Über uns

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all. We design, build and operate world-class observatories on the ground. Astronomers worldwide use our telescopes to tackle exciting questions and spread the fascination of astronomy: How did the Universe come into existence? What are black holes? Are we alone in the Universe?

We are an intergovernmental organisation established in 1962 supported by 16 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), our host country Chile and strategic partners. ESO brings together over 750 staff from more than 30 countries, and countless more collaborators worldwide, all driven by the passion to build the best telescopes, serve the community and benefit society. We are honoured by the privilege to serve more than 22 000 users from over 130 different countries with excellent infrastructure, services, technologies and data.