General Info

Although astronomical archives constitute a basic tool for modern Astrophysics as revealed by their intensive usage, it is also true that the efficiency in the information retrieval is seriously limited by the lack of interoperability among them.

The Virtual Observatory (VO) is an international project whose aim is to solve the problems that this lack of interoperability creates for multiwavelength astronomy. One of its main objectives is, therefore, the creation of a federation of astronomical archives that, with the implementation of new technologies and standards, provides an easy and efficient access to the astronomical data.

Although VO is a recent project it is considered both from the technical and scientific point of view a basic requirement for the astrophysical research and the framework where to settle in the short-term the astronomical archive-related activities. The biggest data providers (NASA, ESA, ESO, …) have understood the importance of this initiative and are already displaying their contents under the VO requirements.

The Spanish Virtual Observatory (SVO)is a project funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (AYA2008-02156). The project started in June 2004 and its major goal is to ensure an efficient coordination of the lines of work of the Spanish astronomical community in the VO framework.

Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)

What is the main goal of the Virtual Observatory?

• To ensure an efficient management (discovery, access, retrieval and analysis) of the information available in astronomical archives.

Who is behind the Virtual Observatory?

• At International level: IVOA (International Virtual Observatory Alliance: It was formed in June 2002 with a mission to facilitate the international coordination and collaboration in the field of Virtual Observatories. The IVOA now comprises 17 VO projects from Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.The work of the IVOA focuses on the development of standards.

• At European level: Euro-VO: Its top level objective is to coordinate the VO activities at European level. The list of partners participating in the Euro-Vo initiative can be found here

• At national level: SVO. The Spanish Virtual Observatory has the following objectives:

• Construction of a community of science users:
  • Scientific Workshops.
  • Support to VO science programmes
  • Production of on-line tutorials

• Development of IVOA standards and services
• Support to data publishing in the VO
• Education and Outreach activities.

Where can I find a list of VO tools?

• Here you can find an up-to-date list of VO tools.

Where can I find some examples of VO science?

• Here you can get a list of VO scientific workflows. Also, a list of VO-enabled scientific papers can be found here

More FAQs

• In the Euro-VO pages