Tag Archives: VLT

Visualized: Carina Nebula captured with a 268-megapixel camera

Posted on by

DNP Visualized Carina Nebula taken with a 268megapixel camera

Combine a state-of-the-art telescope with a 268-megapixel camera, point it at the sky, add in a bit of calculation and you could end up with a gorgeous photo of the Carina Nebula. That's exactly what the ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile did recently with its brand new VLT Survey Telescope -- just a portion of the resulting inaugural image is shown above. This isn't the first time the ESO has shown a love for large captures: it managed to stitch together a massive 9-gigapixel image of the Milky Way out of thousands of photographs taken with its VISTA telescope earlier this fall. However, with the 2.6-meter VLT and 268-megapixel OmegaCAM camera, the observatory is able to capture huge swaths of sky at a time -- no need for stitching here. The ESO says that it's the "largest telescope in the world exclusively dedicated to surveying the sky at visible wavelengths." As for the Carina Nebula, the star formation region is a popular choice among astronomers trying out new telescopes, and seeing how mesmerizing it is, we can't fault them for it. Click the source link below to see the whole image in all its zoomable glory.

Filed under:

Comments

Via: SlashGear

Source: ESO

Infrared telescope can pick out the atmosphere on distant planets, smell what the aliens are smelling

Posted on by

Infrared telescope can pick out the atmosphere on distant planets, smell what the aliens are smelling

Astronomers in Chile using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope are now able to analyze the atmosphere on faraway planet Tau Bootis b. Using CRIRES, a supercooled infrared spectrograph bolted to the 'scope, the team was able to judge the size of the exoplanet -- and for the first time, take a reading of the atmosphere while not in transit. Historically, the only time researchers have been able to conduct atmospheric analysis is during the transit of its nearby star, which imprints the qualities of the atmosphere onto the light. The team found that Tau Bootis b is around six times the size of Jupiter, but its air is so thick with Carbon Monoxide that we'll have to look elsewhere to plan that expedition to the stars.

Infrared telescope can pick out the atmosphere on distant planets, smell what the aliens are smelling originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MSNBC  |  sourceESO  | Email this | Comments