ESO Calendar 2011

Home , Eta Carinae, R Coronae Australis

ESO Calendar 2011 European Southern Observatory Cover January February March April May June VISTA’s infrared view of the Orion Nebula ESO’s planned European Stellar nursery NGC 3603 Cerro Paranal and Cerro Armazones A European ALMA antenna takes VISTA’s infrared view of the Starbursting Sculptor Galaxy Extremely Large Telescope in Chile a ride on a transporter Cat’s Paw Nebula

This wide-field view of the Orion Nebula A new architectural concept drawing of NGC 3603 is a starburst region: a cosmic This stunning aerial view shows the Chilean A European Atacama Large Millimeter/sub- Infrared view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula NGC 253, also known as the Sculptor (Messier 42), lying about 1350 light-years ESO’s planned European Extremely Large factory where stars form frantically from Atacama Desert around the ESO Paranal millimeter Array (ALMA) antenna takes a ride (NGC 6334) taken by VISTA. NGC 6334 is a Galaxy, is the brightest of the Sculptor from Earth, was taken with the VISTA Telescope (E-ELT) shows the telescope the nebula’s extended clouds of gas and Observatory, home to the Very Large Tele on Lore, one of the ALMA transporters, at vast region of star formation about 5500 Group of galaxies, found in the constella- infrared survey telescope at ESO’s Paranal at work, with its dome open and its record- dust. Located 22 000 light-years away from scope (seen at the bottom-right). Close the 2900-metre altitude Operations Support light-years from Earth in the constellation of tion of the same name, and lying approxi- Observatory in Chile. The new telescope’s setting 42-metre primary mirror pointed the Sun, it is the closest region of this kind to the VLT, the dome of the VISTA survey Facility in the Chilean Andes. This took Scorpius. The whole gas cloud is about mately 13 million light-years from Earth. huge field of view allows the whole nebula to the sky. In this illustration, clouds float known in our galaxy, providing astrono- telescope is visible, and to the right, the place on 23 June 2010, and was the first 50 light-years across. NGC 6334 is one of and its surroundings to be imaged in a over the valley overlooked by the E-ELT’s mers with a local testbed for studying star Paranal Residence and base camp. The time that European antennas were lifted with the most active nurseries of young massive The Sculptor Galaxy is known as a starburst single picture. Its infrared vision also means summit. The comparatively tiny pickup truck formation. high peak in the distance is the 6739-metre the transporters, a procedure that was stars in our galaxy, some nearly ten times galaxy for its current high rate of star for that it can peer deep into the normally hid- parked at the base of the E-ELT helps to high volcano belonging to the Andes, fully successful, with two antennas moved in the mass of our Sun and most born in the mation, one result of which is its superwind, den dusty regions and reveal the curious give a sense of the scale of this massive tele The image, obtained with the FORS instru- Llullaillaco. Also in the image, to the middle- a single day. last few million years. a stream of energetic material spewing from antics of the very active young stars buried scope. The E-ELT dome will be similar ment attached to one of the four 8.2-metre left, one can see an isolated peak with a the centre of the galaxy out into space. The there. in size to a football stadium, with a diameter VLT Unit Telescopes at Cerro Paranal, winding road leading to its summit. This is The first two European antennas for ALMA Credit: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA purple light comes from that frenzy of star at its base of over 100 m and a height of Chile, is a three-colour combination of expo- Cerro Armazones, the selected home for the were moved to two new outdoor foundation formation, which originally began 30 million Credit: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA over 80 m. sures acquired through visible and near- future European Extremely Large Telescope pads in order to perform tests of their dish years ago, while the yellowish colour is cre- Acknowledegment: Cambridge Astronomical infrared filters. This image portrays a wider (E-ELT). surface accuracy. In this process, known as ated by dust lit up by young, massive stars. Survey Unit Scheduled to begin operations early in the field around the stellar cluster and reveals holography, the antennas observed the sig- next decade, the E-ELT will help track the rich texture of the surrounding clouds of Credit: ESO/M. Tarenghi nals from a special transmitter located on a This image combines observations per- down Earth-like planets around other stars gas and dust. nearby tower. formed through three different filters with in the habitable zones where life could the 1.5-metre Danish telescope at the ESO exist — one of the Holy Grails of modern Credit: ESO Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) La Silla Observatory in Chile. observational astronomy. The E-ELT will also make fundamental contributions to cos Credit: ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/ R. Gendler, mology by me asuring the properties of the U. G. Jørgensen, J. Skottfelt, K. Harpsøe first stars and galaxies and probing the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

Credit: Swinburne Astronomy Productions/ ESO

July August September October November December ESO The R Coronae Australis region captured Panoramic view of the WR 22 and Artist’s impression of the magnetar in the Artist’s impression of the planetary system A laser beam towards the Infrared VISTA view of a stellar European Southern Observatory with the Wide Field Imager at La Silla Eta Carinae regions of the Carina Nebula extraordinary star cluster Westerlund 1 around the Sun-like star HD 10180 Milky Way’s centre nursery in Monoceros

