by bystander » Mon May 29, 2017 2:00 pm
Guarding the Galactic Heart
ESO Picture of the Week | 2017 May 29
Like sentries guarding the heart of our home galaxy, the
ESO 3.6-metre telescope and the
Coudé Auxiliary Telescope stand tall in this stunning
ultra high definition photograph from the
La Silla Observatory, situated in the southern outskirts of the
Chilean Atacama Desert.
Since its inauguration in 1976, the ESO 3.6-metre telescope has undergone various upgrades, including the installation of a new secondary mirror that has allowed the telescope to remain as efficient and productive as ever. Since 2008, the telescope has housed the
HARPS spectrograph, the most precise exoplanet hunter in the world. HARPS, the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, is the most successful finder of low-mass exoplanets to date.
The now-decommissioned 1.4-metre Coudé Auxiliary Telescope (CAT) is housed in the smaller dome to the right of the 3.6-metre telescope. When active, the telescope fed the 3.6-metre’s
Coudé Echelle Spectrometer through a light tunnel, which can be seen connecting the two facilities in this photograph. Fully computer controlled, CAT was used for many different types of astronomical observations, including
measuring the ages of ancient stars.
Positioned 2400 metres above sea level and located far from sources of light pollution, the ESO 3.6-metre telescope experiences excellent observing conditions, as does the observatory’s entire family of telescopes. This family includes the
New Technology Telescope (NTT), the
MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope, and a selection of national telescopes.
[url=http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1722a/][size=125][b][i]Guarding the Galactic Heart[/i][/b][/size][/url]
ESO Picture of the Week | 2017 May 29
[quote]
[float=left][size=85][img3="[b][i]Credit: Yuri Beletsky (LCO) / ESO[/i][/b]"]https://cdn.eso.org/images/screen/potw1722a.jpg[/img3][hr][/hr][/size][/float]Like sentries guarding the heart of our home galaxy, the [url=http://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/36/]ESO 3.6-metre telescope[/url] and the [url=http://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/coude/]Coudé Auxiliary Telescope[/url] stand tall in this stunning [url=http://www.eso.org/public/usa/outreach/ultra-high-definition/]ultra high definition[/url] photograph from the [url=http://eso.org/lasilla]La Silla Observatory[/url], situated in the southern outskirts of the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Desert]Chilean Atacama Desert[/url].
Since its inauguration in 1976, the ESO 3.6-metre telescope has undergone various upgrades, including the installation of a new secondary mirror that has allowed the telescope to remain as efficient and productive as ever. Since 2008, the telescope has housed the [url=http://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/36/harps/]HARPS spectrograph[/url], the most precise exoplanet hunter in the world. HARPS, the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, is the most successful finder of low-mass exoplanets to date.
The now-decommissioned 1.4-metre Coudé Auxiliary Telescope (CAT) is housed in the smaller dome to the right of the 3.6-metre telescope. When active, the telescope fed the 3.6-metre’s [url=https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso8710b/]Coudé Echelle Spectrometer[/url] through a light tunnel, which can be seen connecting the two facilities in this photograph. Fully computer controlled, CAT was used for many different types of astronomical observations, including [url=http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso8710/]measuring the ages of ancient stars[/url].
Positioned 2400 metres above sea level and located far from sources of light pollution, the ESO 3.6-metre telescope experiences excellent observing conditions, as does the observatory’s entire family of telescopes. This family includes the [url=http://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/ntt.html]New Technology Telescope (NTT)[/url], the [url=http://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/mpg22/]MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope[/url], and a selection of national telescopes. [/quote]