Latest Very Large Telescope Stories
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online An international team of researchers, in collaboration with University of Leicester planetary scientists, has organized the largest ever observational campaign of Saturn's auroras. To expand our knowledge of the planet's northern lights, a host of space and ground-based telescopes will focus on the ringed gas giant for the month-long project. Scientists from the University's Department of Physics and Astronomy have worked with NASA...
[ Watch the Video: Zooming In On The Planetary Nebula IC 1295 ] Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A new image released by the European Space Observatory (ESO) shows the glowing green planetary nebula IC 1295. The new pictures taken by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) shows the nebula surrounding a dim and dying star located about 3300 light-years away in the constellation of Scutum (The Shield). "It has the unusual feature of being surrounded by multiple shells...
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Astronomers studying a violent explosion located 35 million light-years away from Earth in spiral galaxy NGC 1637 have provided a new view of the cosmic beauty. The team used the European Space Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile to provide the new image. Scientists first reported the discovery of the supernova SN 1999em in the spiral galaxy NGC 1637 back in 1999. SN1999em was discovered by...
ESO The Crown Prince Couple of Denmark visited ESO’s Paranal Observatory during their official visit to Chile. The Observatory is located 130 kilometers south of Antofagasta, in the heart of Chile’s Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world. At a height of 2635 meters above sea level, Paranal is the site of the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the world’s most advanced optical instrument dedicated to astronomical research. On arrival, The Crown Prince Frederik and The Crown...
ESO Located around 8000 light-years away in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion), NGC 6357 — sometimes nicknamed the Lobster Nebula due to its appearance in visible-light images — is a region filled with vast clouds of gas and tendrils of dark dust. These clouds are forming stars, including massive hot stars which glow a brilliant blue-white in visible light. This image uses infrared data from ESO’s Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) at the Paranal...
ESO Several high-level European delegations visited ESO's Paranal Observatory in northern Chile over the past few days, following the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States–European Union (CELAC–EU). The summit, which is the biggest such event ever organized by Chile, took place in Santiago during the week of 22–28 January 2013. ESO had a starring role in the event and it was an excellent opportunity for it to show its work and facilities to representatives of...
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has tested out its latest instrument called KMOS on its Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. The instrument, K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS), is capable of observing 24 objects at the same time in infrared light, and study the structure simultaneously within each one. ESO said KMOS will help to provide crucial data to help understand how galaxies grew and...
[ Video 1 ] | [ Video 2 ] Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A new image released by the European Space Observatory (ESO) shows off a spectacular view of the star-forming Carina Nebula, and is being released right in time for an inauguration. Astronomers captured the Carina Nebula using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Survey Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory. The image was released on the occasion of the inauguration of the telescope in Naples on Thursday. The...
[ Watch the Video: The Green Bean Galaxy J2240 ] Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Astronomers using the European Space Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have identified a new galaxy class. The "green bean galaxies" have an unusual appearance, glowing in intense light emitted from the surroundings of monster black holes. The galaxies are amongst the rarest objects in the universe, and in the case of green bean galaxies, the entire galaxy glows, not just...
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Some 24 robotic arms attached to a new high tech instrument have been transported from Edinburgh, Scotland to a Chilean mountaintop in the hope that some of the key questions surrounding the beginnings of the Universe will be answered in greater detail than ever before. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has provisionally accepted KMOS after testing was completed at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) in Edinburgh....
Latest Very Large Telescope Reference Libraries
Very Large Telescope -- The Very Large Telescope (VLT) consist of four optical telescopes that have 8.4 meter aperture. The VLT is a project of the European Southern Observatory organization. It is located at the Paranal Observatory on Cerro Paranal, a 2,635-m high mountain in the Atacama desert in northern Chile. The VLT consists of a cluster four of large telescopes, and an interferometer (VLTI) which will be used to resolve fine features. The telescopes have been named after the...
Adaptive Optics -- Adaptive optics is a technology to improve the performance of Earth-based telescopes, reversing the effect of atmospheric distortions. When light from a star or another astronomical object enters the Earth's atmosphere, the different temperature layers and different wind speeds distort and move the image in various ways (see seeing for a proper discussion). The net result is that an 8 meters or 10 meters telescope (like the VLT or Keck), while theoretically capable...
Overwhelmingly Large Telescope -- The European Southern Observatory has undertaken a concept study for the next generation of ground-based Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). Dubbed OWL, ESO's concept is conceived as a 100 m. diameter optical and near-infrared, adaptive telescope. With milliarc second resolution and limiting magnitude V~38, OWL will be capable of imaging solar system objects at resolutions comparable to that offered by space probes, over much longer time scales. It...
European Southern Observatory -- ESO, the European Southern Observatory, was created in 1962 to: "establish and operate an astronomical observatory in the southern hemisphere, equipped with powerful instruments, with the aim of furthering and organising collaboration in astronomy". ESO is supported by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Other countries have expressed interest to become a member as well. ESO...
