ESO
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Astronomy & Space
| Stands for | European Southern Observatory |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
ESO stands for European Southern Observatory, an astronomy & Space abbreviation.
Intergovernmental astronomy organization founded in 1962 that operates world-class telescopes at La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor in Chile's Atacama Desert. ESO runs the Very Large Telescope, is a partner in ALMA and is building the Extremely Large Telescope; its headquarters are in Garching, near Munich.
Example: ESO's VLT tracked stars orbiting the Milky Way's central black hole for decades.
Usage notes
Northern Chile was chosen for its exceptionally dry, clear skies and the southern view of the Milky Way's center and the Magellanic Clouds. Observations with the VLT underpinned Reinhard Genzel's share of the 2020 Nobel Prize for the discovery of the Milky Way's central black hole.
Related abbreviations
More astronomy & Space abbreviations
- DM – Dark matter
- DSO – Deep-sky object
- EDL – Entry, descent and landing
- EHT – Event Horizon Telescope
- ELT – Extremely Large Telescope
- ESA – European Space Agency
- ET – Extraterrestrial
- EVA – Extravehicular activity
- FAST – Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope
- FRB – Fast radio burst
- GEO – Geostationary orbit
- GRB – Gamma-ray burst