s ig n in g o f th e b a s ic a g r e e m e n t fo r th e p a r tic ip a tio n o f Ita ly . T h e d e ta ile d a g r e e m e n t w a s re a d y b y M a y 1 9 8 0 ,a n do nD ecem ber 1 9 o f th e s a m e y e a r th e Ita lia n G o v e r n m e n t a p p r o v e d a n d s e n t to

th e " S u p p le m e n to o r d in a r io a lla G a z z e tta U ffic ia leN o.9 2 " (L e g g e 1 0 M a rz o 1 9 8 2 ,n .1 2 7 ).

T h e h o p e a n d w is histh a t th e n e w m e m b e r s h ipo f Ita ly w ill n o t o n ly s a tis fy th e le g itim a te w is h e s o f th e Ita lia n a s tr o n o m e r s a n d

have accesstoth e o p tic a l o b s e rv a tio n sinth e s o u th e r n h e m is p h e r e , b u t w ill a ls o c o n tr i\ue000 b u tetos tr e n g th e n in g th e O rg a n iz a tio n a n d tofu rth e r in c re a s e its b a s ic ro le

O nM a y 2 4 , 1 9 8 2 , th e Ita lia n A m b a s s a d o rin P a ris d e p o s ite d th e in s tr u m e n t o f a c c e s s io n w ith th e M in is tr y o f F o re ig n A ffa irs o f th e

Ita lia n a s tro n o m e rsinth e e a r ly '6 0 s w e r e e s s e n tia lly d iv id e d b e tw e e n th e d e s ir etop a r tic ip a tein th e fo u n d in go f E S O a n d th e e q u a lly s tro n g

a n a tio n a lte le s c o p e .It w a s o f c o u rs e b e lie v e d , a n d p e r h a p s r ig h tlys o ,th a t th e Ita lia n G o v e r n m e n t w a s n o t w illin gtofin a n c e b o th e n te r p r is e s . E v e n tu a lly , p rio rity w a s g iv e ntoth e n a tio n a l te le s c o p e p ro je c t. T h is tu rn e d o u t to b e a h is to r ic a l m is ta k e . Ir o n ic a lly e n o u g h , itisth e p a r tic ip a tio n inE S O w h ic h w ill p r o b a b ly p e r m it fu n d in g o f th e Ita lia n n a tio n a l te le s c o p e (3 .5m )inth e n o rth e rn h e m is p h e re . H o w e v e r, s u b \ue000 s e q u e n tly m a n y Ita lia n a s tr o n o m e r s m a in ta in e d a s tro n g in te r\ue000 e s tinE S O

b u t n o re a l s te p fo rw a rd w a s ta k e n u n til la te 1 9 7 7 w h e n fo r th e firs t tim ea nIta lia n r e p r e s e n ta tiv e n a m e d b y th e Ita lia n R e s e a r c h C o u n c il (C N R ) w a s a llo w e d to p a r tic ip a tein th e

o b s e rv e r. T h is w a s a v e ry im p o r ta n t d e c is io nw hic h fin a lly le d to a m e e tin g b e tw e e na n Ita lia n

a n d T e c h n o lo g y , M r.V . S c a lia , a n da n E S O d e le g a tio n h e a d e d b y th e P r e s id e n t o f C o u n c il, P ro f.F .D e n is s e . T h e m e e tin g to o k p la c e

T h e O P C m e e tsa sre q u ire db y th e s c h e d u le fo r th e a w a rd o f o b s e r v in g tim e .Itm a y in v ite p e rs o n s fro m th e E S O s ta ff o r fro m a m o n g th e a lte rn a te s to a tte n d if re q u ire d .

a re p re s e n ta tiv e , a n d th e S c ie n tific D ir e c to r o f E S O a c te da sth e S e c re ta ry a n d a slia is o n w ith th e D ir e c to r a te . T h e C o m m itte e 's p rin c ip a l ta s k s w e re

o f v is itin g a s tr o n o m e r s . T h e S P C h e ld its firs t m e e tin go nM ay2 , 1 9 6 8 .

tim e w as tob ea llo tte d to th e E S O s ta ff; th e S P C w a s n o t s u p \ue000 p o s e d to a d v is e o n th e s e p r o g r a m m e s b u t m e r e ly tob ek e p t in fo rm e d .

