Outstanding shot of the #Sun rising behind ESO's Extremely Large #Telescope, currently under construction in #Chile. The dome is about 80 m tall; look at the size of those cranes! The ELT will have a 39 m primary mirror — the largest optical-infrared telescope in the world.
Many newcomers due to what's happening in The Bad Place, so here's another #introduction. Hi! I'm an astronomer and science communicator at the European Southern Observatory.
Below is a pic from my previous "office" at ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile. I now work full time as Media Officer at ESO's HQ in #Germany.
Many people imagine professional astronomers hunched over a #telescope and taking notes. We no longer work that way, as light captured by the telescope is registered by complex instruments. But sometimes it's fun to use your eyes!
I took this pic a few years ago, when we removed one of the instruments of ESO's Very Large Telescope in #Chile. A screen was temporarily attached in its place, and we used it to project the #Moon and show it to everyone at the observatory
We just released a HUGE mosaic of the so-called Running Chicken #Nebula: 1.5 billion pixels full of young stars and glowing hydrogen gas. The mosaic comprises data acquired with the VLT Survey #Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile
Happy #TowelDay to those who celebrate! Pro #astronomy tip: never install Genuine People Personality software in a #telescope. We did that at Paranal Observatory in #Chile and, well, bad idea.
🚂 "The #train now boarding at Platform 3 is the 02:30 Paranal Express service to Proxima Centauri." 😉
I took this #photo at ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile back when I worked there. This wagon was donated by the FCAB (Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia). It's being restored by ESO engineer Roberto Castillo, and it will serve as a museum showcasing various astronomical instruments.
If you have the chance to see the upcoming solar #SolarEclipse on April 8, go for it! Even if you've seen an annular #eclipse or an almost total one, the difference between that and a fully total one is like night and day –– pun intended!
Here's a shot I snapped of the 2019 eclipse from ESO's La Silla Observatory in #Chile. I vividly remember seeing the #Moon 's shadow crawling towards us from the Pacific Ocean. Unforgettable!
Just in time for #Halloween, our colleague Juan Beltrán just sent us this amazing image of the #Moon rising behind ESO's Extremely Large #Telescope, currently under construction atop Cerro Armazones in #Chile
We've just started installing the aluminium cladding that will protect ESO's Extremely Large #Telescope from the harsh conditions of the Atacama Desert in #Chile.
It's amazing to see this project take shape. And it's hard to convey just how big this is –– the dome is 80 m tall!
Do you want to learn about the amazing #engineering behind large optical telescopes? Tom Scott recently visited ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile, and in his latest video he tells us all about it, including a sneak peek at our Extremely Large #Telescope !
Don’t mind me! I’m just overseeing the Chilean economy.
In all seriousness though, the Cybersyn exhibition at La Moneda Cultural Center in Santiago was so cool and I love that they rebuilt the operations room to get a feel for what could have been.
Henry Kissinger has died at age 100, his consulting firm said in a statement on Wednesday... The Yale University historian Greg Grandin, author of the biography Kissinger’s Shadow, estimates that Kissinger’s actions from 1969 through 1976, a period of eight brief years when Kissinger made Richard Nixon’s and then Gerald...
Soon the telescope platform at ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile will look very different at night: all four of the 8.2 m telescopes of the VLT will be equipped with lasers! This is one of the ongoing upgrades of the GRAVITY+ instrument, which will allow us to study black holes, stars and planets like never before.
We're making great progress with ESO's Extremely Large #Telescope in #Chile, it's now half completed! Not just the dome – work on other components such as the mirrors, control system, scientific instruments and support infrastructure is advancing at good pace.
Look closely. No, closer, really. Can you see the construction workers? This will give you an idea of just how massive ESO's Extremely Large #Telescope will be 🤯
This #photo was taken just a few days ago at the construction site in Cerro Armazones in #Chile.
Given its latitude, from ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile you can see the core of the #MilkyWay passing directly overhead. In this pic I took a few years ago you can see its faint glow reflected off the dome of one of our 8 m telescopes.
My neck wasn't happy when framing this shot, though, as my camera doesn't have a flip screen! 😅
Here's an old pic I took of the snow-capped Llullaillaco #volcano, as seen at #sunset from ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile. The volcano itself sits at the border between #Chile and #Argentina. I love the colour contrast between the ochre expanse of the Atacama #Desert and the white #snow covering the volcano!
Happy #BlackHoleWeek to those who celebrate! Here's a pic I took a few years ago back when I worked at ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile. One of our 8.2 m telescopes was pointing at the centre of the #MilkyWay, home to Sagittarius A*, a #BlackHole 4 million times more massive than the #Sun.
Astronomers devoted almost a century to unmask this beast:
In the enchanting landscape of New Mexico, the simple beauty of vibrant red chile ristras hanging against adobe walls harmonizes with the striking contrast of blue doors, creating a visual symphony that captures the essence of Southwestern charm and cultural richness. A common site here in New Mexico. A part of history, culture and the food.
Chile declares state of emergency due to massive forest fires, more than 1000 houses destroyed, 10 fatalities reported. #AureFreePress#News#press#headline#chile
How are we building the largest #telescope dome ever? In the latest episode of Chasing Starlight we take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the dome of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope in #Chile
It's 88 m wide and 80 m tall, and it will shelter the ELT and its optics & instruments from the harsh environment of the Atacama Desert –– a true feat of #engineering
Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies (www.rollingstone.com)
Henry Kissinger has died at age 100, his consulting firm said in a statement on Wednesday... The Yale University historian Greg Grandin, author of the biography Kissinger’s Shadow, estimates that Kissinger’s actions from 1969 through 1976, a period of eight brief years when Kissinger made Richard Nixon’s and then Gerald...