The Dust of Pleiades Star Cluster and a Faint Spiral Galaxy
The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters (Messier 45 or M45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. The cluster contains 1,000 stars, of which more than a dozen can be seen with the unaided eye. The celestial entity has several meanings in different cultures and traditions.
The blue nebulosity that surrounds the cluster is a reflection nebula. The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years, and are located 391 light-years away according to measurements made by the Hipparcos satellite. Dust that forms a faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster (hence the alternative name Maia Nebula after the star Maia), but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium, through which the stars are currently passing. Computer simulations have shown that the Pleiades was probably formed from a compact configuration that resembled the Orion Nebula. Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years, after which it will disperse due to gravitational interactions with its galactic neighborhood.
In the same field of view and less obvious than the brightest hot stars from Pleiades, near the star Electra, can be seen a very faint spiral galaxy UGC 2838 (PGC13696) with a magnitude of 17.8, is beyond the limit of our human capacity to distinguish faint objects and is in the limit detection of many small optical instruments. The named members of the Pleiades and their magnitudes are: Pleione – 5.2 | Atlas – 3.8 | Alcyone – 3.0 | Merope – 4.3 | Electra – 3.8 | Celaeno – 5.4 | Taygeta – 4.4 | Maia – 4.0 | Sterope – 5.9
PT: As Plêiades, ou Sete Irmãs (Messier 45 ou M45), é um aglomerado de estrelas aberto contendo estrelas de meia-idade, tipo B quentes, localizadas na constelação do Touro. Está entre os aglomerados de estrelas mais próximos da Terra e é o aglomerado mais óbvio a olho nu no céu noturno. Este cluster, contém cerca de 1000 estrelas das quais mais de uma dúzia podem ser vistas a o olho nu para um observador experiente e com boa acuidade visual. Este objecto celeste tem vários significados em diferentes culturas e tradições.
A nebulosidade azul que circunda o cluster é uma nebulosa de reflexão. O cluster é dominado por estrelas azuis quentes e extremamente luminosas que se formaram nos últimos 100 milhões de anos e estão localizadas a 391 anos-luz de distância da Terra de acordo com as medições feitas pelo satélite Hipparcos. Pensava-se inicialmente que a poeira que forma uma tênue nebulosidade de reflexão em torno das estrelas mais brilhantes teria sido consequência da formação do aglomerado, mas agora é conhecida por ser uma nuvem de poeira Interstelar não relacionada, pela qual as estrelas estão a atravessar atualmente. As simulações de computador mostraram que as Plêiades provavelmente foram formadas a partir de uma configuração compacta que se assemelhava à Nebulosa de Orion. Os astrónomos estimam que o cluster irá sobreviver por cerca de mais 250 milhões de anos, após o que se dispersará devido às interações gravitacionais com sua vizinhança galáctica.
No mesmo campo de visão e menos óbvio que as estrelas quentes mais brilhantes de Pleiades, perto da estrela Electra, pode ser vista uma galáxia espiral muito fraca UGC 2838 (PGC13696) com uma magnitude de 17,8 está além do limite de detecção da nossa capacidade humana para distinguir objetos fracos e no limite de detecção de muitos instrumentos ópticos mais pequenos.
As principais estrelas das Plêiades e suas magnitudes aparentes são: Pleione – 5.2 | Atlas – 3,8 | Alcyone – 3.0 | Merope – 4.3 | Electra – 3.8 | Celaeno – 5.4 | Taygeta – 4.4 | Maia – 4.0 | Sterope – 5,9
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Taka FSQ-106ED + Extender-Q 1.6x – EM200 auto-guided | Nikon D810A | ISO2500 – Exp. 300 seconds x 15 lights + ISO3200 – Exp. 210 seconds x 10 lights + ISO2500 – Exp. 270 seconds x 13 lights | Total integration of 38 Lights: 2h48 minutes. Processing on PixInsight 1.8 and CS6. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz.
A Christmas tree adorned with stars
This could be a Christmas tree from Alentejo adorned with stars…the luminous and colorful balls that sprinkle with magic the sky of the Dark Sky® Alqueva. In the center of this composition captured in Campinho, Reguengos de Monsaraz, the silhouetted branches embrace the most beautiful and well-known winter constellation, Orion. Just below them, the bright and shimmering star Sirius reminds us of the star of Bethlehem.
Above we can see a comparison between the wide field image at left, where we can spot the entire constellation of Orion in the winter sky, with the small angle of about (2.25ºx 1.37º) where it fits the beautiful Dusty Heart of Orion Nebula (at right). The full resolution of Orion Nebula can be seen here.
PT: Esta poderia ser uma árvore de Natal alentejana, adornada de estrelas… as bolas luminosas e coloridas que salpicam de magia o céu do Dark Sky® Alqueva. No centro desta composição captada no Campinho, em Reguengos de Monsaraz, os ramos em silhueta abraçam a mais bela e conhecida constelação de Inverno, Orion. Logo abaixo destes, a estrela Sírius luminosa e cintilante faz-nos lembrar a estrela de Belém!
Rosette Nebula, When a Flower Gives Birth in Space
The Rosette Nebula is a large complex of bright emission and dark nebulae, located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The open cluster in the center, NGC 2244, is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula’s matter. Scientists conclude that the central cluster formed first, followed by expansion of the nebula, which triggered the formation of the neighboring clusters, including NGC 2237. The cluster and nebula lie at a distance of some 5,000 light-years from Earth and the center hole measure roughly 50 light years in diameter. Stellar winds from these hot young stars has cleared out the cavity in the center of the nebula. The radiation from the young stars excites the atoms in the nebula, causing them to emit radiation themselves producing the redish color of an hydrogen-alpha emission. The mass of the nebula is estimated to be around 10,000 solar masses.
A survey of the nebula with the Chandra X-ray Observatory has revealed the presence of numerous new-born stars inside optical Rosette Nebula and studded within a dense molecular cloud. Altogether, approximately 2500 young stars lie in this star-forming complex,The X-rays reveal hundreds of young stars clustered in the center of the image and additional fainter clusters on either side. The study of the cluster provides the first probe of the low-mass stars in this satellite cluster. The presence of several X-ray emitting stars around the pillars and the detection of an outflow — commonly associated with very young stars — originating from a dark area of the optical image indicates that star formation is continuing in NGC 2237.
The dark nebulae are part of a complex of Bok globules inside the Rosette Nebula. Bok Globules are dense opaque clouds of gas and dust, some of which are condensing under gravitational attraction to form stars and planets. Bok globules were first seen and observed by astronomer Bart Bok in the 1940s.
PT: A Nebulosa da Roseta é um grande complexo de emissão brilhante e de nebulosas escuras, localizado perto de uma extremidade de uma nuvem molecular gigante na região de Monoceros, na Via Láctea. O aglomerado aberto ao centro, NGC 2244, está intimamente associado à nebulosidade tendo as estrelas do aglomerado sido formadas a partir da matéria da nebulosa. Os cientistas concluem que o aglomerado central se formou primeiro, seguido pela expansão da nebulosa, o que desencadeou a formação dos aglomerados vizinhos, incluindo o NGC 2237. O aglomerado e a nebulosa ficam a uma distância de cerca de 5.000 anos-luz da Terra e a medida da cavidade central é de cerca de 50 anos-luz de diâmetro. Os ventos estelares destas estrelas jovens e quentes apagaram a cavidade no centro da nebulosa. A radiação das estrelas jovens excita os átomos na nebulosa, fazendo com que eles emitam radiação produzindo a cor avermelhada, uma emissão de hidrogénio-alfa. A massa da nebulosa está estimada em cerca de 10.000 massas solares.
Um estudo recente da nebulosa com o Observatório Chandra de raios-X, revelou a presença de numerosas estrelas recém-nascidas dentro da nebulosa óptica Rosette e studded dentro de uma nuvem molecular densa. Ao todo, aproximadamente 2500 estrelas novas encontram-se neste complexo de formação de estrelas, os raios X revelam centenas de estrelas novas agrupadas no centro da imagem e em uns conjuntos mais pequenos de cada lado. As nebulosas escuras são parte de um complexo de “Bok Globules” dentro da Nebulosa Roseta. Bok Globules são densas nuvens opacas de gás e poeira, algumas das quais estão a condensar-se sob atração gravitacional para formar estrelas e planetas. Os “glóbulos de Bok” foram vistos pela primeira vez e observados pelo astrónomo Bart Bok na década de 1940.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Taka FSQ-106ED + Extender-Q 1.6x – EM200 auto-guider | Nikon D810A – ISO2500 – Exp. 300 seconds x 26 lights – Total integration: 130 minutes . Processing on PixInsight 1.8 and CS6. Cumeada Observatory from Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve, Reguengos de Monsaraz.
Working Under the Stars After a Deep Sky Session
After a night of work under the starry sky of Mourão, in Alqueva Dark Sky® Reserve, a self portrait shows all the equipment necessary for a deep sky session with two different telescopes controlled by a laptop.
PT: Depois de uma noite de trabalho sob o céu estrelado de Mourão, na Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, um auto-retrato mostra todo o equipamento necessário para uma sessão de céu profundo com dois telescópios diferentes controlados por um computador portátil.
Zodiacal light in the glacial valley of Glendalough
Zodiacal light and planet Venus in the forest of Glendalough. Meaning “Valley of two lakes”, is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. It combines extensive monastic ruins with a stunning natural setting in the Wicklow Mountains. The beauty and tranquility of the lakes and glacial-carved valley no doubt appealed to St Kevin, a hermit monk, who founded the monastic site near the Lower Lake in the 6th Century. Most of the buildings that survive today date from the 10th through 12th centuries. Despite attacks by Vikings over the years, Glendalough thrived as one of Irelands great ecclesiastical foundations and schools of learning until the Normans destroyed the monastery in 1214 and the dioceses of Glendalough and Dublin were united. The settlement was destroyed by English forces in 1398. A reconstruction program was started in 1878 and today the valley boasts a visitor centre, wooded trails, walkways and rock climbing. The monastic ruins include a round tower, seven churches, a gateway into the settlement with a Sanctuary Stone, two High Crosses, the priest’s house, a graveyard, Reeferts Church, St. Kevin’s Bed (Cave) and St. Kevin’s Cell (hermitage hut). More about.
PT: Luz zodiacal e o planeta Vénus na floresta de Glendalough. Com o significado “Vale dos dois lagos”, é um vale glacial no condado de Wicklow, na Irlanda, conhecida por uma povoação monástica medieval precoce fundada no século 6 pelo St Kevin. Combina extensas ruínas monásticas com um cenário natural deslumbrante nas montanhas de Wicklow. A beleza e tranquilidade dos lagos e do vale glacial esculpido, sem dúvida, chamaram a atenção do monge eremita St Kevin . A maioria dos edifícios que sobreviveram até aos dias de hoje datam do século 12. Apesar dos ataques de Vikings ao longo dos anos, Glendalough prosperou como uma das grandes fundações eclesiásticas irlandesas e escolas de aprendizagem até que os normandos destruiram o mosteiro em 1214 e as dioceses de Glendalough e Dublin foram unidos. A liquidação foi destruída por forças inglesas em 1398. Um programa de reconstrução foi iniciado em 1878 e hoje o vale dispõe de um centro de visitantes, trilhas arborizadas, calçadas e escalada. As ruínas monásticas incluem uma torre redonda, sete igrejas, uma porta de entrada para a povoação com um Santuário de pedra, duas cruzes celtas altas, casa do padre e um cemitério.
