Birth of a Great Observatory

For many centuries, maps of the southern sky showed extensive blank areas -- the Terra Incognita of the heavens. The year 1595: For the first time, Dutch traders set sail to the East Indies. At night, navigators Pieter Keyser and Frederik de Houtman measured the positions of more than 130 stars in the southern sky. Soon, celestial globes and maps showed twelve new constellations, none of which had ever been seen before by any European.
See this fascinating story from ESOCast.
The British were the first to construct a permanent astronomical outpost in the southern hemisphere. The Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope was founded in 1820. Not much later, John Herschel built his own private observatory, close to South Africa's famous Table Mountain.
What a view! Dark skies. Bright clusters and star clouds high overhead. Little wonder that Harvard, Yale and Leiden observatories followed suit with their own southern stations. But the exploration of the southern sky still took lots of courage, passion and perseverance. Until fifty years ago, almost all major telescopes were located north of the equator.
So why is the southern sky so important? First of all, because it was largely uncharted territory. You just can't see the whole sky from Europe. A prominent example is the centre of the Milky Way, our home galaxy. It can hardly be seen from the northern hemisphere, but from the south, it passes high overhead.
And then there are the Magellanic Clouds -- two small companion galaxies to the Milky Way. Invisible from the North, but very conspicuous if you're south of the equator.
And then finally, European astronomers were hindered by light pollution and poor weather. Going south would solve most of their problems.
A scenic boat trip in the Netherlands, June 1953. It was here, on the IJsselmeer, that the German/American astronomer Walter Baade and the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort told colleagues about their plan for a European observatory in the southern hemisphere.
Individually, no one European country could compete with the United States. But together, they might. Seven months later, twelve astronomers from six countries gathered here, in the stately Senate Room of Leiden University. They signed a statement, expressing the desire to establish a European observatory in South Africa. This paved the way for the birth of ESO.
But hang on!... South Africa? Well, it made sense, of course. South Africa already had the Cape Observatory, and, after 1909, the Transvaal Observatory in Johannesburg. Leiden Observatory had its own southern station in Hartebeespoort.
In 1955, astronomers set up test equipment to find the best possible spot for a big telescope. Zeekoegat in the Great Karoo. Or Tafelkopje, in Bloemfontein. But the weather was not all that favourable.
Around 1960, the focus shifted to the rugged landscape of northern Chile. American astronomers were also planning their own southern hemisphere observatory here. Harsh horseback expeditions revealed much better conditions than in South Africa. In 1963, the die was cast. Chile it would be. Six months later, Cerro La Silla was picked as the future site of the European Southern Observatory.
ESO was no longer a distant dream. In the end, five European countries signed the ESO Convention, on 5 October 1962 - the official birthday of the European Southern Observatory. Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Sweden were firmly committed to jointly reach for the southern stars. La Silla and its surroundings were bought from the Chilean government.
A road was built in the middle of nowhere. ESO's first telescope took shape, at a steel company in Rotterdam. And in December 1966, the European Southern Observatory opened its first eye on the sky. Europe had embarked on a grand voyage of cosmic discovery.

[@nelis555]

The thing that amazes me about this video is that there are alot of dutch people watching it. I really enjoy seeing im not the only person in the netherland looking at stars :)

[@Malbo22]

Gorgeous animation, especially with the oil paintings!

[@fullmetalathanase]

yes! very good vidéo and spectacular introduction

[@earthtone3]

Fantastic.

[@mreisma]

spacerip, where do u get all these great video

[@Palaeos]

Everyone speaks of national and continental boundaries. I'm proud to belong to this planet and I believe that from the sky, the earth has no boundaries except itself. Be proud to been an earth made being.

[@tonyhester1071]

Palaeos, la historia de la vida en la tierra buy ) etrgrtbreg

[@TheBeeFart]

yay was so happy to hear that sweden helped with this

[@JoanVetulani]

"Individually, no one European country could compete with the United States, but individually they might..." I was waiting for "they might out-compete them". Great video!

[@Raewi]

4:30 has to be the most impressive green screen ever

[@fullmetalathanase]

which is the software for moving the paint in the introduction '0'17"), it's a great effect .

[@Ital21]

I'd like a visit sometime... still don't have much connections in the south...

[@TrueHamal]

I'm proud to be *Earthian. A wonderful and interesting video. Thanks, SpaceRip. Peace.

[@ronzi83]

People should stop fighting and unite. Stars connecting people.

[@cateattingmonster0]

I take my hat off for Europe for such a terrific job to purse for science.

[@yorrakhunt9693]

Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete, came to dominate the shores and islands of the Aegean Sea, and flourished as a maritime power from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. A little late but we all got there in the end.

[@chesterchow1]

I wonder where they get their lenses from :o

[@Puchicas9]

I'm American, but I'm glad you Europeans went to the trouble to start this observatory! No one country can or should have a monopoly on any field of learning.

