A new European initiative called the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (AVO) is being launched to provide astronomers with a breathtaking potential for new discoveries. It will enable them to seamlessly combine the data from both ground- and space-based telescopes which are making observations of the Universe across the whole range of wavelengths - from high-energy gamma rays through the ultraviolet and visible to the infrared and radio.

Credit: ESO, ESA, ASTROGRID, CDS (CNRS/ULP), TERAPIX (CNRS) and Jodrell Bank Observatory