The European Southern Observatory and VLT Telescopes on Paranal

TL;DR

This paper provides an overview of the ESO's VLT telescopes on Paranal, highlighting their organization, scientific contributions, and future prospects, with emphasis on their impact on the Russian scientific community.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive overview of the VLT's structure, scientific achievements, and future directions, including its significance for international collaboration and data utilization.

Findings

VLT is a leading global astronomical facility.

The paper discusses the VLT's scientific impact and future plans.

It emphasizes the importance of VLT data for Russian scientists.

Abstract

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on Cerro Paranal is one of the most influential observing complexes in the world. In this overview lecture, an introduction to the ESO organization and VLT telescopes is presented, along with a small selection of scientific works. Particular attention is given to the importance of the VLT for the Russian scientific community, as well as to present and future perspectives for making use of ESO and VLT data.