Celtic Cemetery in Glendalough
The Celtic cemetery at Glendalough has spread Celtic crosses and ancient gravestones throughout the area. Finest examples of a plain cross remarkably carved from a single granite stone. The cross is the most ancient and powerful of symbols: an encounter of the vertical with the horizontal, the feminine & masculine, temporal & eternal. The circle of the Celtic cross, implying infinity, gives it a cosmic dimension. The arms of the cross are over a metre in length. The imperforate cross stands about 2.5m tall. It may have marked the boundary of the cemetery in which stands the priests’ house. This cross is a fine example of how St Patrick trying to help the once pagan people of Ireland acclimate to Christianity. This was done by combining the cross with the circle representing the sun, because the pagans worshipped the sun and moon. A local legend surrounding St. Kevin’s Cross says that anyone who can wrap their arms around the entire width of the cross body and close the circle by touching fingertips will have their wishes granted.
Glendalough (meaning “Valley of two lakes”) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. It combines extensive monastic ruins with a stunning natural setting in the Wicklow Mountains. The beauty and tranquility of the lakes and glacial-carved valley no doubt appealed to St Kevin, a hermit monk, who founded the monastic site near the Lower Lake in the 6th Century. Most of the buildings that survive today date from the 10th through 12th centuries. Despite attacks by Vikings over the years, Glendalough thrived as one of Irelands great ecclesiastical foundations and schools of learning until the Normans destroyed the monastery in 1214 and the dioceses of Glendalough and Dublin were united. The settlement was destroyed by English forces in 1398. A reconstruction program was started in 1878 and today the valley boasts a visitor centre, wooded trails, walkways and rock climbing. The monastic ruins include a round tower, seven churches, a gateway into the settlement with a Sanctuary Stone, two High Crosses, the priest’s house, a graveyard, Reeferts Church, St. Kevin’s Bed (Cave) and St. Kevin’s Cell (hermitage hut). More about.
PT: Este cemitério em Glendalough tem espalhadas cruzes celtas e lápides anciãs. A cruz celta é um belo exemplo de uma cruz simples notavelmente esculpida de uma única pedra de granito. A cruz é o mais antiga e poderoso símbolo: um encontro do vertical com o horizontal, o feminino e masculino, temporal e eterno. O círculo da cruz celta, o que implica infinito, dá-lhe uma dimensão cósmica. Estas cruzes celtas podem ser encontradas no cemitério de Glendalough. Com o significado “Vale dos dois lagos”, é um vale glacial no condado de Wicklow, na Irlanda, conhecida por uma povoação monástica medieval precoce fundada no século 6 pelo St Kevin. Combina extensas ruínas monásticas com um cenário natural deslumbrante nas montanhas de Wicklow. A beleza e tranquilidade dos lagos e do vale glacial esculpido, sem dúvida, chamaram a atenção do monge eremita St Kevin . A maioria dos edifícios que sobreviveram até aos dias de hoje datam do século 12. Apesar dos ataques de Vikings ao longo dos anos, Glendalough prosperou como uma das grandes fundações eclesiásticas irlandesas e escolas de aprendizagem até que os normandos destruiram o mosteiro em 1214 e as dioceses de Glendalough e Dublin foram unidos. A liquidação foi destruída por forças inglesas em 1398. Um programa de reconstrução foi iniciado em 1878 e hoje o vale dispõe de um centro de visitantes, trilhas arborizadas, calçadas e escalada. As ruínas monásticas incluem uma torre redonda, sete igrejas, uma porta de entrada para a povoação com um Santuário de pedra, duas cruzes celtas altas, casa do padre e um cemitério.
Celtic Cross in Ireland
This Celtic Cross is a fine example of a plain cross remarkably carved from a single granite stone. The cross is the most ancient and powerful of symbols: an encounter of the vertical with the horizontal, the feminine & masculine, temporal & eternal. The circle of the Celtic cross, implying infinity, gives it a cosmic dimension. The arms of the cross are over a meter in length. The imperforate cross stands about 2.5m tall. It may have marked the boundary of the cemetery in which stands the priests’ house. This cross is a fine example of how St Patrick trying to help the once pagan people of Ireland acclimate to Christianity. This was done by combining the cross with the circle representing the sun, because the pagans worshipped the sun and moon. A local legend surrounding St. Kevin’s Cross says that anyone who can wrap their arms around the entire width of the cross body and close the circle by touching fingertips will have their wishes granted.
Glendalough (meaning “Valley of two lakes”) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. It combines extensive monastic ruins with a stunning natural setting in the Wicklow Mountains. The beauty and tranquility of the lakes and glacial-carved valley no doubt appealed to St Kevin, a hermit monk, who founded the monastic site near the Lower Lake in the 6th Century. Most of the buildings that survive today date from the 10th through 12th centuries. Despite attacks by Vikings over the years, Glendalough thrived as one of Irelands great ecclesiastical foundations and schools of learning until the Normans destroyed the monastery in 1214 and the dioceses of Glendalough and Dublin were united. The settlement was destroyed by English forces in 1398. A reconstruction program was started in 1878 and today the valley boasts a visitor centre, wooded trails, walkways and rock climbing. The monastic ruins include a round tower, seven churches, a gateway into the settlement with a Sanctuary Stone, two High Crosses, the priest’s house, a graveyard, Reeferts Church, St. Kevin’s Bed (Cave) and St. Kevin’s Cell (hermitage hut). More about.
PT: Esta cruz celta é um belo exemplo de uma cruz simples notavelmente esculpida de uma única pedra de granito. A cruz é o mais antiga e poderoso símbolo: um encontro do vertical com o horizontal, o feminino e masculino, temporal e eterno. O círculo da cruz celta, o que implica infinito, dá-lhe uma dimensão cósmica. Estas cruzes celtas podem ser encontradas no cemitério de Glendalough. Com o significado “Vale dos dois lagos”, é um vale glacial no condado de Wicklow, na Irlanda, conhecida por uma povoação monástica medieval precoce fundada no século 6 pelo St Kevin. Combina extensas ruínas monásticas com um cenário natural deslumbrante nas montanhas de Wicklow. A beleza e tranquilidade dos lagos e do vale glacial esculpido, sem dúvida, chamaram a atenção do monge eremita St Kevin . A maioria dos edifícios que sobreviveram até aos dias de hoje datam do século 12. Apesar dos ataques de Vikings ao longo dos anos, Glendalough prosperou como uma das grandes fundações eclesiásticas irlandesas e escolas de aprendizagem até que os normandos destruiram o mosteiro em 1214 e as dioceses de Glendalough e Dublin foram unidos. A liquidação foi destruída por forças inglesas em 1398. Um programa de reconstrução foi iniciado em 1878 e hoje o vale dispõe de um centro de visitantes, trilhas arborizadas, calçadas e escalada. As ruínas monásticas incluem uma torre redonda, sete igrejas, uma porta de entrada para a povoação com um Santuário de pedra, duas cruzes celtas altas, casa do padre e um cemitério.
Celtic Cross Against the Night Sky
This Celtic Cross is a fine example of a plain cross remarkably carved from a single granite stone. The cross is the most ancient and powerful of symbols: an encounter of the vertical with the horizontal, the feminine & masculine, temporal & eternal. The circle of the Celtic cross, implying infinity, gives it a cosmic dimension. The arms of the cross are over a metre in length. The imperforate cross stands about 2.5m tall. It may have marked the boundary of the cemetery in which stands the priests’ house. This cross is a fine example of how St Patrick trying to help the once pagan people of Ireland acclimate to Christianity. This was done by combining the cross with the circle representing the sun, because the pagans worshipped the sun and moon. A local legend surrounding St. Kevin’s Cross says that anyone who can wrap their arms around the entire width of the cross body and close the circle by touching fingertips will have their wishes granted.
Glendalough (meaning “Valley of two lakes”) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. It combines extensive monastic ruins with a stunning natural setting in the Wicklow Mountains. The beauty and tranquility of the lakes and glacial-carved valley no doubt appealed to St Kevin, a hermit monk, who founded the monastic site near the Lower Lake in the 6th Century. Most of the buildings that survive today date from the 10th through 12th centuries. Despite attacks by Vikings over the years, Glendalough thrived as one of Irelands great ecclesiastical foundations and schools of learning until the Normans destroyed the monastery in 1214 and the dioceses of Glendalough and Dublin were united. The settlement was destroyed by English forces in 1398. A reconstruction program was started in 1878 and today the valley boasts a visitor centre, wooded trails, walkways and rock climbing. The monastic ruins include a round tower, seven churches, a gateway into the settlement with a Sanctuary Stone, two High Crosses, the priest’s house, a graveyard, Reeferts Church, St. Kevin’s Bed (Cave) and St. Kevin’s Cell (hermitage hut). More about.
PT: Esta cruz celta é um belo exemplo de uma cruz simples notavelmente esculpida de uma única pedra de granito. A cruz é o mais antiga e poderoso símbolo: um encontro do vertical com o horizontal, o feminino e masculino, temporal e eterno. O círculo da cruz celta, o que implica infinito, dá-lhe uma dimensão cósmica. Estas cruzes celtas podem ser encontradas no cemitério de Glendalough. Com o significado “Vale dos dois lagos”, é um vale glacial no condado de Wicklow, na Irlanda, conhecida por uma povoação monástica medieval precoce fundada no século 6 pelo St Kevin. Combina extensas ruínas monásticas com um cenário natural deslumbrante nas montanhas de Wicklow. A beleza e tranquilidade dos lagos e do vale glacial esculpido, sem dúvida, chamaram a atenção do monge eremita St Kevin . A maioria dos edifícios que sobreviveram até aos dias de hoje datam do século 12. Apesar dos ataques de Vikings ao longo dos anos, Glendalough prosperou como uma das grandes fundações eclesiásticas irlandesas e escolas de aprendizagem até que os normandos destruiram o mosteiro em 1214 e as dioceses de Glendalough e Dublin foram unidos. A liquidação foi destruída por forças inglesas em 1398. Um programa de reconstrução foi iniciado em 1878 e hoje o vale dispõe de um centro de visitantes, trilhas arborizadas, calçadas e escalada. As ruínas monásticas incluem uma torre redonda, sete igrejas, uma porta de entrada para a povoação com um Santuário de pedra, duas cruzes celtas altas, casa do padre e um cemitério.
If the Shadows Were Roots
EN: This full dome view show a blue sky filled with winter stars like Sirius or bright constellations like Orion, is illuminated by the Moonlight working as a perfect background to highlight the silhouette from the Giant Chestnut tree of Guilhafonso in Guarda, Portugal, while in the field, its projection creates the illusion like if the shadows were roots. This century-old tree is considered the largest of its kind in Europe. This is a specimen of 9.60 meters trunk circumference, 19 meters in height, average crown diameter of 25.5 meters and an estimated age of over 400 years. Residents ensure that they need at least nine people to embrace its trunk. In 2015 the giant chestnut won new liveliness after having been treated which allowed it to still giving chestnuts nowadays.
