Very Large Telescope
telescope facility in the Atacama Desert, Chile
AI overview
The Very Large Telescope is a major observatory facility located in the Atacama Desert in Chile that uses advanced technology to observe distant objects in space. It matters because it enables astronomers to see farther and in greater detail than would otherwise be possible, advancing our understanding of the universe.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Alternative names
- VLT
- Location s
- Antofagasta Region , Chile
- Altitude
- 2,636 m (8,648 ft)
- Observing time
- 320 nights per year
- Wavelength
- 300 nm – 20 μm ( N-UV , visible light , NIR, SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR)
- First light
- 1998 ; 28 years ago ( 1998 ) (for the first Unit Telescope)
- Diameter
- 4 × 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes (UT) 4 × 1.8-metre moveable Auxiliary Telescopes (AT)
- Angular resolution
- 0.002 arcsecond
- Focal length
- 120 m (393 ft 8 in)
- Website
- www .eso .org /vlt
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
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. It consists of four individual telescopes, each equipped with a primary mirror that measures 8.2 metres (27 ft) in diameter. 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. The VLT array is also complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) with 1.8-metre (5.9 ft) apertures.
The VLT is capable of observing both visible and infrared wavelengths. Each individual telescope can detect objects that are roughly four billion times fainter than what can be seen with the naked eye. When all the telescopes are combined, the facility can achieve an angular resolution of approximately 0.002 arcseconds. In single telescope mode, the angular resolution is about 0.05 arcseconds.