Philosophy
Why don't we start the new year with an uplifting video? The good folks from the European Southern Observatory's Paranal site in Chile's Very Large Telescope (that's what it's called) are constantly churning out magnificent discoveries and delicious images (check out the beauties already coming out of their VISTA survey telescope).
The VLT consists of an arrangement of four main telescopes and four auxiliaries telescopes, all of which can be combined into the equivalent of a massive telescope (200 meters in diameter!) multiple times more powerful than the sum of its parts. The results are simply astonishing...
And if you're wondering about the lasers, they are used to measure the distortions of the Earth's atmosphere so that we can assess the quality of our observations... either that, or it's a secret prototype for a death ray :)
If you're curious about black holes, you can watch this documentary (with Sam Neill), and if you want to 'see' the one in the middle of our galaxy, you can do that here.
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- Vista - The World's Most Powerful Survey Telescope
Light pollution here on Earth has been annoying astronomers pretty much ever since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb... thanks, jerk! :) This is one of the reasons we sent out the Hubble telescope out to space, but you can also watch the beauties...
- Amateur Astronomer, Tom Boles, Holds Record For Supernova Discoveries
"Astronomer Tom’s years of reaching for the stars" November 18th, 2012 Bury Free Press World record breaking astronomer Tom Boles has discovered more supernovas than anyone in history, has had an asteroid named after him and has even had the Hubble...
- "400 Years Of The Telescope" On Pbs This Friday
Mark your calendar for this Friday night [April 10th] PBS will air "400 Years of the Telescope". "PBS documentary turns lens on 400 years of telescope" by William Loeffler April 3rd, 2009 TRIBUNE-REVIEW He filmed the world's most powerful telescopes...
- What A Year...astronomers Get Goodies
"Astronomers hit telescope jackpot" by Robert S. Boyd January 22nd, 2009 The Keene Sentinel Astronomers this year are about to get a windfall of new and improved telescopes of unprecedented power with which to explore the universe. The bonanza arrives...
- Time To Retire The Hubble Space Telescope
Edwin Hubble The Hubble Space Telescope has served well in its short tenure and will for a while provide more breathtaking photographs. Nothing lasts forever, especially mechanical devices. It just isn't safe or cost effective to send a crew for...
Philosophy
The VLT - A Space Opera
Why don't we start the new year with an uplifting video? The good folks from the European Southern Observatory's Paranal site in Chile's Very Large Telescope (that's what it's called) are constantly churning out magnificent discoveries and delicious images (check out the beauties already coming out of their VISTA survey telescope).The VLT consists of an arrangement of four main telescopes and four auxiliaries telescopes, all of which can be combined into the equivalent of a massive telescope (200 meters in diameter!) multiple times more powerful than the sum of its parts. The results are simply astonishing...
And if you're wondering about the lasers, they are used to measure the distortions of the Earth's atmosphere so that we can assess the quality of our observations... either that, or it's a secret prototype for a death ray :)
If you're curious about black holes, you can watch this documentary (with Sam Neill), and if you want to 'see' the one in the middle of our galaxy, you can do that here.
.
- Vista - The World's Most Powerful Survey Telescope
Light pollution here on Earth has been annoying astronomers pretty much ever since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb... thanks, jerk! :) This is one of the reasons we sent out the Hubble telescope out to space, but you can also watch the beauties...
- Amateur Astronomer, Tom Boles, Holds Record For Supernova Discoveries
"Astronomer Tom’s years of reaching for the stars" November 18th, 2012 Bury Free Press World record breaking astronomer Tom Boles has discovered more supernovas than anyone in history, has had an asteroid named after him and has even had the Hubble...
- "400 Years Of The Telescope" On Pbs This Friday
Mark your calendar for this Friday night [April 10th] PBS will air "400 Years of the Telescope". "PBS documentary turns lens on 400 years of telescope" by William Loeffler April 3rd, 2009 TRIBUNE-REVIEW He filmed the world's most powerful telescopes...
- What A Year...astronomers Get Goodies
"Astronomers hit telescope jackpot" by Robert S. Boyd January 22nd, 2009 The Keene Sentinel Astronomers this year are about to get a windfall of new and improved telescopes of unprecedented power with which to explore the universe. The bonanza arrives...
- Time To Retire The Hubble Space Telescope
Edwin Hubble The Hubble Space Telescope has served well in its short tenure and will for a while provide more breathtaking photographs. Nothing lasts forever, especially mechanical devices. It just isn't safe or cost effective to send a crew for...