PT: Nesta imagem All Sky, um céu azul repleto de estrelas de inverno como Sirius ou constelações brilhantes como Orion, é iluminado pelo luar funcionando como o pano de fundo perfeito para destacar a imponente silhueta do Castanheiro Gigante de Guilhafonso, na Guarda, Portugal, enquanto a projecção das sombras em terra nos dá a ilusão como se as mesmas fossem as suas próprias raízes. Esta árvore centenária é considerada a maior da sua espécie na Europa. Trata-se de um espécime de 9,60 metros de perímetro de tronco, 19 metros de altura, diâmetro médio da copa de 25,5 metros e uma idade estimada em mais de 400 anos. Os residentes garantem que são precisas pelo menos nove pessoas para abraçar o seu tronco. Em 2015, depois de ter sido submetido a um tratamento, o castanheiro gigante ganhou nova vivacidade o que permitiu continuar dar nozes até aos dias de hoje.
The Giant Chestnut of Guilhafonso
EN: A blue sky filled with winter stars like Sirius or bright constellations like Orion, is illuminated by the Moonlight working as a perfect background to highlight the silhouette from the Giant Chestnut tree of Guilhafonso in Guarda, Portugal. This century-old tree is considered the largest of its kind in Europe. This is a specimen of 9.60 meters trunk circumference, 19 meters in height, average crown diameter of 25.5 meters and an estimated age of over 400 years. Residents ensure that they need at least nine people to embrace its trunk. In 2015 the giant chestnut won new liveliness after having been treated which allowed it to still giving chestnuts nowadays.
PT: Um céu azul repleto de estrelas de inverno como Sirius ou constelações brilhantes como Orion, é iluminada pelo luar funcionando como o pano de fundo perfeito para destacar a imponente silhueta do Castanheiro Gigante de Guilhafonso, na Guarda, Portugal. Esta árvore centenária é considerada a maior da sua espécie na Europa. Trata-se de um espécime de 9,60 metros de perímetro de tronco, 19 metros de altura, diâmetro médio da copa de 25,5 metros e uma idade estimada em mais de 400 anos. Os residentes garantem que são precisas pelo menos nove pessoas para abraçar o seu tronco. Em 2015, depois de ter sido submetido a um tratamento, o castanheiro gigante ganhou nova vivacidade o que permitiu continuar dar nozes até aos dias de hoje.
Moon Reflections in the Atlantic Ocean
Moon reflections in the Atlantic Ocean. The air his filled with a thin layer of smoke coming from a fire that broke out in the afternoon on a nearby mountain. At the right side of the bright water, we can see a small lighthouse from Vilamoura marina.
PT: Reflexos do luar nas águas do Oceano Atlântico. Este pôr-da-lua incomum estava rodeado pelas cinzas que pairavam na marina de Vilamoura, no Algarve, provenientes de um incêndio que deflagrou numa serra próxima da região. A ligeira neblina conferiu à imagem uma tonalidade rosada, com uma mística muito particular e a condizer com o pequeno farol vermelho que se pode ver em baixo à direita.
London, a Busy Night City
London is a very busy city since morning until mid night. This time lapse scene shows the Moonpath passing behind “The Shard” tower, where it is also visible beside some bright stars, lots of aerial traffic as well the motion of a busy river while the cranes above the soil are still working all night long. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
PT: Esta imagem Cityscape da cidade de Londres captada durante uma sequência startrail mostra a agitação que se vive ao longo da noite no centro da cidade. Barcos atravessam o rio, gruas se movimentam freneticamente e a cada minuto aviões cruzam os céus londrinos. Tudo isto acontece a um ritmo alucinante, enquanto que pacificamente a lua se põe por detrás do gigantesco edifício de 300 metros “The Shard”. Também conhecido como “Shard of Glass” e anteriormente London Bridge Tower, o “The Shard” é um arranha-céu de 95 andares em Southwark, Londres, que faz parte do Quarter London Bridge. Atingindo 309,6 metros (1.016 pés) de altura, o Shard é o edifício mais alto do Reino Unido, o edifício 105º entre os mais altos do mundo, e o quarto edifício mais alto da Europa.
Startrail above chapel of Saint Kevin at Glendalough
Glendalough (meaning “Valley of two lakes”) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. It combines extensive monastic ruins with a stunning natural setting in the Wicklow Mountains. The beauty and tranquility of the lakes and glacial-carved valley no doubt appealed to St Kevin, a hermit monk, who founded the monastic site near the Lower Lake in the 6th Century. Most of the buildings that survive today date from the 10th through 12th centuries. Despite attacks by Vikings over the years, Glendalough thrived as one of Irelands great ecclesiastical foundations and schools of learning until the Normans destroyed the monastery in 1214 and the dioceses of Glendalough and Dublin were united. The settlement was destroyed by English forces in 1398. A reconstruction program was started in 1878 and today the valley boasts a visitor centre, wooded trails, walkways and rock climbing. The monastic ruins include a round tower, seven churches, a gateway into the settlement with a Sanctuary Stone, two High Crosses, the priest’s house, a graveyard, Reeferts Church, St. Kevin’s Bed (Cave) and St. Kevin’s Cell (hermitage hut). More about.
In the image we can see a startrail above the celtic church of St. Kevin’s. This church is unusual, it has a round tower or belfry with conical cap integrated with the church. Perhaps because of its small size, or the tower resembling a chimney, it is frequently called “St. Kevin’s kitchen.” The tower is three stories high. Some sources suggest that it was part of the original structure, others claim it originally had a nave only with an entrance at the west end. The upper part of the gable window can be seen above what became the chancel arch, when the chancel (now missing) and the sacristy were added later. The steep roof has corbelled stones, similar to that atSt.Doolagh’s Church in Dublin and St. Columb’s Housein Kells. It is supported internally by a semi-circular vault. The church had a wooden upper floor and access to the roof chamber was through an opening at the western end of the vault.
PT: Na imagem podemos ver um startrail acima da igreja celta de St. Kevin, em Glendalough, Irlanda. Esta incomum igreja tem uma torre redonda ou campanário com o tampão cónico integrado, sendo frequentemente apelidada de “cozinha de St. Kevin.
Venus Reflecting on Causeway Coast of Northern Ireland
Venus is the second-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows. Is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. It has the longest rotation period (243 days) of any planet in the Solar System and rotates in the opposite direction to most other planets. It has no natural satellite. It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Normally visible at Dawn or other times at Dusk, Venus has been a major fixture in human culture for as long as records have existed. It has been made sacred to gods of many cultures, and has been a prime inspiration for writers and poets as the “morning star” and “evening star”. In the image above, the brightness of this planet is reflecting in the ocean surface from Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland, due to a presence of tiny water droplets in thin clouds – which diffract the light of bright heavenly bodies working as a natural diffuse filter – we also can see a blueish color from its corona. The Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (4.8 km) northeast of the town of Bushmills. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, and a national nature reserve in 1987 by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland.
Enjoying the Moon above the City of London
A skygazer is enjoying the busy night of London city, from a lovely balcony view, with the crescent moon visible at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
The Moon, The Shard and The Plane
This London twilight view shows de Crescent Moon at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe. At the right side of the tower is also visible a plane flying above the sky of London.
PT: Esta imagem Cityscape da cidade de Londres captada durante o crepúsculo náutico, mostra a Lua Crescente à esquerda da torre londrina “The Shard” e à direita a silhueta de um avião comercial que sobrevoava a cidade. Também conhecido como “Shard of Glass” e anteriormente London Bridge Tower, o “The Shard” é um arranha-céu de 95 andares em Southwark, Londres, que faz parte do Quarter London Bridge. Atingindo 309,6 metros (1.016 pés) de altura, o Shard é o edifício mais alto do Reino Unido, o edifício 105º entre os mais altos do mundo, e o quarto edifício mais alto da Europa.
The Shard Tower and Crescent Moon in London
This London twilight cityscape view, shows de Crescent Moon at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
PT: Esta imagem Cityscape da cidade de Londres captada durante o crepúsculo náutico, mostra a Lua Crescente à esquerda da torre londrina “The Shard”. Também conhecido como “Shard of Glass” e anteriormente London Bridge Tower, é um arranha-céu de 95 andares em Southwark, Londres, que faz parte do Quarter London Bridge. Atingindo 309,6 metros (1.016 pés) de altura, o Shard é o edifício mais alto do Reino Unido, o edifício 105º entre os mais altos do mundo, e o quarto edifício mais alto da Europa.
Full Eye over London City
This full dome “eye view” from London city during the twilight, shows de Crescent Moon at the left side of “The Shard” tower. Also referred as the Shard of Glass and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the 105th tallest building in the world, and the fourth tallest building in Europe.
Beyond the Limits of Earth – Astrophotography from an Airplane
When I was back to Lisbon from a large trip between Chile, Argentina and Uruguay with a stopover in São Paulo, Brazil, I had a rare opportunity somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and under the moonlight to take some images from the window of an airplane, during the sleeping hours, when the lights of the plane were shut off. I asked my colleague Apolónia Rodrigues to cover my head with a black jacket around the window to avoid any reflections from inside. The shutter speed had to be very fast for a night sky photography because it was very difficult to have a pinpoint stars without shaking with the movements of the plane. After a few attempts and efforts, I could capture some nice views with the stars and the night sky above Earth taken at a high altitude, probably between 10,000 to 12,000 meters at a cruise speed of ~900km/h, some of them with lightning below.
Due to the presence of moonlight we can distinguish very well the limb and transition between the blue color from our atmosphere and the black from outer space. Blue light is scattered more than other wavelengths by the gases in the atmosphere, giving Earth a blue halo. The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, commonly known as air, that surrounds the planet Earth and is retained by Earth’s gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night (the diurnal temperature variation). The atmosphere has a mass of about 5.15×1018 kg, three quarters of which is within about 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface. The atmosphere becomes thinner and thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. The Kármán line, at 100 km (62 mi), or 1.57% of Earth’s radius, is often used as the border between the atmosphere and outer space.
PT: De regresso a Lisboa a partir de uma grande viagem entre o Chile, Argentina e Uruguai com escala em São Paulo, Brasil, eu tive uma oportunidade rara enquanto estava algures a sobrevoar o Oceano Atlântico, de captar imagens ao luar a partir da janela de um avião comercial, durante as horas de sono e enquanto as luzes do avião foram desligados. Pedi à minha colega de equipa Apolónia Rodrigues para me cobrir a cabeça e ao redor da janela com um casaco preto, no sentido de evitar quaisquer reflexos a partir do interior do avião. A velocidade do obturador tinha que ser muito rápida para uma fotografia de céu noturna, porque era muito difícil ter estrelas pontuais com a agitação do avião. Depois de algumas tentativas e esforços, tive a felicidade de captar algumas imagens com as estrelas pontuais onde se distinguem as estrelas que compõem o Cão Maior e Orion e onde é possível ver também o contorno da atmosfera acima da Terra. As imagens foram tiradas a uma alta altitude, provavelmente entre 10.000 a 12.000 metros e a uma velocidade de cruzeiro de ~ 900 km/h, alguns deles com relâmpagos abaixo .
The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere. It extends from Earth’s surface to an average height of about 12 km, although this altitude actually varies from about 9 km (30,000 ft) at the poles to 17 km (56,000 ft) at the equator, with some variation due to weather. Most conventional aviation activity takes place in the troposphere, and it is the only layer that can be accessed by propeller-driven aircraft.
In one of the pictures I made an annotation with the main constellations visible. Orion and Sirius are very well spotted. Each one is a single shot: Canon 6D, Exp: 1/3s; ISO8000 24mm f/2.8
Prime Meridian Laser in Greenwich
The Greenwich Meridian separates east from west in the same way that the Equator separates north from south. Inextricably linked with Greenwich Mean Time, it also sits at the centre of our system of time zones. Its path is determined by the location of an historic telescope, the Airy Transit Circle (51°28′40.1″N 0°0′5.3″W), which is housed at the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, in London. The Prime Meridian was established by Sir George Airy in 1851.