T h e im p o rta n c e o f E S O a n d its o b s e rv a to ryo nL aS illa fo r th e E u ro p e a n a s tro n o m e rs b e c a m e s o o n o b v io u s ;d urin g1 9 7 1th e a m o u n t o f tim e

n u m e r o u s a p p lic a tio n s w a s m o r e th a n d o u b le th e a m o u n t o f tim e a v a ila b le . T h e S P C a ls o fo u n d it " e v id e n t th a t E S O s h o u ld c o n te m p la te th e a c q u is itio n o f m o re in s tru m e n ts u p to th e s iz e o f 1 5 0c m

o b s e r v in g tim e w a s re v ie w e db yo n e o f its m e m b e r s w h o th e n p re s e n te d h is ra tin ga tth e m e e tin g fo r a c c e p ta tio nb y th e O P C . T h e

y e a rs p r a c tic a llya llp r o p o s a ls w e re g ra n te d o b s e rv in g tim e . T h is w a s p o s s ib lea sth e n u m b e r o f p r o p o s a ls w a s r a th e r lo w ; it w a s a ls o a n

a tte m p t to s a tis fy m o re o r le s sa lla c c e p ta b le a p p lic a tio n s .It a ls o p r o p o s e d th a t o u ts ta n d in g p r o g r a m m e s s h o u ldb e a llo tte d tim e

lig h t o f th e p r in c ip le sin a llo c a tin g tim ea s e x p la in e db yth e E S O D ire c to ra teinth e A n n u a l R e p o r t 1 9 7 2 :It fo llo w s firs t o fa ll th e a d v ic e

a re la tiv e s c a r c ity o f a p p lic a tio n s fo r o th e rs ; in s tru \ue000 m e n ta l fe a s ib lility o f e x e c u tio n o f a p r o g r a m m e ; a n d th e a im to a rriv e ,inth e lo n g ru n ,a t r e la tiv e s h a r e s o f th e a v a ila b le n ig h ts a p p r o x im a te ly p r o p o r tio n a l to th e fin a n c ia l c o n tr ib u tio n so fth e M e m b e r S ta te s .

s ta ff a s tro n o m e rs s ta tio n e din E u ro p e b e g a nto in c r e a s e a p p re c ia b ly .It w a s fe it th a t th e y w e re m o re s im ila r to v is itin g a s tr o n o m e r s th a n to th e E S O a s tro n o m \ue000 e rs d ir e c tly in v o lv e dinth e o p e r a tio n so nL a S illa ; c o n s e q u e n tly th e ir a p p lic a tio n s fo r o b s e r v in g tim e o u g h ttob etre a te din th e sam e

m e e tin g s ; d u e to th e in c r e a s e d fr e q u e n c y o f jo in t p r o p o s a lsb y E S O s ta lf a n d v is ito rs th e s o u n d n e s s o f th e p re s e n t p ro c e d u re b e c o m e s m o re a n d

e x p r e s s its e v a lu a tio n a ls ointh e n u m b e r o f n ig h ts r e a s o n a b leto a llo tto a p ro g ra m m e . T h is

T h e n u m b e r o f a p p lic a tio n s fo r o b s e r v in g tim e h a s c o n tin u e d to g ro w . F o r th e p re s e n t p e rio d ,N o.2 9 , b e g in n in go n A p ril1 , 1 9 8 2 ,2 1 1

b e g in n in g o n A p r il 1 , 1 9 7 8 , th e n u m b e r w a s 1 2 4 . It h a s b e c o m e im p o s s ib le fo r th eo p eto d is c u s s e a c h a p p lic a tio nin d e ta ila n d a n e w p ro c e d u re h a dto b e d e v e lo p e d . F ro m

