The European Southern Observatory (ESO) is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to astrophysics, supported by sixteen member states alongside its host state Chile and strategic partners. Established in 1962, ESO designs, constructs, and operates ground-based observatories in the Atacama Desert—including the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal, the ALMA interferometer, and the forthcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)—enabling astronomers to study the universe from optical to submillimetre wavelengths.