A prime meridian is a meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographical coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. Together, a prime meridian and its antimeridian (the 180th meridian in a 360°-system) form a great circle. This great circle divides the sphere, e.g., the Earth, into two hemispheres. If one uses directions of East and West from a defined prime meridian, then they can be called Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere.
PT: O meridiano de Greenwich separa “Este” de “Oeste” da mesma forma que o Equador separa o Norte do Sul. Intimamente ligado com Greenwich Mean Time, também está no centro do nosso sistema de fusos horários. O seu caminho é determinado pela localização de um telescópio histórico, o “Airy Transit Circle” (51°28′40.1″N 0°0′5.3″W), que está localizado no Observatório Real de Greenwich, em Londres. O Meridiano de Greenwich foi criada por Sir George Airy em 1851.
The Prime Meridian in Greenwich Observatory, was long marked by a brass strip in the courtyard, now replaced by stainless steel, and, since 16 December 1999, has been marked by a powerful green laser shining north across the London night sky. The Meridian laser marks the route of the Greenwich Meridian by night in a northerly direction from the Royal Observatory. Under good viewing conditions, it is visible at a distance of over 36 miles with the naked eye and over 60 miles with binoculars.
Summer Triangle above Vatican City State
The Summer Triangle is an astronomical asterism involving an imaginary triangle drawn on the northern hemisphere’s celestial sphere, with its defining vertices at Altair, Deneb, and Vega, the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra, respectively. Only this 3 stars are bright enough to be visible above the light polluted sky from the City State of Vaticano, in Rome, Italy.
Near midnight, the Summer Triangle lies virtually overhead at mid-northern latitudes during the summer months, but can also be seen during spring in the early morning to the East. In the autumn the summer triangle is visible in the evening to the West well until November. From the southern hemisphere it appears upside down and low in the sky during the winter months.
The Church has had a long-standing interest in astronomy, due to the astronomical basis of the calendar by which holy days and Easter are determined. For instance, the Gregorian Calendar, promulgated in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, was developed by Aloysius Lilius and later modified by Christoph Clavius at the Collegio Romano from astronomical data. The Gregorian Tower was completed in 1580 for his purpose, designed by Bolognese architect Ottaviano Matte.
The Vatican Observatory (Latin: Specola Vaticana) is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. Originally based in the Roman College of Rome, the Observatory is now headquartered in Castel Gandolfo, Italy and operates a telescope at the Mount Graham International Observatory in the United States. In the 18th century, the Papacy actively supported astronomy, establishing the Observatory of the Roman College in 1774. In 1789–1787, the Specola Vaticana in the Tower of the Winds within the Vatican was established under the direction of Msgr. Filippo Luigi Gilii (1756–1821). When Msgr. Gilii died, the Specola was closed down because it was inconvenient for students in the city because the dome of St. Peter’s obstructed its view. Its instruments were transferred to the College Observatory. A third facility, the Observatory of the Capitol, was operated from 1827 to 1870. In 1891, however, Pope Leo XIII issued a Motu Proprio re-founding the Specola Vaticana (Vatican Observatory) and a new observatory was built on the walls at the edge of the Vatican.The new Vatican Observatory remained there for the next forty years.
By the 1930s, the smoke and sky-glow of the city had made it impossible to conduct useful observations in Rome. Pope Pius XI relocated the Observatory to Castel Gandolfo, which is 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of Rome. By 1961, the same problems with light pollution made observing difficult at Castel Gandolfo. The Observatory then established the Vatican Observatory Research Group, with offices at the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.
PT: O Triângulo de Verão é um asterismo astronómico envolvendo um triângulo imaginário “desenhado na esfera celeste” do hemisfério norte, com os seus vértices a definirem Altair, Deneb e Vega, as estrelas mais brilhantes nas três constelações de Aquila, Cygnus e Lyra, respectivamente. Só estas 3 estrelas conseguem ser suficientemente brilhantes para serem visíveis a partir de um céu poluído como o que se ergue acima do Estado da Cidade do Vaticano, em Roma, Itália.
Officially called Vatican City State or the State of Vatican City is a walled enclave within the city of Rome. With an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of 842, it is the smallest sovereign state in the world by both area and population. It is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state (a type of theocracy) ruled by the Bishop of Rome – the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins. Since the return of the Popes from Avignon in 1377, they have generally resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City. Vatican City is distinct from the Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes), which dates back to early Christianity and is the main episcopal see of 1.2 billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents around the globe. The independent city-state, on the other hand, came into existence in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, which spoke of it as a new creation, not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870), which had previously encompassed much of central Italy. According to the terms of the treaty, the Holy See has “full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction” over the city-state.
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in the Harvest Moon above Sesimbra Castle
On september 16h the disc of the moon has reached the 100% illumination exactly at the same time he was rising in the portuguese sky. This september Full Moon is known, according to folklore, as the Harvest Moon, “a bright orb that shines down on the ripening fields of the northern hemisphere, allowing farmers to harvest their crops late into the night”. Besides his normal brightness when it is Full, this particular Moon was a bit darker then normal, due to a penumbral lunar eclipse, that happens when the Moon passes through the pale outskirts of Earth’s shadow. It is much less dramatic than a total lunar eclipse. The final image is a sequence shot captured during 25 minutes, at the moonrise, with a 200mm lens at about 700 meters away from the Sesimbra Castle, in Portugal.
PT: Eclipse penumbral da Lua captada no dia 16 de Setembro. Nesta sequência de disparos combinada, é possível o nascer da Lua acima do Castelo de Sesimbra. Como o eclipse é penumbral, apenas a região superior da lua é ligeiramente escurecida pelo cone de sombra da terra.
Dreaming Sphere
A path of light illuminates our land on Earth, but in the same way, a light cloud of gas and dust is shining bright and high in the sky of this full dome view. In the foreground, a dead tree is standing below the gigantic arc of our galaxy, the Milky Way. This “dreaming sphere” was captured in Noudar Park, Alqueva Dark Sky® Reserve, Barrancos.
PT: Um caminho de luz ilumina a Terra, enquanto simultaneamente uma nuvem luminosa de gás e poeira cósmica brilha alto no céu desta visão “full dome”. Em primeiro plano, uma árvore morta mantém-se erguida abaixo do gigantesco arco galáctico da Via Láctea. Esta “esfera de sonhos” foi captada no Parque de Natureza de Noudar, em Barrancos, na Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva.
Colorful Night Sky – A Stellar Spectrum
When we first look at the night sky, we can not distinguish the color of each star with our own eyes, although, if we record in a long exposure sequence the path of each star, due to the motion of rotating Earth and consequently the rotation of celestial sphere, a starry trailed sky can reveal much of our colorful Universe. In the image above, captured in Noudar Park, Alqueva Dark Sky® Reserve, Portugal, we can see a lot of different color paths, like: blue, yellow, white or orange. Each color is directly related to the type and temperature of each star. Some of them are hottest, like Alfirk, in Cepheus constellation, and some are coolest like Eltanin, in Draco.
In astronomy, stellar classification is the classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. Electromagnetic radiation from the star is analyzed by splitting it with a prism or diffraction grating into a spectrum exhibiting the rainbow of colors interspersed with absorption lines. Each line indicates an ion of a certain chemical element, with the line strength indicating the abundance of that ion. The relative abundance of the different ions varies with the temperature of the photosphere. The spectral class of a star is a short code summarizing the ionization state, giving an objective measure of the photosphere’s temperature and density.
Most stars are currently classified under the Morgan–Keenan (MK) system using the letters O, B, A, F, G, K, and M, a sequence from the hottest (O type – blue stars) to the coolest (M type – red stars). Each letter class is then subdivided using a numeric digit with 0 being hottest and 9 being coolest (e.g. A8, A9, F0, F1 form a sequence from hotter to cooler). The sequence has been expanded with classes for other stars and star-like objects that do not fit in the classical system, such as class D for white dwarfs and class C for carbon stars.
In the MK system, a luminosity class is added to the spectral class using Roman numerals. This is based on the width of certain absorption lines in the star’s spectrum, which vary with the density of the atmosphere and so distinguish giant stars from dwarfs. Luminosity class 0 or Ia+ stars for hypergiants, class I stars for supergiants, class II for bright giants, class III for regular giants, class IV for sub-giants, class V for main-sequence stars, class sd for sub-dwarfs, and class D for white dwarfs. The full spectral class for the Sun is then G2V, indicating a main-sequence star with a temperature around 5,800 K. Source and more info: click here.
PT: Quando de noite olhamos para o céu não conseguimos percepcionar com os nossos próprios olhos a cor de cada estrela, no entanto, se registarmos numa sequência de longa exposição o rasto de cada estrela, devido ao movimento de rotação da Terra e à consequente rotação da esfera celeste, uma imagem startrail poderá revelar um Universo colorido e rico em informação. Na imagem acima captada no Parque de Natureza de Noudar, Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Barrancos, podemos ver uma grande diversidade de cores desde o azul, ao amarelo, branco ou laranja. Cada cor está directamente relacionada com o tipo e temperatura de cada estrela. Algumas delas são mais quentes, como Alfirk, na constelação do Cefeu, e outras são mais frias como Eltanin, no Dragão.
Milky Way above Trees in São Pedro de Atacama
Central region of Milky Way above the trees of a farm from the small desert village of São Pedro de Atacama. Chile – October 2015.
PT: Região Central da Via Láctea acima das árvores de uma quinta na vila de São Pedro de Atacama. Chile. Outubro 2015
Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds above São Pedro de Atacama
Milky Way arc with Zodiacal Light above a farm from the small desert village of São Pedro de Atacama. In the left part of this panoramic view, is also visible the Canopus star rising above the horizon and the Large (LMC) and Small (SMC) Magellanic clouds shining high in the sky of Chile – October 2015.
PT: O arco da Via Láctea e a Luz Zodiacal acima de uma quinta na vila de São Pedro de Atacama. À esquerda, a estrela Canopus nasce acima do horizonte, e logo acima desta, erguem-se a grande (LMC) e pequena (SMC) Nuvem de Magalhães – galáxias satélite da Via Láctea – visíveis a olho nu, brilham intensamente nos céus do Chile. Outubro 2015
Perseids Meteor Shower in the Sky of Mourão
Some meteors crossing the sky of Mourão in Dark Sky® Alqueva reserve, against the background of Milky Way galaxy as seen just 1 day after the predicted peak, on 13th August. Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift–Tuttle. The Perseids are so called because the point from which they appear to come, called the radiant, lies in the constellation of Perseus. The background image is a single exposure with one meteor captured, the other seven meteors were combined as a result of a sequence of consecutive exposures to show the radiant of Perseids.
PT: Alguns meteoros cruzando o céu de Mourão na Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva, contra o fundo da Via Láctea, um dia após o pico previsto a 13 de Agosto. As Perseidas são uma chuva de meteoros muito intensa, associada à passagem do cometa Swift-Tuttle. As Perseidas são assim chamadas porque o ponto a partir do qual elas parecem radiar, o radiante, encontra-se na constelação do Perseus. A imagem de fundo é uma única exposição com um meteoro capturado, os outros sete meteoros foram combinadas como resultado de uma sequência de exposições consecutivas para mostrar o radiante da chuva de estrelas mais activa do ano.
