Observing with ESO Telescopes
Telescope time for ESO telescopes on Paranal and La Silla is allocated twice a year in periods of 6 months. Allocation periods run from 1 October through 31 March, and from 1 April through 30 September. Applications for observing time must be submitted using the Web-based p1 interface accessible at www.eso.org/p1.
Preparing Proposals for ESO's Telescopes
The following pages provide all relevant information for submitting applications:
- Policies and Procedures
- Telescope Time Allocation including accepted LP, ToO, DDT, GTO, and ESO/GTC programmes.
- Phase 1 - Proposal Preparation and Submission
- Phase 2 - Observations Preparation
- Phase 3 - Return of reduced data to the ESO Archive
- ESO Public Surveys
All information concerning service mode observing programmes are available via the page page "Service Observing Information" and links therein.
This information is kept up-to-date on a regular basis.
Information for Visiting Astronomers
Successful applicants are recommended to read the following documents that provide information about travelling to Chile and preparing your observing run.
- Instructions for Visiting Astronomers on mission to Chile
- The Paranal Observatory Home Page
- Guidelines for the Paranal Observatory Visiting Astronomers
- Paranal Site Information and Logistics
- The La Silla Observatory Home Page
- Guidelines for the La Silla Observatory Visiting Astronomers
- La Silla Site Information and Logistics
Observing Programmes Information and Scheduling
Below follow the schedules for the observing programmes for the current and the most recent observing periods. To query the database, please run the ESO OBSERVING SCHEDULE QUERY FORM with modified input parameters.
NEW: As of P113 the telescope schedules can be accessed via a new graphical interface.
ToO Proposals, Large Programmes, and DDT Requests
Comprehensive information of ToO Proposals, Large Programmes, Guaranteed Time Observations, and DDT Requests can be found in the Telescope Time Allocation page.
The COVID-19 impact on the La Silla Paranal Observatory
Information on the operations status of the La Silla Paranal observatory can be found on the LPO News page.