[@Meb8Rappa]

1:50 Is that a comet above the horizon?

[@VPolecat]

Very good video thanks!! But just one historical detail: the first Europeans to reach and trade with the East Indies and study/map the southern skies were the Portuguese, more than 100 years before the Dutch...cheers, long live a United Planet Earth :)

[@gdog48001]

Its not like people are getting stupider. We are just giving more of our tasks to our technology. So that our days can be more efficient.

[@FuRYDaRKnEZ]

Science brings people together.

[@bennettjamin]

"navigators peter kaiser" huehuehuehuehuehuehuehue

[@shoa31]

Today we need a GPS phone to find our way to the bathroom.

[@daflamer]

funtastic

[@pronoob1983]

Haha! Nice spotting the nose picker!

[@bemanos12345]

Truth

[@fullmetalathanase]

days and nights vision ?

[@NotJames1]

1:06 Does she say 'eighteen twenteen'?

[@3800S1]

well I thought that was normal? guess I am lucky to be in the southern hemisphere then.

[@fireboltaz]

A cosmic discovery... all brought to you by a road in the middle of no where.

[@MrLewooz]

me too dude me too!!!!!

[@questionsleadtotruth]

You used the same photo enhancing graphics used in the Kony 2012 video.

[@Chrisivisi]

I'm proud to be Dutch

[@svennyzooi]

Wow, i'm just not only european. I'm also dutch!!! That means i should be proud^2

[@FlimsyPickles]

astronomy is the best.

[@jajo914]

I'm proud to be Chilean

[@unamaxify]

these observatories benefit all of mankind, the observations & discoveries are made public for the hole world. Most large scientific endeavours completely ignore national boundaries & treat the world as if it were one united nation of humans. (well except for the countries that actively oppose modern science like north-Korea or some Islamic states) Africa is going to profit once it has caught up technological, FYI.: there will be progress with the help of cheap long range wireless internet

[@NumberRed]

but still the names are probably dutch, because south africa was a dutch colony and the names of those towns have not changed in that time.

[@BerryTheBnnuy]

Sure, but so far, America does have a monopoly on safely sending probes to Mars and beyond... All other nations who have attempted ended up with their probes crashing or not even arriving... It's really weird. For Russia it's explainable that they always built their stuff too heavy. But ESA didn't have a legitimate excuse for losing Beagle 2. They said it was due to mixing up imperial and metric units, which is a completely amateur mistake.

[@TotalRookie_LV]

They can, but only after they have spent winter in a Dutch home (in a bedroom without heating). 8D

[@ItsMonkeyNews]

I'm proud to be an....... Englishman :) (Aslong as you aren't shallow, be proud of where you were born! )

[@ljarabek]

...especially US

[@NumberRed]

uhm yea I'm Dutch and I know Dutch when I read/hear it. Those are Dutch names..

[@gaminggalor]

world? its five countries smaller then america even when there combined, if the world were to agree on one thing then i would shit my pants in amazement

[@TheBetterGame]

LOL sure sounds like it, Transcript says 1820 though.

[@TheLeadStriker]

pandastic

[@xinic5]

Internet Y U slow down? Y U no let me lern?

[@dualshock1212]

did she say 18twenteen? or am i stoned 1:05

[@ItsMonkeyNews]

Ok?

[@unamaxify]

So you can't name any specific bad influences those telescopes have on Africa. As long as you over-generalize things, i'm going to conclude that you are full of hot air. Don't bother responding if you don't have specifics

[@Benimation]

This video reminds me once again, English speakers can't pronounce anything Dutch xD

[@NumberRed]

Dutch names sound funny in the English language

[@HenzGV]

I hope you are, space is ment to be no mans land everyone is free to go to space :) I know your kidding but i like to say :)

[@Minkay88]

thubs up if you are viewer number 302

[@anddyyxx]

their only aloud to look, the US owns space. just kidding :)

[@killer4hire]

2 persons accidentally clicked the dislike button while trying to like this video.

[@FlimsyPickles]

who? the Puritans?

[@magoomba]

unless you're Kim kardashian

[@ruadeil_zabelin]

My god, those dutch pronounciations sound so funny. They're close, but still wrong. Sorry :P

[@NevruzNebo]

Bullshit. Armenians had the first observatory 3000 years before the Stonehenge. It was named Karahunj, or Zorats Karer.

[@Molhedim]

anything that americans acomplished was because of europeans that moved to america for a better place.

[@TimTheImpaler]

You have to click dislike, cause it points south

[@FlimsyPickles]

wellllll no. America is diverse. African Americans aren't from Europe. Neither are Asian Americans. Nor are the original Americans.

[@NumberRed]

way way off

[@Bryantozero]

It's uncomfortable to hear the narrator pronounce everything so akward in dutch/south-african. It's like a Japanese person that tries to speak English. it's impossibiru!

[@raydredX]

I'm proud to be North Korean.

[@TheLeadStriker]

Fantastic.