Perseids in Noudar Park
Some meteors from Perseids shower captured one week before the peak predicted to 12 August, above the landscape of Noudar Park, in Alqueva Dark Sky® Reserve, Barrancos. In the foreground an Olive Tree is at the left side of Milky Way.
PT: Alguns meteoros captados uma semana antes do pico máximo da chuva de estrelas anual das Perseidas, previsto para 12 de Agosto. Acima deles, é possível ver o céu do Parque de Natureza de Noudar, em Barrancos, Reserva Dark Sky® Alqueva. No primeiro plano, uma oliveira destaca-se do horizonte à esquerda da imponente presença da Via Láctea.
Lightning Storm during Full Moon in Dominican Republic
While the Full Moon of June was rising above the clouds, a Lightning Storm has spread in the sky of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. In the foreground, a group of coconut trees is standing up while resists to the wild power of nature, with strong winds, humidity and the danger of a falling thunderbolt.
PT: Enquanto a Lua cheia de junho nasce acima das nuvens, uma tempestade de relâmpagos rapidamente se espalha nos céus de Punta Cana, na República Dominicana. Em primeiro plano, um grupo de coqueiros mantém-se firme de pé, enquanto resiste ao poder selvagem da natureza, com ventos fortes, humidade muito elevada e o perigo iminente de um raio se precipitar sobre eles.
Coconut Trails in Punta Cana
For many people on Earth enjoying the night sky is an holiday experience, although, the artificial lights coming from the neighbor cities can disturb this experience, but a long exposure photo can register more stars than your own eyes can see at a glance. Surrounded by coconut trees spread along Punta Cana beach, in Dominican Republic, a partly cloudy sky reflects the light of neighbor resorts, while above the path of each star can reveal their own true color.
PT: Para muitas pessoas na Terra, observar o céu noturno é uma experiência de férias. Contudo, as luzes artificiais das cidades vizinhas podem perturbar esta experiência, mas uma foto de longa exposição pode registrar mais estrelas do que seus próprios olhos podem ver num relance. Cercado por coqueiros espalhados ao longo da praia em Punta Cana, na República Dominicana, um céu parcialmente nublado reflete a luz dos resorts vizinhos, enquanto que no céu o caminho de cada estrela pode revelar a sua verdadeira cor.
Explosion of Light in Punta Cana
A partly cloudy sky reflects the lights of Punta Cana beach, Dominican Republic, in what seems to be an explosion of light while in the background sky, a starry vortex surrounding Polaris remember us that Earth Rotation never ends.
PT: Um céu parcialmente nublado reflete as luzes de praia de Punta Cana, República Dominicana, naquilo que parece ser “uma explosão de luz”, contrastando em pano de fundo com o vórtice de luz estelar que rodeia a Polaris, lembrando-nos que a Terra nunca pára de rodar.
Coconut Vortex
A vortex of light coming from the stars that are surrounding Polaris, the Northen Star, lying here only 18º above the horizon, is a well spotted dot in the middle of two Coconut trees from Punta Cana beach, Dominican Republic.
PT: Um vórtice de luz estelar circunda a estrela Polaris, que se encontra apenas 18º acima do horizonte, tratando-se de um ponto visível no meio de dois coqueiros da praia de Punta Cana, na República Dominicana.
Stargazing in Punta Cana
EN: Enjoying the night surrounded by coconut trees spread along Punta Cana beach, in Dominican Republic.
PT: Relaxando numa noite estrelada, cercado por coqueiros espalhados ao longo da praia de Punta Cana, na República Dominicana.
Moon above Punta Cana Resort
The moonlight above a resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
PT: O Luar acima de um resort em Punta Cana, República Dominicana.
Coconut Tree Startrail
A startrail captured over the region of Scorpius constellation above the coconut trees spread along Punta Cana beach, in Dominican Republic.
PT: Rastos de estrelas na região da constelação do Escorpião captados acima dos coqueiros espalhados ao longo da praia de Punta Cana, na República Dominicana.
Milky Way above Valle de la Muerte in Chile
Milky Way and Zodiacal Light captured after the nautical twilight above Valle de la Muerte, in la Cordillera De La Sal, near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile – October 2015.
PT: Via Láctea e a Luz Zodiacal captada a seguir ao crepúsculo náutico acima do Vale da Morte, na cordilheira De La Sal, próxima a São Pedro de Atacama, no Chile. Outubro 2015
Belgium Atomium
A Moon hidden behind a tree in front of the “UFO structure” of Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. The whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, showing how small we are in this Universe, but at the same time, how big we are as a Humankind. Developing and increasing our skills, creating the capacity of constructing and doing big things on Earth. This can be the closest real view and the ideia that we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these spheres.
EN: The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected. The name is a combination of atom and aluminium. It is a museum. The whole thing is made up of 9 spheres (one at each of the 8 points and one in the middle) connected by 20 tubes (12 cube edges plus 2 tubes for the 4 diagonals): the structure rests on 3 pillars (or bipods). They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. A permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 and temporary exhibitions devoted to architecture, design and society. It could be the closest ideia we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these 5 spheres. MC
PT: O Atomium foi construído em 1958 em Bruxelas no âmbito da Expo 58. Com 102 metros de altura, o Atomium representa um cristal elementar de ferro ampliado 165 mil milhões de vezes, com tubos que ligam as 9 partes formando 8 vértices. As esferas de ferro com cerca de 18 metros de diâmetro estão ligadas por tubos com escadas no seu interior com um comprimento de cerca de 35 metros. As janelas instaladas na esfera do topo oferecem aos visitantes uma vista panorâmica da cidade. Outras esferas têm exposições sobre os anos 50. As três esferas, às quais só se tem acesso por tubos verticais, estão fechadas ao público por razões de segurança.
Moon and Atomium Shpere
A 16% Crescent Moon between the UFO structure of Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. The whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, showing how small we are in this Universe, but at the same time, how big we are as a Humankind. Developing and increasing our skills, creating the capacity of constructing and doing big things on Earth. This can be the closest real view and the ideia that we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these spheres.
EN: The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected. The name is a combination of atom and aluminium. It is a museum. The whole thing is made up of 9 spheres (one at each of the 8 points and one in the middle) connected by 20 tubes (12 cube edges plus 2 tubes for the 4 diagonals): the structure rests on 3 pillars (or bipods). They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. A permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 and temporary exhibitions devoted to architecture, design and society. It could be the closest ideia we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these 5 spheres. MC
PT: O Atomium foi construído em 1958 em Bruxelas no âmbito da Expo 58. Com 102 metros de altura, o Atomium representa um cristal elementar de ferro ampliado 165 mil milhões de vezes, com tubos que ligam as 9 partes formando 8 vértices. As esferas de ferro com cerca de 18 metros de diâmetro estão ligadas por tubos com escadas no seu interior com um comprimento de cerca de 35 metros. As janelas instaladas na esfera do topo oferecem aos visitantes uma vista panorâmica da cidade. Outras esferas têm exposições sobre os anos 50. As três esferas, às quais só se tem acesso por tubos verticais, estão fechadas ao público por razões de segurança.
Atomium – An UFO Spaceship for Humanity
A 16% Crescent Moon between the UFO structure of Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. The whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, showing how small we are in this Universe, but at the same time, how big we are as a Humankind. Developing and increasing our skills, creating the capacity of constructing and doing big things on Earth. This can be the closest real view and the ideia that we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these spheres.
EN: The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected. The name is a combination of atom and aluminium. It is a museum. The whole thing is made up of 9 spheres (one at each of the 8 points and one in the middle) connected by 20 tubes (12 cube edges plus 2 tubes for the 4 diagonals): the structure rests on 3 pillars (or bipods). They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. A permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 and temporary exhibitions devoted to architecture, design and society. It could be the closest ideia we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these 5 spheres. MC
PT: O Atomium foi construído em 1958 em Bruxelas no âmbito da Expo 58. Com 102 metros de altura, o Atomium representa um cristal elementar de ferro ampliado 165 mil milhões de vezes, com tubos que ligam as 9 partes formando 8 vértices. As esferas de ferro com cerca de 18 metros de diâmetro estão ligadas por tubos com escadas no seu interior com um comprimento de cerca de 35 metros. As janelas instaladas na esfera do topo oferecem aos visitantes uma vista panorâmica da cidade. Outras esferas têm exposições sobre os anos 50. As três esferas, às quais só se tem acesso por tubos verticais, estão fechadas ao público por razões de segurança.
Moon Atomium
A 16% Crescent Moon between the UFO structure of Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. The whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, showing how small we are in this Universe, but at the same time, how big we are as a Humankind. Developing and increasing our skills, creating the capacity of constructing and doing big things on Earth. This can be the closest real view and the ideia that we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these spheres.
EN: The Atomium is a building in Brussels originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected. The name is a combination of atom and aluminium. It is a museum. The whole thing is made up of 9 spheres (one at each of the 8 points and one in the middle) connected by 20 tubes (12 cube edges plus 2 tubes for the 4 diagonals): the structure rests on 3 pillars (or bipods). They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. A permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 and temporary exhibitions devoted to architecture, design and society. It could be the closest ideia we have of an UFO spaceship, that has indeed, human life on board of these 5 spheres. MC
PT: O Atomium foi construído em 1958 em Bruxelas no âmbito da Expo 58. Com 102 metros de altura, o Atomium representa um cristal elementar de ferro ampliado 165 mil milhões de vezes, com tubos que ligam as 9 partes formando 8 vértices. As esferas de ferro com cerca de 18 metros de diâmetro estão ligadas por tubos com escadas no seu interior com um comprimento de cerca de 35 metros. As janelas instaladas na esfera do topo oferecem aos visitantes uma vista panorâmica da cidade. Outras esferas têm exposições sobre os anos 50. As três esferas, às quais só se tem acesso por tubos verticais, estão fechadas ao público por razões de segurança.
Bridge of Light – Connecting worlds, realities and dimensions
EN: A bridge could be a connection of two worlds, realities or dimensions, or simply two sides of lake as we can see on the image, but in a figurative sense, could also be a word that simbolizes a “perfect connection” between pristine and modern, the night sky and the landscape of our beautiful planet in suspension among the arm of gas and dust from our galaxy, the Milky Way. Reflected in the calm water of the largest manmade lake in Europe (250Km²) are the light of a slowly lonely car that took several seconds to cross the entire bridge. But also the light of the stars, which took hundred or millions of years at a speed of light to reach this particular point, ready to be recorded in this singular picture taken from one of the rare Dark Sky places on Earth, in Mourão, Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve.
PT: Uma ponte pode ser a conexão de dois mundos, realidades ou dimensões, ou simplesmente a ligação a duas margens de um lago. Em sentido figurado, também pode ser uma palavra que simboliza uma “conexão perfeita” entre o Prístino e o Moderno, o céu noturno e a paisagem do nosso belo planeta em suspensão entre o braço de gás e poeira cósmica da nossa galáxia, a Via Láctea. Refletida na água calma do maior lago artificial da Europa (250Km²), está não só a luz de um carro lento e solitário que levou vários segundos para completar a travessia desta ponte e gravar o seu trajecto no espelho de água do Alqueva, como também o brilho das estrelas que levou dezenas, centenas e milhares de anos a percorrer numa viajem à velocidade da luz, a distância que nos separa no longínquo vácuo Interestelar. Aqui ficaram registadas as impressões de luz de uma viagem no tempo e no espaço, na história da própria Terra, do próprio Homem, um ser inteligente mas ainda recente na cronologia da vida deste Universo, que nesta imagem singular nos é revelado em perfeita harmonia e sintonia com a natureza que nos rodeia, num dos raros lugares da Terra onde o céu da antiguidade, ainda pode ser apreciado, partilhado e lembrado. Mourão, Dark Sky® Alqueva.
