Awesome Universe

"Awesome Universe" was a public exhibition that celebrated 50 years of Europe’s quest to explore the southern sky, marking the 50th anniversary of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). It is presented internationally, in cooperation with ESO’s partners in Europe and around the world.

The exhibition was aimed at the general public, as well as the media. Visitors were able tp discover 50 visually stunning images, showcasing celestial objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters as seen by ESO’s observatories — home to the world’s most advanced ground-based telescopes — as well as beautiful images of the observatories themselves, which are located in some of the most unusual places on Earth. Additional exhibition panels introduced ESO itself, and present the highlights of the observatory's first 50 years.

Souvenirs available include: a beautifully illustrated catalogue of the exhibition; “Europe to the Stars”, the ESO anniversary book and documentary (on DVD and Blu-ray); “The Jewel on the Mountaintop”, a book detailing ESO’s history, ESO posters, postcards, and more.

It took place all around the world, for instance, in the UK, Colombia, Jamaica, Russia, South Africa, India, Brazil, Spain, Philippines, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Ukraine, Chile, Finland, Malta, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Slovakia, Cuba, Denmark, UAE, Northern Ireland, Czechia.