VLT (Very Large Telescope) HD Timelapse Footage =AWESOMENESS

[waltky]

Granny says dat's where dem space aliens drew dat giant spider inna desert...

Chile Inaugurates World's Most Powerful Space Telescope
March 14, 2013 - After two decades of construction, the world's largest and most powerful radio telescope has begun operating in the Chilean desert, giving astronomers a greater ability to peer even farther into the depths of the universe.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera inaugurated the $1.3 billion ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) complex Wednesday in an area located about 5,000 meters above sea level - an altitude where there is little humidity or cloud cover. "This is a great privilege for Chile," he said. "Thanks to the contributions that you [scientists] have made, Chile has today practically been transformed into the world's astronomy capital."

Mr. Pinera then gave the word for astronomers to begin pointing the array's antennas toward the interior of the universe to begin searching for clues about the origins of the universe, from the coldest gases and dust where stars, planets and galaxies are formed, to the energy produced by the Big Bang.

Workers and visitors gather around a vehicle loading a parabolic antenna during the Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array (ALMA) observatory inauguration, east of Calama, Chile, Mar. 13, 2013.

When construction is fully complete by late 2013, the ALMA will be comprised of 66 dish antennas designed to capture wavelengths of light longer than anything visible to the human eye. The telescope is an international project funded and operated by a consortium of nations in North America, Europe and East Asia.

Source

 

[Old Rocks]

Jordon Craters, Oregon.

 

[Old Rocks]

On the bucket list...go somewhere where you can see this many stars at night.

Jordan Craters, Oregon

 

[waltky]

Construction Begins in Atacama Desert on World's Largest Telescope...

Construction Begins in Chilean Desert on World's Largest Telescope
May 26, 2017 — Construction began in Chile on Friday on the European Extremely Large Telescope, which when completed will be the world's largest optical telescope, some five times larger than the top observing instruments in use today.

The size of the ELT has the potential to transform our understanding of the universe, say its backers, with its main mirror that will measure some 39 meters (43 yards) across. Located on a 3,000 meter-high mountain (9,800 feet) in the middle of the Atacama desert, it is due to begin operating in 2024.

Chile's President Michelle Bachelet and Director General of the European Southern Observatory, Tim de Zeeuw walk at the construction site of the world's largest telescope in the desert of Atacama, Chile​

Spark the spotting of more planets

Among other capabilities, it will add to and refine astronomers' burgeoning discoveries of planets orbiting other stars, with the ability to find more smaller planets, image larger ones, and possibly characterize their atmospheres, a key step in understanding if life is present. “What is being raised here is more than a telescope. Here we see one of the greatest examples of the possibilities of science,” said Chilean President Michelle Bachelet in a speech to mark the beginning of construction at the site.

Dry air makes for near perfect conditions

The dry atmosphere of the Atacama provides as near perfect observing conditions as it is possible to find on Earth, with some 70 percent of the world's astronomical infrastructure slated to be located in the region by the 2020s. The ELT is being funded by the European Southern Observatory, an organization consisting of European and southern hemisphere nations. Construction costs were not available but the ESO has said previously that the ELT would cost around 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) at 2012 prices.

Construction Begins in Chilean Desert on World's Largest Telescope