Perigee Earthshine and Planet Mercury above Lisbon City
Featured as NASA´s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).
We use the term of “Super Moon” when the moon is at the Perigee, closer to Earth, which is not so rare, occurring 13 times this year 2016. But to our naked eyes we only notice that moon is indeed, larger in the sky (15% bigger and 30% brighter) when the moon is normally full, capturing our attention during this period. On April 7, the New Moon was at the Perigee, so in the day after, on April 8, with only 3% of the disc illuminated by the sunlight, it would be considered a Super Crescent Moon, a perfect moment to show up the Earthshine phenomenon described and drawn for the first time by Leonardo DaVinci 500 years ago.
In the lovely view captured 8.5km straight from Lisbon city, from Barreiro region, with a telephoto lens, we can see in nautical twilight a beautiful alignment between the Super Crescent Moon and the planet Mercury – the bright “star” located at the same line – only separated by 6º, an easy target to find thanks to the help of our natural satellite, standing in the background above the monument Christ the King and the 25 April bridge. Above on the image, are seen reflections of light pollution in the water of Tagus River. In that night, to wind was so strong that my local good friend and photographer Nuno Lopes, was holding the cargo cover all the time, trying to protect me and my equipment from the strong winds, while I was photographing the telephoto scene showed below. Both of my cameras and William Optics telescope, were assembled in the new Advanced Vixen Polarie portable mount.
Rainbow Bands of Airglow in Gravity Waves above Pico Island Were seen from NOAA/NASA Satellite in Space
Featured as NASA´s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).
PT | EN During a climb to the highest mountain of Portugal (2351m) – Pico mountain, located in Pico island, Azores – with a very hard weather conditions due to a strong winds and rain during almost the entire photo expedition with my team colleagues, I stopped at about 1200 meters to appreciate the views and photograph the lights coming from the island of Faial in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, in a rare occasion with only a few clouds and part of the “winter” Milky Way visible as a background of a temporarily clear sky. Above the low clouds, I have captured strange “rainbow bands” of airglow and between them, the Andromeda Galaxy M31 on the top left of the picture. The air glows all of the time, but it is usually hard to see. A disturbance however – like an approaching storm – may cause noticeable rippling in the Earth’s atmosphere. The bands are actually huge parallel structures in the thermosphere 90 km upwards. Perspective makes them appear to converge. These atmospheric Gravity Waves* (not confound with gravitational waves related to Einstein) propagating upwards from disturbances lower down in the atmosphere, are likely the source of the bands. The wave amplitude increases with height (reducing density) and wavelengths can be thousands of kilometers.
Dr. Martin Setvák from Czech Hydrometeorological Institute Satellite Department, Praha, Czech Republic, has processed the Suomi-NPP VIIRS data to check if these gravity waves in airglow can be found in NOAA/NASA Soumi-NPP satellite Day/Night Band (DNB) image. The “day-night band,” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite has indeed captured these glowing ripples in the night sky. The day-night band detects lights over a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses highly sensitive electronics to observe low light signals. The structures of the bands can be seen below, above the Pico and Faial islands in Azores, Portugal.
Airglow is a layer of nighttime light emissions caused by chemical reactions, light of electronically and/or vibration-rotationally excited atoms and molecules high in Earth’s atmosphere, by solar ultra-violet radiation. A variety of reactions involving oxygen, sodium, ozone, and nitrogen result in the production of a very faint amount of light. In fact, it’s approximately one billion times fainter than sunlight. Technically speaking, airglow occurs at all times. During the day it is called “dayglow,” at twilight “twilightglow,” and at night “nightglow”. There are slightly different processes taking place in each case, but in the image above the source of light is nightglow or airglow.
In the first colorful image captured above Pico, we can see a rare event where is distinguished almost each possible airglow color that is appearing on a single band (Gravity Wave) showed like a rainbow. Below is the Airglow Spectrum designed and explained by the expert Dr. Les Cowley from Atmospheric Optics. Green light from excited oxygen atoms dominates the glow. The atoms are 90-100 km (56-62 mile) high in the thermosphere. The weaker red light is from oxygen atoms further up. Sodium atoms, hydroxyl radicals (OH) and molecular oxygen add to the light.
Dr. Steve Smith, Senior Research Scientist at Center for Space Physics of Boston University, is a specialist in airglow and has explained the rare phenomenon captured on these images: “The photo is very other-worldly but it is indeed a photo of two, maybe three, airglow layers with gravity waves propagating through them in the upper mesosphere. The green is most likely due to atomic oxygen near 96 km. The red is probably due to hydroxyl (OH) near 87 km. Possibly sodium from near 90 k m also but the orange may also just be the response of the system to the combination of the red and green airglow. The awesome rainbow appearance of the patterns is easily explained. A GW wave propagates upwards at an angle and because airglow layers reside at slightly different altitudes, the waves reach each layer at a slightly different times. The vertical scale size of the gravity waves is also much larger than the height differences between the layers: OH = 87 km | Na = 90 km | O2 = 94 km | OI = 96 km.
I exploit the fact of the altitude separation of the four brightest airglow layers in my work to determine the scale sizes and other things associated with the GWs. Sometimes atomic oxygen can also produce red emission. This occurs due times of auroral activity particularly at high latitudes but occasionally in the mid-latitudes during strong aurora. This red-line OI emission, as it is called, originates from 250 km (much higher) in the thermosphere and would not match wave patterns seen in the green-line OI emission.
Solar activity has little effect on gravity wave activity in the mesosphere, at least at the latitude of the Azores. There may be effects at high latitudes though. Also solar activity seen on the sun’s disc doesn’t necessarily impact the Earth. Flares and other solar phenomena that are rich in x-rays and UV radiation can cause immediate effects in the earth’s upper atmosphere. Also, even though a CME my be observed occurring on the sun, it may not affect the Earth because they usually miss us because of the sun’s rotation. The Kp index – a measure of the solar activity prior to the time of this photo was at 2-3, which means a relatively quiet time. At the location of the Azores, one would need a Kp index of 6-7 to see auroral emission.”
Dr. Steven D. Miller, Senior Research Scientist – Deputy Director Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere – Colorado State University, have commented the fact that the photos were taken at high altitude and this would probably be the reason why the greens are seen so well, since oxygen in the lower atmosphere will absorb much of that downwelling emission.
Dr. Les Cowley, explain in Atmospheric Optics page that red/orange could be yet more oxygen airglow, this time from atoms 150-300km high where the atmosphere is so sparse and collisions so infrequent that the atoms have time to radiate ‘forbidden’ light (1D ->3P) before losing their electronic excitation in impacts with other atoms and molecules. Deep red banded airglow is likely emission from vibrationally excited OH radicals in a layer ~86km high. Blue airglow is much much fainter and not very obvious on the image. Excited molecular oxygen at ~95 km high can produce it. The excitation is indirect. Possible routes are via daylight dissociation of N2 and NO or twilight recombination of NO+ whose reaction products generate excited O2. The oxygen then decays by emitting blue multi-wavelength banded radiation (Herzberg bands) if it is not first collisionally de-excited.
After receiving the first results of the Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite, I decided to start processing another 12 images taken in the same place and time, to create a wide-angle – panoramic view – of more than 200º where it is clearly visible the airglow activity combined with strong ripples from gravity waves occurring in a huge part of the sky from West to Northeast (from left to right on the panoramic image above). At the same time, Dr. Martin Stevák, starts the final stage of processing the images taken by Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite but in different bands and the result is shown below. These are in Transverse Mercator projection, centered at 38.5N 28W, remapped to 1km pixel size (for Azores).
DNB image
M15 IR band image
Night-Microphysical RGB image
More information about Suomi-NPP satellite and its bands can be found on the following links: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/main/index.html | http://npp.gsfc.nasa.gov/suomi.html | http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/projects/npp/ | http://www.pnas.org/content/109/39/15706.full.pdf | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/5/12/6717
Below, on (A) we can see the DNB image, that can show the Gravity Waves appearing high in the atmosphere, but on (B) Night-Microphysical RGB image can show a different waves from low atmosphere, they are very likely part of the same spectrum of waves launched by the small island of Flores. The (C) is an output from EUMETRAIN’s ePort (http://www.eumetrain.org/eport.html), for 2015-11-17 00 UTC, based on Meteosat WV6.2 band and showing the geopotential (“height”) of the 300 hPa pressure level (in cyan) and isotachs (yellow) at the same level (both from the ECMWF model). The red arrow indicates the jet-stream above the Azores. The (D) is the WV band 27 from Terra MODIS satellite taken at 00:20 UTC. The images are in the same projection and pixel size as the Soumi-NPP images (A & B). The (E) is a Meteosat-10 satellite in the Airmass-RGB product, documenting the dynamics of the atmosphere in the area, and namely showing the jet stream above Azores, taken at 03:00 UTC, the arrow points to the jet-stream band, and the polygon indicates roughly the area covered by NPP images. To watch a 24h loop from Meteosat-10 satellite, click here.
Below is a illustration from a combination of Google Earth Maps from Azores region and Stellarium planetarium software, that can show through the yellow dot, where I was located in the island and which direction my camera was pointing to the sky – as we can see in the illustration at right.
Gravity waves (disturbances to the density structure of the atmosphere whose restoring forces are gravity and buoyancy) comprise the principal form of energy exchange between the lower and upper atmosphere. Wave breaking drives the mean upper atmospheric circulation, determining boundary conditions to stratospheric processes, which in turn influence tropospheric weather and climate patterns on various spatial and temporal scales. Despite their recognized importance, very little is known about upper-level gravity wave characteristics. The knowledge gap is mainly due to lack of global, high-resolution observations from currently available satellite observing systems. The capability of the Day/Night Band (DNB) on the NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership environmental satellite to resolve gravity structures near the mesopause via nightglow emissions at unprecedented subkilometric detail, are impressive. On moonless nights, the Day/Night Band observations provide all-weather viewing of waves as they modulate the nightglow layer located near the mesopause (∼90 km above mean sea level). These waves are launched by a variety of physical mechanisms, ranging from orography to convection, intensifying fronts, and even seismic and volcanic events. Cross-referencing the Day/Night Band imagery with conventional thermal infrared imagery also available helps to discern nightglow structures and in some cases to attribute their sources. The capability stands to advance our basic understanding of a critical yet poorly constrained driver of the atmospheric circulation. More about this study and scientific paper which includes the picture of my TWAN colleague Jeff Dai , led by Dr. Steven D. Miller, Dr. Steve Smith and others…
Below in gray scale are DNB images captured by Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite above Pico island, Azores, as a result of a pre-processing enhanced by a High-Pass filter. Taken on 17th November of 2015 at 02h05AM (03h05 GMT. Local time for the Azores is GMT-1,) approximately at same time I took the pictures from Earth between 1h43 and 2h00AM, pointing to the same direction of the sky. Those waves seen at ~2AM local were right overhead at that time. The waves can change rapidly over the course of an hour, so must have been a very expansive wave train, which seems to be consistent with a large-scale forcing like a frontal system. The result shows the ripples of atmospheric Gravity Waves (left and right image).
