Release of the ESO Archive Science Portal

A recent update to the ESO Science Archive has made accessing ESO’s vast collection of astronomical data more intuitive and easier than ever before. The highlight of this update is the launch of the ESO Archive Science Portal — an interactive, browser-based sky interface allowing anyone to quickly search for, and obtain, astronomical data from ESO’s telescopes.

ESO builds and operates some of the world’s most advanced ground-based astronomical telescopes, and competition to use these instruments is fierce, with successful proposals gaining access to pristine astronomical data. However, this data doesn’t permanently belong to the researchers who gathered it. After a proprietary period, which usually lasts one year, the gathered data becomes publicly available from the ESO Science Archive.  

The ESO Science Archive has been providing astronomers around the world with access to data since 1988. The goal of the latest update was to ensure that this data  is available to anyone through powerful, yet convenient interfaces, making ESO’s treasure trove of archival astronomical data accessible to everyone.

You can explore the new ESO Archive Science Portal here.

Courtesy of European Southern Observatory