Very Large Telescope
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is an astronomical facility operated since 1998 by the European Southern Observatory, located on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.These optical telescopes, named Antu, Kueyen, Melipal, and Yepun (all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language), are generally used separately but can be combined to achieve a very high angular resolution.[1] The VLT's 8.2-meter telescopes were originally designed to operate in three modes:[5] The UTs are equipped with a large set of instruments permitting observations to be performed from the near-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared (i.e. a large fraction of the light wavelengths accessible from the surface of the Earth), with the full range of techniques including high-resolution spectroscopy, multi-object spectroscopy, imaging, and high-resolution imaging.In particular, the VLT has several adaptive optics systems, which correct for the effects of atmospheric turbulence, providing images almost as sharp as if the telescope were in space.This design minimises any adverse effects on the observing conditions, for instance from air turbulence in the telescope tube, which might otherwise occur due to variations in the temperature and wind flow.[1] It had long been ESO's intention to provide "real" names to the four VLT Unit Telescopes, to replace the original technical designations of UT1 to UT4.An essay contest was arranged in this connection among schoolchildren of the Chilean II Region of which Antofagasta is the capital to write about the implications of these names.[11] Unit Telescopes 1–4 are since known as Antu (Sun), Kueyen (Moon), Melipal (Southern Cross), and Yepun (Evening Star), respectively.The enclosure is supported by the boxy transporter section, which also contains electronics cabinets, liquid cooling systems, air-conditioning units, power supplies, and more.[21] The Galactic Centre team at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) used these observations to reveal these effects for the first time.[22] Other discoveries with VLT's signature include the detection of carbon monoxide molecules in a galaxy located almost 11 billion light-years away for the first time, a feat that had remained elusive for 25 years.The VLT and APEX teamed up to reveal material being stretched out as it orbits in the intense gravity close to the central black hole.The maximum field-of-view (at Nasmyth foci) is around 27 arcminutes diameter, slightly smaller than the full moon, though most instruments view a narrower field.[35]In its interferometric operating mode, the light from the telescopes is reflected off mirrors and directed through tunnels to a central beam combining laboratory.[63] This refers to reflection off 32 surfaces including the Coudé train, the star separator, the main delay line, beam compressor and feeding optics.[65][66][67] After falling drastically behind schedule and failing to meet some specifications, in December 2004 the VLT Interferometer became the target of a second ESO "recovery plan".[70] In March 2019, ESO astronomers, employing the GRAVITY instrument on their Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), announced the first direct detection of an exoplanet, HR 8799 e, using optical interferometry.The job required battling strong winds, fixing a broken pump in a giant washing machine and resolving a rigging issue.
Paranal ObservatoryAntofagasta RegionEuropean Southern ObservatoryWavelengthvisible lightFirst lightastronomical observatoryAngular resolutionFocal lengthCerro ParanalAtacama Desertprimary mirroroptical telescopesMapuche languagevisibleinfraredwavelengthsnaked eyeHubble Space Telescopeexoplanetsupermassive black holeMilky Wayfurthest known gamma-ray burstastronomical interferometercoherentinterferometric instrumentadaptive opticslaser guide starmulti-object spectroscopyNasmyth focusCassegrain focusSPHEREBetelgeuseMapucheAntofagastaCalamaSouthern CrossinterferometricVery Large ArrayBeta Pictoris bgamma-ray burstAlbert EinsteinGeneral Relativitygravitational redshiftMax Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial PhysicsNGC 6397stellar evolutionGJ 1214bRitchey-ChretienCassegrain telescopeZerodurNasmythalt-azimuthactive opticsspectrographinterferometermulti-objectAMBER (VLTI)echellespectroscopyexoplanetaryinfrared (IR)molecularcarbon monoxide (CO)ammonia (NH3)methane (CH4)atmosphereabsorption linesESPRESSOarcminuteGRAVITY (VLTI)PIONIER (VLTI)near-infraredexoplanetsultravioletProxima CentauriNavy Prototype Optical InterferometerCHARA arrayAstronomical Multi-Beam Recombinermagnitudeother near infrared / optical interferometersInfrared Spatial Interferometersurface brightnesssolar neighborhoodactive galactic nucleiinterferometryclosure-phaseEta CarinaePIONIERdirect detectionHR 8799 eoptical interferometryParanal ResidenciaNational Geographic ChannelWorld's Toughest FixesaluminiumQuantum of SolaceESO HotelJames BondCerro Tololo Inter-American ObservatoryExtremely large telescopeEuropean Extremely Large TelescopeThirty Meter TelescopeGiant Magellan TelescopeLa Silla ObservatoryList of deep fieldsList of largest optical reflecting telescopesLlano de Chajnantor ObservatoryMauna Kea ObservatoriesOverwhelmingly Large TelescopeRoque de los Muchachos ObservatoryBibcodeCiteSeerXEurekAlert!Cerro ArmazonesLlano de ChajnantorNANTEN2ParanalAtacama RegionLas CampanasMagellan TelescopesCoquimbo RegionCerro PachónGeminiVera C. RubinCerro Tololo