Suomi NPP is in orbit around Earth at 834 kilometers (about 518 miles), well above the nightglow layer. The day-night band imagery contains signals from the upward emission of the nightglow layer and the reflection of the nightglow emissions from clouds and Earth’s surface. While nightglow is a well-known phenomenon, it is not typically considered by meteorological sensors. In fact, scientists were surprised at Suomi NPP’s ability to detect it. During the satellite’s check-out procedures, scientists thought this light source was a problem with the sensor until they realized that they were seeing the faintest light in the darkness of night. Learn more about the VIIRS day-night band and nighttime imaging of Earth in this story: Out of the Blue and Into the Black.
In conclusion, Dr. Steven D. Miller, has shared his thoughts related to this picture and beyond…by saying: “is that it would be very nice to have such observations on a geostationary satellite platform so as to be able to observe the wave motion and from that information infer important properties of the energy transfer. The community has a growing interest for such observations now that we are seeing them in “snapshot mode” from the Day/Night Band. The hope is that the publicity gained by such nice photos as yours will help to raise awareness on our need to better characterize the full atmospheric circulation if we hope to represent climate processes accurately in the models we appeal to for insight on climate change.”
The resulted image was also published in a Poster from Dr. Martin Setvák and Dr. Steven D. Miller entitled:
The TWAN ( The World at Night ) have now one of the best collection of hight quality images in the world with many different views of Airglow and Gravity Waves phenomenon captured by TWAN photographers spread around the globe, that could be a great scientific tool to help scientists understanding better this atmospheric phenomenon, as seen from different places on Earth and comparing them to the satellite images from Space.
Professional astronomer and TWAN photographer Yuri Beletsky, in an interesting answer to a question made by our colleague Anthony Ayiomamitis about how does airglow could impact the professional work done by astronomers in places with professional telescopes in sites like ESO – European Southern Observatory, saying that: “It really depends on many factors (imaging vs spectroscopy, field of view, overlapping with interesting spectroscopic lines, etc..). Therefore the answer is – it does affect the observations, but it does not necessarily affect particular scientific case you are trying to solve using those observations.”
* “Drop a stone into a pool of water. The spreading ripples are gravity waves. The waves occur between any stable layers of fluids of different density. When the fluid boundary is disturbed, buoyancy forces try to restore the equilibrium. The fluid returns to its original shape, overshoots and oscillations then set in which propagate as waves. Gravity or buoyancy is the restoring force hence the term – gravity waves.”
Airglow photographs and compiled text with story by © Miguel Claro – The article was written based in the collected information and collaboration of each specialist and intervenient in different fields of working that has analyzed this images from Pico, and that have been specifically mentioned along the article, now published at (www.miguelclaro.com) with his knowledge and review.
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Milky Way Arm in the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve
The beauty of the entire arched arm of Milky Way as seen from the northern hemisphere, a panoramic view that rises above the lands included on the route of Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve. Nature Park of Noudar | Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve – Portugal
The Arc of Milky Way in the Twilight with the Moon and Zodiacal Light above VLT
The entire Arc of Milky Way full of gas and dust can be seen in this panoramic lovely view from the southern sky, captured in the end of nautical twilight, above the Very Large Telescope platform. At left of the small tower, above the horizon, the bright object visible is not a star itself, but the great globular cluster Omega Centauri. Closer to left in the beginning of Milky Way arc, are spotted the bright stars of Alpha and Beta Centauri. In the middle of the image, the strong light of crescent moon is shining above the Antu telescope, the first one. Above the moon, we can see the planet Saturn, the orange star Antares from Scorpius constellation, and the dark streaks that are part of Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, which connects this region to the main arm of Milky Way with more then 200º from side to side. In the background of this same region, a faint white light is visible, called the Zodiacal Light. In the foreground at right, we can see the Yepun telescope, reflecting a silver color coming from the moon reflection on its metallic surface. In the extremely right edge of the image, the Andromeda galaxy is even visible as an elongated diffuse dot.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile
Reddish Airglow Bands on ALMA sky
In the background, we can see the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the upper left part of the image, is also visible a reddish airglow bands. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Twilight over the spread Antennas from ALMA Telescope
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallet of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constellations. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Daylight view from Cerro Paranal
A daylight view in the desert from Paranal summit, where stands the VLT platform. The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Blue Sky above the Auxiliary Telescopes on VLT
Blue Sky above the Auxiliary Telescopes on VLT The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Blue Sky above the Auxiliary Telescopes on Paranal Platform
Blue Sky above the Auxiliary Telescopes on Paranal Platform The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Paranal Summit with VLT in Daylight
A daylight view in the desert from Paranal summit, where stands the VLT platform. The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Earthshine above Antu VLT Telescope
Lunar Earthshine above Antu VLT Telescope, during the nautical twilight. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
The Nautical Twilight with the Moon in ALMA
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallet of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constellations. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe, and its right side the Moon. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Romantic Scene in a Lovely Sky
In this colorful lovely scene captured at the twilight, we can see two skywatchers enjoying his passion about the Universe, with a Crescent Moon shining between the clouds and above the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of VLT.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
AllSky of VLT Yepun
In the background of this fish-eye fulldome picture, at the left side of Yepun VLT Telescope, we can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, while in center right of the image, the Zodiacal Light is coming up above the Milky Way that is lying behind the horizon.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Cerro Paranal Shadow projected in Cerro Armazones
Above the horizon we can see Cerro Armazones mountain illuminated by the sunset reddish color that is reflected in the land and high clouds, also with the projected shadow of Cerro Paranal. With an altitude of 3060 meterss in the central part of Chiles Atacama Desert, some 130 kilometers south of the town of Antofagasta and about 20 kilometers from Cerro Paranal, home of ESOs Very Large Telescope. Cerro Armazones will be the baseline site for the planned 39-metre-class European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), with a planned construction period of about a decade. The telescope’s “eye” will be almost half the length of a soccer pitch in diameter and will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes operating today. The telescope has an innovative five-mirror design that includes advanced adaptive optics to correct for the turbulent atmosphere, giving exceptional image quality. The main mirror will be made up from almost 800 hexagonal segments.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Fulldome View of Reddish Airglow Bands and Milky Way on ALMA
In the background, we can see in this fish-eye fulldome view, the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the upper left part of the image, is also visible a reddish airglow bands. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Skygazing on Cerro Paranal Observatory
A guide from ESO is relaxing and enjoying the beautiful and impressive sky of Cerro Paranal while is waiting for a better condition in the weather forecast. In the Background, an unusual cloudy sky is hiding part of the Milky Way, while the moon shines behind the moving clouds, illuminating the closed dome of the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Moon Corona in the Twilight of Very Large Telescope
After sunset a partial cloudy sky can promote the appearance of a beautiful show of colors, as well as some optical phenomenon, specially if we have a night of Moonlight that can show an effect called “Corona”, produced by the diffraction of light coming from the Moon by individual small water droplets and sometimes tiny ice crystals of a cloud. In the foreground, we can see three of four movable Auxiliary Telescopes available in the Very Large Telescope platform.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Eta Carinae above the Dome of Residencia
The incredibly dark and transparent sky of Paranal, in the Atacama Desert, Chile, is the perfect place to see the bright emission nebula Eta Carinae (almost in the center of the image). Below we also can see the violet-red color coming from the Running Chicken Nebula (IC2944) and below the dark band of clouds and above the horizon, is also visible the red-hued giant star Gacrux as well as the blue-hued giant star Mimosa, both from the Southern Cross constellation. The hazy atmosphere works as a natural diffuse filter, enhancing the saturation and revealing the real color temperature of each stars. More bluish they are, more hottest is their temperature. The orange-red stars, are coldest. The white dome is the Residencia for astronomers that are working on VLT Telescopes operated by ESO.
Image taken taken in 17/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Two Bright Magellanic Clouds above the Auxiliary Telescopes of VLT
In the foreground we can see three of four movable Auxiliary Telescopes of 1.8 meters available in the VLT platform, operating with the dome open. In the background and above the telescopes lies the Large (LMC) and Small (SMC) Magellanic Clouds showing its details and structure. Magellanic Clouds are two satellite galaxies from our own Milky Way.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Panoramic view to the top of Cerro Paranal
Panoramic view from VISTA telescope to the top of Cerro Paranal (at left) where it is located the VLT platform. In the right side we can see the Milky Way trying to show up behind a dark band of clouds, also covering the Moonset. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
Image taken taken in 17/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
AllSky view of the Milky Way Lying in the horizon of VLT
This fish-eye fulldome image shows the Milky Way lying parallel to the horizon in the background of the The Very Large Telescope (VLT) consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun (at right).
