Endless Facts, One Snippet at a Time
The Very Large Telescope: Europe’s Flagship Observatory
- The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is located at Cerro Paranal in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
- It is operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
- The VLT consists of four Unit Telescopes, each with an 8.2-meter mirror.
- These telescopes can work together as an interferometer for ultra-sharp resolution.
- Adaptive optics allow the VLT to correct for Earth’s atmospheric blurring.
- It has captured detailed images of exoplanets orbiting distant stars.
- The VLT played a key role in confirming the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
- It also observes supernovae, distant galaxies, and star-forming regions.
- The telescopes are named in the Mapuche language: Antu, Kueyen, Melipal, and Yepun.
- Since its first light in 1998, the VLT has been one of the world’s most productive observatories.