a p p lic a tio n fo r 3 .6 m te le s c o p e tim e ; th is s h o r te n e d th e d is c u s \ue000 s io n s a t th e m e e tin g s a n d w a s fo u n d to w o r k s o w e il th a titis n o w

lis te d b y th e E S O V is itin g A s tr o n o m e r s S e c tio n a c c o r d in gtos u b je c t (th e re a rea tp re s e n t 1 0 g ro u p s c o v e rin g e v e ry th in g lro m " g a la x ie s "to " th e s o la r s y s te m " ) . F o r e a c h a p p lic a tio n tw oo p e

m e m b e rs have been chosena sre fe re e s . T h e ir ra tin g s , w h ic h c o v e r th e s c ie n tific q u a lity o f th e p r o p o s a l a n d a ls o c o n s id e r its r e q u e s ts

h a s b e e n re a c h e d . O c c a s io n a lly it m a y h a p p e n th a ta no p em e m b e r, w h o w a s n o t a

p e r c e n ta g e o f tim e to lo n g -ra n g e p ro g ra m m e sino r d e r to k e e p s u ffic ie n t fle x ib ility lo r h a n d lin g

g r a m m e o n c e fo u n d a c c e p ta b le w o u ldinp r in c ip le b e a llo c a te d te le s c o p e tim e o v e r s e v e r a l o b s e r v in g p e r io d s ; it w o u ld , h o w \ue000 e v e r,ine a c h p e r io d b e inc o m p e titio n w ith th e o th e r a p p lic a \ue000 tio n s s u b m itte d . T h e s e p r in c ip le s a re s till fo llo w e d , a n d it m a y b e s ta te d th a t s p e c ia l a tte n tio n is p a idtoa ll p ro g ra m m e s th a t h a v e

h a s to r e ly o nth e in fo r m a tio n g iv e nin th e c o m p le te d a p p lic a tio n fo rm s ,in p a rtic u la ro n th e re p o rt o v e r p re v io u s o b s e rv a tio n s . It m a yb e s a id

in s tru m e n ta tio n a re p re s e n te d a n d d is c u s s e da sw e il a so th e r m a lte rs0 1im p o rta n g e fo r th e o b s e rv in g p ro g ra m m e s . T h u s , fo r in s ta n c e , th eo p eh a s r e c e n tly c o n s id e r e d th e la rg e n u m b e r o f c h a n g e - o v e r s o f a u x ilia r yin s tru m e n ta tio n -ino n e y e a r a lm o s t 2 0 0

s u c ha sc h a n g e s o f filte rs , m u ltip lie r s ,IR d e te c to r s ,e tc .-a n d d e c id e d to s u p p o rt th e T e c h n ic a l R e s e a rc h S u p p o rt G ro u po n L a S illa b y r e c o m m e n d in g a s la r g e a r e d u c tio n o f c h a n g e - o v e r s a s

h a s a ls oa ta re c e n t m e e tin g r e c o m m e n d e d th a t th e lim its fo r s to p p a g e o f o b s e r v a tio n s b e r e v ie w e d . It w a s fe it th a t m u c h o b s e r v in g tim e w o u ld b e g a in e d b y e v e n a v e r y s lig h t in c r e a s e

re c o m m e n d e d a lre a d yin 1 9 7 2 th a t o b s e rv a tio n a l m a te r ia l c o lle c te da tL a S illa a n d o f in te r e s tto o th e r a s tro n o m \ue000 e rs ,

E u ro p e . A t th a t tim e th e m a te ria l u n d e r c o n s id e r a tio n c o n s is te d m a in ly o f p h o to g r a p h ic p la te s . N o w , w ith

o n ly ,o n m a g n e tic ta p e , th is q u e s tio n w ill h a v etob e r e c o n s id e r e d a n d a n e w

o b ta in s a c le a r p ic tu re o f th e p ro g re s sino p tic a l a s tro n o m ic a l re s e a rc h in th e

th e h ig h - q u a lity s c ie n tific ra tio n a le s a n d fa r-re a c h in g a im s th a t a re p re s e n te d n o w a d a y s . T h e y c e rta in ly a ls o s h a re th e