German Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space, German dignitaries visit ESO’s Paranal Observatory

Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space of Germany, Markus Blume, Bavarian State Minister for Science and the Arts, Thomas Reiter, Director General ‘Space and Security’, Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space of Germany, and a high-profile delegation — including Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society — have completed a visit to ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Northern Chile, home to some of the most advanced ground-based telescopes in the world. The visit provided an excellent opportunity for the Ministers and the delegation to experience Paranal, its facilities and its stunning dark skies in person, following a visit to ESO Headquarters and the ESO Supernova Planetarium and Visitor Centre last year.

On 4 February, ESO’s Director General Xavier Barcons together with Andreas Kaufer, ESO’s Director of Operations and Director General designate, welcomed Federal Minister Bär, State Minister Blume and the rest of the delegation to the Paranal Observatory. The guests visited the ELT Technical Facility, a maintenance and assembly site for components of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), before heading to the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The next day, they toured the ELT site, on nearby Cerro Armazones, where they saw the progress on the upcoming ‘world’s biggest eye on the sky’. During the two-day visit, the high-level visitors experienced the pristine and fragile dark skies at Paranal, got a first-hand impression of ESO’s operations in Chile, saw technology and engineering development done in Germany and elsewhere in Europe in action at the observatory, and learnt about the ELT’s potential to revolutionise our understanding of the Universe.

Germany has played a major role in many of ESO’s technological and scientific achievements, producing mirror blanks for the VLT, as well as the ELT, while several German research centres (including Max Planck Society institutes and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam) have led consortia designing and building instruments for ESO’s telescopes. In her address, Minister Bär emphasised the need to protect the natural heritage, such as the dark and quiet skies, as they inspire the younger generations in their curiosity for STEM research. She highlighted the importance of ground-based astronomy, its synergies with space research and the significance of developing and investing in both fields, as they drive technology in Germany and the whole of Europe.

Courtesy of European Southern Observatory