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Ghostly Shapes on the Starry Sky of VLT
After sunset a partial cloudy sky can promote the appearance of a beautiful show of colors, specially if we have a night of Moonlight that can illuminate and show a strange game of ghostly shapes in the clouds, combined with a starry sky as a background. In the foreground, we can see three of four movable Auxiliary Telescopes available in the Very Large Telescope platform.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Green airglow and Auxiliary Telescopes of VLT
In the foregroound we can see three of the four movable Auxiliary Telescopes of 1.8 meters available in the VLT plataform, operating with the dome open, while in the background of a starry sky we can observe a strong green airglow.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Gegenschein in a Fulldome view of Cerro Paranal
In the foreground, we can see the white Meteorological Tower of Paranal. The small dome contains a telescope dedicated to monitoring the atmospheric seeing conditions, known as a Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM.) In the sky at the upper left side of the this fish-eye (fulldome) picture, we can see the Gegenschein, that is a faint brightening of the night sky in the region of the antisolar point. like the zodiacal light, the gegenschein is sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. Most of this dust is orbiting the Sun in about the ecliptic plane. It is distinguished from zodiacal light by its high angle of reflection of the incident sunlight on the dust particles. In the upper right side, is also visible the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and above it, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Envolving the entire sky, we can see the presence of green airglow.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Alone with ALMA
In the background we can see the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Reddish Airglow in a Fulldome view of Very Large Telescope
In this fish-eye fulldome picture, we can see a partial cloudy sky, that can promote sometimes the appearance of a beautiful show. Specially, if we have a night of Moonlight that can illuminate and show a strange game of ghostly shapes in the clouds. In the background a starry sky with a shy Milky Way is showing a strong presence of reddish airglow in the opposite direction of the Very Large Telescope.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Cerro Armazones, the home for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT)
Above the horizon we can see Cerro Armazones mountain iluminated by the sunset redish color that is reflected in the land and high clouds . With an altitude of 3060 metres in the central part of Chiles Atacama Desert, some 130 kilometres south of the town of Antofagasta and about 20 kilometres from Cerro Paranal, home of ESOs Very Large Telescope. Cerro Armazone will be the baseline site for the planned 39-metre-class European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), with a planned construction period of about a decade. The telescope’s “eye” will be almost half the length of a soccer pitch in diameter and will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes operating today. The telescope has an innovative five-mirror design that includes advanced adaptive optics to correct for the turbulent atmosphere, giving exceptional image quality. The main mirror will be made up from almost 800 hexagonal segments.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Belt of Venus above the DIMM tower in Cerro Paranal
In the foreground, we can see the white Meteorological Tower of Paranal. The small dome contains a telescope dedicated to monitoring the atmospheric seeing conditions, known as a Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM.) In the background is strongly visible the Earth’s shadow, the shadow that the Earth itself casts on its atmosphere. This shadow is visible in the opposite half of the sky to the sunset or sunrise, and is seen right above the horizon as a dark blue band. Immediately above, a pink band that is visible above the dark blue of the Earth’s shadow is called “Belt of Venus”, and is caused by backscattering of refracted sunlight due to fine dust particles high in the atmosphere.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Atacama Desert View with Cerro Armazones
From left to right and above the horizon we can see in this panoramic view of Atacama desert, the Cerro Armazones mountain, illuminated by the sunset reddish color that is reflected in the land and high clouds, coming from the right edge of the image in the opposite direction, where it is located the Pacific Ocean. With an altitude of 3060 meters in the central part of Chiles Atacama Desert, some 130 kilometers south of the town of Antofagasta and about 20 kilometers from Cerro Paranal, home of ESOs Very Large Telescope. Cerro Armazones will be the baseline site for the planned 39-meter-class European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), with a planned construction period of about a decade. The telescope’s “eye” will be almost half the length of a soccer pitch in diameter and will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes operating today. The telescope has an innovative five-mirror design that includes advanced adaptive optics to correct for the turbulent atmosphere, giving exceptional image quality. The main mirror will be made up from almost 800 hexagonal segments.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Twilight and Sun Pillar in Cerro Paranal
After the sunset, in the beginning of twilight, a partial cloudy sky can promote an impressive combination of beautiful colors. Sometimes, we can see a phenomenon called Sun Pillar. A sun pillar is a vertical shaft of light extending upward from the sun. This great moment was captured in Cerro Paranal, where stands the VLT Telescope.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Stargazing in a Cloudy Sky – Fulldome View of VLT
In this fish-eye fulldome picture, we can see a girl stargazing in a partial cloudy sky, that can promote sometimes the appearance of a beautiful show. Specially, if we have a night of Moonlight that can illuminate and show a strange game of ghostly shapes in the clouds. In the background a starry shy sky is showing a strong presence of reddish airglow. In the foreground, we also can see three of four movable Auxiliary Telescopes availabe in the Very Large Telescope plataform.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
The First Portuguese Official Expedition to ALMA
Apolónia Rodrigues (Dark Sky Alqueva Coordinator) and Miguel Claro (Astrophotographer), during the first portuguese oficial visit to ESO – Cerro Paranal and ALMA. The picture was taken at 5000-m high, on the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes, where the European Southern Observatory (ESO), together with its international partners, are operating the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Startrail of Yepun VLT Telescope
In the background, at the left side of Yepun VLT Telescope, we can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds draged, while in center right of the image, the Zodiacal Light is coming up above the Milky Way that lies behind the horizon of this startrail sky.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
The Back of DV-21 ALMA Antenna with the Milky Way
In the background we can see the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the foreground, is also visible the back of (DV-21) antenna -12 meters in diameter – pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Gegenschein, Milky Way and Airglow in a Fulldome Show
In the upper right side of the sky in this fish-eye (fulldome) picture, we can see the Gegenschein, that is a faint brightening of the night sky in the region of the antisolar point. like the zodiacal light, the gegenschein is sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust. Most of this dust is orbiting the Sun in about the ecliptic plane. It is distinguished from zodiacal light by its high angle of reflection of the incident sunlight on the dust particles. In the upper left side, is also visible the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and above it, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Surrounding the entire sky we can see the presence of green airglow, while, below, the Milky Way is setting in the horizon behind the VLT.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Iridium Flare above the Milky Way in Paranal
Milky Way lies parallel to the horizon in the background of the The Very Large Telescope (VLT) consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun (at right). In the left edge of the image and above the Milky Way, we can see what seems to be not a meteor but an Iridium Flare trail.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
VLT Residencia with Orion, Sirus, Canopus and Magellanic Clouds
In the left side of the sky we can see the Orion constellation with the orientation inverted for being seen from the Southern Hemisphere, close to the right, we can find the brightest star of the entire celestial sphere and Northen Hemisphere, Sirius. Moving further up, in the center of the image, is located the Canopus star, the brightest star of Southern Hemisphere. Next to it, is well spoted the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, a duo of irregular dwarf galaxies, which are members of the Local Group and are orbiting the Milky Way galaxy. In the ground, we can see the white dome of Residencia where astronomers from ESO that are working daily on VLT complex are hosted. In the background we also can see a tone of green and reddish faint light, coming from the airglow phenomenon.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 17/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Profile of Antenna DV-21 from ALMA in the Twilight
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallete of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constelalltions. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Stunning view of the Milky Way above ALMA along with the Moonset
In the background we can see the heart of our Galaxy full of gas and dust, star clusters and emission nebulae, as well as the orange star Antares from Scorpius constellation and the dark dust that connects this region to the main arm of Milky Way. Below at right, a faint white light called the Zodiacal Light is very well visible, coming up as a backlight behind the antenna of ALMA (DV-21) with12 meters in diameter, is capturing the wavelengths from vast cold clouds in the interstellar space. Above the horizon we also can see an orange glow coming from the moonset. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Fulldome View of Zodiacal Light and Milky Way on ALMA
In the background, we can see in this fish-eye fulldome view, the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Magellanic Clouds, Auxiliary Telescopes and the Milky Way
In the foregroound we can see the four movable Auxiliary Telescopes of 1.8 meters available in the VLT plataform, operating with the dome open, while in the background near the horizon is borning the Canopus star and above it, in the center of the picture, lies the Large (LMC) and Small (SMC) Magellanic Clouds showing its details and structure. Magellanic Clouds are two satellite galaxies from our own Milky Way. From down and along the upper right corner we can find the beautiful presence of Milky Way, our cosmic home.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Twilight Above the interferometer VLTI
Nautical twilight, above the Very Large Telescope platform. Near the horizon the bright moon is shining above the Antu telescope, the first one near the center. At his left, above the horizon are visible some of the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. At the right side of Antu, is the telescope Kueyen, with a mirror of 8.2m diameter. Both, are opening and preparing for a night of observations. This telescopes are generally used separately, but can be used together to achieve a very high angular resolution. Looking from outside, they are reflecting a silver color coming from the moon reflection on its metalic surface. In the ground, at the left side of the image, we can see part of the interferometer (VLTI) complex, where the movable Auxiliary Telescopes can be placed.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Sun Pillar in Cerro Paranal
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Magellanic Clouds, Satellite Galaxies From Our Own Milky Way
In the foregroound we can see three of four movable Auxiliary Telescopes of 1.8 meters available in the VLT plataform, operating with the dome open, while in the background near the horizon is borning the Canopus star and above it, in the center of the picture, lies the Large (LMC) and Small (SMC) Magellanic Clouds showing its details and structure. Magellanic Clouds are two satellite galaxies from our own Milky Way.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Yepun Telescope and Magellanic Clouds
In the background, at the left side of Yepun VLT Telescope, we can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, while in center right of the image, the Zodiacal Light is coming up above the Milky Way that is lying behind the horizon.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Panoramic View of the Milky Way above ALMA Plateau
In the background we can see the arc of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky, and at left, the both Magellanic Clouds. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Fulldome View of Yepun Telescope and Magellanic Clouds
In the background of this fish-eye fulldome picture, at the left side of Yepun VLT Telescope, we can see the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, while in center right of the image, the Zodiacal Light is coming up above the Milky Way that is lying behind the horizon.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Milky Way Crossing the Sky of ALMA
Above the last antenna in the left center horizon, the bright object visible is not a star itself, but the great globular cluster Omega Centauri. Next to it, in the beginning of Milky Way arc, are spotted the bright stars of Alpha and Beta Centauri. Along his path we can enjoy the magnificent presence of our Galaxy full of gas and dust, star clusters and emission nebulae, as well as the orange star Antares from Scorpius constellation, and the dark streaks that are part of Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, which connects this region to the main arm of Milky Way. Below right, we find planet Saturn and a faint white light called the Zodiacal Light, coming up as a backlight behind the antenna of ALMA (DV-21) with12 meters in diameter, is capturing the wavelengths from vast cold clouds in the interstellar space. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-meter array has fifty antennas, 12 meters in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-meter and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimeter and submillimetre part of the spectrum.
ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Very Large Telescope Platform in the Twilight
Nautical twilight, above the Very Large Telescope platform. Near the horizon the bright moon is shining above the Antu telescope, the first one near the center. At his left, above the horizon are visible some of the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. At the right side of Antu, the telescopes Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, with mirrors of 8.2m diameter, are opening and preparing for a night of observations. This telescopes are generally used separately, but can be used together to achieve a very high angular resolution. Looking from outside, they are reflecting a silver color coming from the moon reflection on its metalic surface. In the ground, at the left side of the image, we can see part of the interferometer (VLTI) complex, where the movable Auxiliary Telescopes can be placed.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred meters. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Stargazing with Passion – Twilight and Crescent Moon on VLT
In this colorful lovely scene captured at the twilight, we can see two skywatchers enjoying his passion about the Universe, with a Crescent Moon shining between the clouds and above the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of VLT.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Milky Way Arm Crossing Antu, Kueyen and Melipal Telescopes
Milky Way arm of gas and dust lying behind the Very Large Telesope Antu, Kueyen e Melipal, while it is capturing the light coming from space. At the right edge of the image, we can see the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), that is the latest telescope to be added to ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Moon Scar in the Sky of Paranal
Impressive sky of Cerro Paranal with an unusual cloudy sky hiding part of the Milky Way, while the moon is trying to shine behind the dark scar of moving clouds, illuminating the closed dome of the Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred meters. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Planet of Very Large Telescopes
After sunset a partial cloudy sky can promote the appearance of a beautiful show of colors, specially if we have a night of Moonlight that can illuminate and show a strange game of ghostly shapes in the clouds, combined with a starry sky as a background with the Milky Way. In the foreground, we can see in this fish-eye fulldome picture some of the Auxiliary Telescopes availabe in the VLT plataform and the Antu 8.2m diameter Large Telescope.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Twilight With a New Large Configuration of Antennas in ALMA
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallete of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constelalltions. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum.
ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Work in Progress in Very Large Telescope
In the upper left side of this fish-eye view, we can see the Gegenschein, that is a faint brightening of the night sky in the region of the antisolar point. In the center, the Yepun VLT Telescope is rotating with his astronomy work in progress, while the right side of the image shows the Large (LMC) and Small (SMC) Magellanic Clouds shining bright. A shy part of the Milky Way is also visible along with the right edge.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Stunning view of the Milky Way above Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)
In the background we can see the heart of our Galaxy full of gas and dust, star clusters and emission nebulae, as well as the orange star Antares from Scorpius constellation and the dark dust that conects this region to the main arm of Milky Way. Below, in the foreground of this same region, a faint white light called the Zodiacal Light is very well visible, coming up as a backlight behind the antenna of ALMA (DV-21) with12 meters in diameter, is capturing the wavelengths from vast cold clouds in the interstellar space. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum.
ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Close-up of ALMA Antenna DV-21 and the Crescent Moon with Earthshine
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallete of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constelalltions. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe and at his right side, the Crescent Moon with the strong Earthshine effect very well visible.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation.
ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Milky Way above the Moonset Between Antu and Kuyen Telescopes
In this close-up of the central region of the Milky Way full of gas and dust, star clusters and emission nebulae, lies as the perfect background for the both VLT telescopes Antu (UT1) and Kueyen (UT2 ). In Mapuche language, Antu means “The Sun” and Kueyen “The Moon”, two names that are matching perfectly with the sunny appearance of this bright moonset, reflected in the floor of the VLT platform.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal (UT3 – “The Southern Cross”) and Yepun (UT4 – Venus “as evening star”), which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