The nearby star-forming region around the This spectacular panoramic view combines This artist’s impression shows the magnetar Observations with the HARPS spectrograph, In mid-August 2010, ESO Photo Ambas This dramatic infrared image shows the ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is star R Coronae Australis, imaged by the an image of the field around the Wolf–Rayet in the very rich and young star cluster attached to ESO’s 3.6-metre telescope at sador Yuri Beletsky snapped this amazing nearby star formation region Monoceros R2, the foremost intergovernmental astronomy Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO star WR 22 in the Carina Nebula (right) Westerlund 1. This remarkable cluster con- La Silla, Chile, have revealed the definite photo at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. A located some 2700 light-years away in the organisation in Europe and the world’s most 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla with an earlier picture of the region around tains hundreds of very massive stars, presence of five planets and evidence for group of astronomers were observing the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn). productive astronomical observatory. It is Observatory in Chile. This picture is a com- the unique star Eta Carinae in the heart some shining with a brilliance of almost one two more in orbit around this Sun-like star. centre of the Milky Way using the laser Monoceros R2 is an association of massive supported by 14 countries: Austria, Belgium, bination of twelve CCD frames. of the nebula (left). The picture was created million Suns. European astronomers have, This system is similar to the Solar System in guide star facility at Yepun, one of the four hot young stars illuminating the surround- the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, from images taken with the Wide Field for the first time, demonstrated that this mag- terms of the number of planets and the Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope ing reflection nebulae. The picture was cre- Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Credit: ESO Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre tele- netar — an unusual type of neutron star with presence of a regular pattern in the sizes of (VLT). ated from exposures in the near-infrared Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and scope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. an extremely strong magnetic field — was the orbits. If confirmed, the closest planet bands Y, J and Ks taken by the VISTA survey the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an formed from a star with at least 40 times as detected would be the lightest yet known Yepun’s laser beam crosses the majestic telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. ambitious programme focused on the Credit: ESO much mass as the Sun. The result presents outside the Solar System, with a mass that southern sky and creates an artificial star at design, construction and operation of power- great challenges to current theories of how could be only about 1.4 times that of the an altitude of 90 km high in the Earth’s Credit: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA ful ground-based observing facilities ena- stars evolve, as a star as massive as this Earth. mesosphere. The laser guide star (LGS) is Acknowledegment: Cambridge Astronomical bling astronomers to make important scien- was expected to become a black hole, not a part of the VLT’s adaptive optics system Survey Unit tific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading magnetar. The large crescent in the image is the third and is used as a reference to correct the role in promoting and organising cooperation world in the system (HD 10180d), which is blurring effect of the atmosphere on images. in astronomical research. ESO operates Credit: ESO/L. Calçada comparable to the planet Neptune in mass. The colour of the laser is precisely tuned three unique world-class observing sites in The two inner planets appear as silhouettes to energise a layer of sodium atoms found in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At in transit across the bright disc of the star. one of the upper layers of the atmosphere — Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large The outer planets in the system appear in the familiar colour of sodium street lamps Telescope, the world’s most advanced visi- the background sky. is visible in the colour of the laser. This layer ble-light astronomical observatory and of sodium atoms is thought to be a leftover VISTA, the world’s largest survey telescope. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada from meteorites entering the Earth’s ESO is the European partner of a revolu atmosphere. tionary astronomical telescope: ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. Credit: ESO/Y. Beletsky ESO is currently planning a 42-metre European Extremely Large optical/near- infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become “the world’s biggest eye on the sky”.

Moon phases are indicated in Universal Time.

Produced by the ESO education and Public Outreach Department. 2011 ESO’s planned European Extremely Large Telescope

January 2011

Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 52 1 2 3 4 Stellar nursery NGC 3603

February 2011

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 Cerro Paranal and Cerro Armazones in Chile

March 2011

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 9 10 11 12 A European ALMA antenna takes a ride on a transporter

April 2011

Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 13 14 15 16 17 VISTA’s infrared view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula

May 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 17 18 19 20 21 Starbursting Sculptor Galaxy

June 2011

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 22 23 24 25 The R Coronae Australis region captured with the Wide Field Imager at La Silla

July 2011

26 27 28 29 30 Panoramic view of the WR 22 and Eta Carinae regions of the Carina Nebula

August 2011

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

30 31 32 33 34 Artist’s impression of the magnetar in the extraordinary star cluster Westerlund 1

September 2011

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1

35 36 37 38 Artist’s impression of the planetary system around the Sun-like star HD 10180

October 2011

39 40 41 42 43 A laser beam towards the Milky Way’s centre

November 2011

44 45 46 47 Infrared VISTA view of a stellar nursery in Monoceros

December 2011

48 49 50 51