Record 1200 studies using ESO data published in 2024

More than 1200 studies using data from ESO’s facilities were published last year, a record high. This is the eighth consecutive year where observations conducted at ESO’s observatories have led to more than 1000 scientific publications. The ESO Library, Documentation, and Information Services Department has updated their detailed statistics on publications using ESO data presenting each facility’s contributions in 2024 [1]. The data were presented to ESO Council earlier this month.  

As in previous years, the most productive ESO facilities continue to be the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and its interferometer (VLTI), which last year yielded data included in over 700 studies, a record high. VLT highlights include the observation of the awakening of a massive black hole at a galaxy’s core and the discovery of a planet orbiting Barnard’s star, the closest single star to our Sun, while the VLTI was used to take the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy. The Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) remains, by far, the most productive VLT instrument, producing data for a record 215 papers in 2024. Located at Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, these facilities benefit from some of the world’s best conditions for astronomy: pristine dark skies and clear nights. 

Also located at Paranal Observatory, the Visible and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) and the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) [2] contributed to 140 publications. A highlight from VISTA last year is the release of the most detailed infrared map ever of our Milky Way. Further south, the telescopes at ESO’s La Silla Observatory contributed to approximately 180 studies. 

The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA), which is operated by ESO together with international partners, provided data for over 550 papers. Of these, about 50% papers used data obtained through observing time granted to astronomers based in Europe. A highlight includes the discovery of the most distant rotating disc galaxy. 

Until December 2022, ESO was also a partner of the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) [3], located close to ALMA on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile’s Atacama region. In 2024, observations obtained during ESO observing time at APEX contributed to 38 papers, up from 24 the previous year. 

The 2024 publications statistics once again demonstrate the important legacy value of the ESO Science Archive Facility, with 42% of publications (510 papers) with ESO data partly or exclusively using archival data. For example, a study on the star-system HD 148937 that revealed its violent history used archival data from the FEROS instrument at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. Some 26% of papers relied on archival data alone, without any ESO observations obtained by the authors themselves. Even data from instruments that were decommissioned years ago still actively contributes to the pool of data papers.  

These record-breaking numbers underscore the vital role ESO’s telescopes play in advancing humanity’s understanding of the Universe. This is made possible thanks to the work of the wider astronomical community and ESO staff, the advanced technology of ESO’s facilities, and the continued support of ESO’s member states and of Chile. 

Notes  

[1] Papers can use data from more than one facility, therefore the total number cannot be calculated by adding all publications of the individual sites.  

[2] The VST project was a joint venture between ESO and the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory, part of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF). As of 1 October 2022, this is a sole project of INAF, hosted by ESO at Paranal. Only papers based (entirely or partly) on ESO VST time are included in the statistics. 

[3] As of 1 January 2023, ESO hosts and operates APEX on behalf of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy.  

More Information  

The statistics presented here are derived from the ESO Telescope Bibliography (telbib), a database of refereed papers published by the ESO users community. Telbib is developed and curated by the ESO Library, Documentation, and Information Services Department. Whilst text-mining scripts are applied when screening the literature for ESO data papers, articles are carefully examined by the curators before they are added to the database to ensure that all telbib papers use partly or exclusively data from ESO facilities for which observing time was recommended by ESO. The public telbib interface provides visualisations of search results including on-the-fly graphs and predefined charts.  

Courtesy of European Southern Observatory