen aufrechtzu­ quent distribution of resources by systemes de communication. Main­ erhalten, bedarf es konstanter Be­ management for those inno~at~ons tenir
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