1 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:10,000 The control room of the ESO Very Large Telescope at Paranal. 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Here, astronomers observe the sky, 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,000 using the advanced capabilities 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,000 of this high-tech installation 5 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,000 in the Chilean Atacama desert. 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,000 With great expertise 7 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,000 scientists and telescope operators 8 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,000 master the VLT controls 9 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:30,000 and make the difficult observations appear routine. 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,000 But suddenly an alarm rings 11 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,000 and calls for their undivided attention. 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,000 This is the ESOcast! 13 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,000 Cutting-edge science and life behind the scenes of ESO, 14 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,000 the European Southern Observatory. 15 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:58,000 Exploring the ultimate frontier with our host Dr J, a.k.a. Dr Joe Liske. 16 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:03,000 Hello and welcome to the ESOcast. 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,000 In this episode we are going to learn about the Very Large Telescope’s 18 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,000 so-called Rapid Response Mode. 19 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,000 The point of this observing mode is to study gamma-ray bursts 20 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,000 only a few short minutes after they are first spotted. 21 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,000 Now because the optical afterglow of a gamma-ray burst fades extremely rapidly, 22 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,000 the observations must start as soon as possible after 23 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,000 the initial discovery of the burst. 24 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:29,000 And the VLT can deal with such time-critical observations better 25 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,000 than any other telescope. 26 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,000 Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the Universe. 27 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,000 Astronomers do not fully understand their origin, 28 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,000 but they are thought to be caused by incredibly energetic events 29 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,000 such as the collapse of massive stars. 30 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,000 Gamma-ray bursts are so energetic, 31 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,000 that, for a brief instant, they outshine the rest of their entire galaxy. 32 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,000 They produce more energy in a few seconds 33 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,000 than the Sun will in its whole lifetime. 34 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,000 After the flash of gamma-rays has ended, 35 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,000 an optical afterglow can usually be detected for a few hours. 36 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Astronomers look at this to learn more about how and why gamma-ray bursts occur. 37 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:18,000 Because gamma-ray bursts typically occur at a very large distance from Earth, 38 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,000 their afterglow is faint. 39 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,000 In addition, the afterglow fades very rapidly, 40 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:28,000 so that within a few hours it can be up to 500 times fainter still. 41 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,000 Hence, in order to learn more about the nature of a gamma-ray burst 42 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,000 and the influence of the explosion on its surroundings, 43 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,000 the event must be observed as quickly as possible. 44 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,000 Now the VLT is perfectly equipped to obtain 45 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,000 high-resolution observations of a gamma-ray burst. 46 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,000 But before it can do so, the burst must first be discovered. 47 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,000 The Swift satellite chases gamma-ray bursts 48 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,000 with its wide-field Burst Alert Telescope. 49 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,000 Once a burst has been discovered and verified, 50 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,000 it is immediately reported to the VLT and other observatories. 51 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,000 An alarm at the VLT console 52 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,000 indicates to the astronomers that the activation 53 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,000 of the Rapid Response Mode has been requested. 54 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:23,000 The scientists have to confirm that the VLT unit telescope can be moved safely, 55 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,000 and within seconds all on-going observations are stopped. 56 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,000 Then the system performs robotic observations 57 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,000 without any human intervention, 58 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,000 except for the alignment of the spectrograph slit. 59 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:39,000 This automated procedure guarantees quick and accurate observations. 60 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,000 In fact, the VLT allows astronomers 61 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:47,000 to begin observations within only a few minutes of detection by Swift. 62 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,000 With events as short-lived as these, this can mean the difference 63 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:56,000 between making high quality observations and seeing nothing at all. 64 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:01,000 But the VLT at the Paranal Observatory is not the only ESO facility 65 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,000 which carries out gamma-ray burst observations. 66 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:06,000 At the La Silla observatory there are also 67 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,000 telescopes that can observe these events. 68 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,000 The 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope features 69 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,000 the GROND instrument which takes images of the afterglow 70 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,000 simultaneously in seven different colours. 71 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:22,000 And that gives astronomers further insights into the physics of gamma-ray bursts. 72 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,000 In addition, there are two smaller telescopes, 73 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:29,000 the 60-cm REM and the 25-cm TAROT 74 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,000 and these are also located at La Silla. 75 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,000 These robotic telescopes are designed to react 76 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,000 immediately when they receive an alert on a gamma-ray burst, 77 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:42,000 making it possible to start observing the burst within seconds. 78 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,000 Scientists agree that gamma-ray bursts 79 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,000 are associated with the formation of black holes, 80 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:53,000 but until now the exact nature of the bursts remains enigmatic 81 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,000 and more high-resolution spectroscopy data is needed. 82 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:03,000 The VLT offers enormous light collecting power and high resolution. 83 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,000 In addition it is equipped with a suite of high-tech instruments. 84 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:13,000 It is the combination of the VLT’s enormous observational potential 85 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,000 with ultra fast response times, 86 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,000 which provides data of superb quality 87 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,000 to the scientists who study gamma-ray bursts. 88 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,000 The Rapid Response Mode at the VLT 89 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,000 will be triggered many more times in the future, 90 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,000 and ESO will continue to collect first-class data on gamma-ray bursts 91 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,000 – data which will perhaps one day help to unravel the secrets 92 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,000 of the most energetic explosions in the universe. 93 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,000 This is Dr J signing off for the ESOcast. 94 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,000 Join me again next time for another cosmic adventure. 95 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,000 ESOcast is produced by ESO, the European Southern Observatory. 96 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:54,000 ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in astronomy 97 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,000 designing, constructing and operating the world’s most advanced ground-based telescopes. 98 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,000 Transcription by ESO ; translation by — 99 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:19,000 Now that you've caught up with ESO, 100 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:24,000 head 'out of this world' with Hubble. 101 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:33,000 The Hubblecast highlights the latest discoveries of the world´s most recognized and prized space observatory, 102 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:39,000 the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope