Ein Filterrad für einen Giganten
Hier blicken zwei Ingenieur*innen in einem Reinraum am Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) in Garching auf das Herzstück von MICADO. MICADO ist eines der ersten Instrumente, die am Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) der ESO in der chilenischen Atacama-Wüste zum Einsatz kommen werden. Es wird das Universum im Infrarotbereich beobachten. Jeder Platz in diesem riesigen rotierenden Rad trägt einen anderen Filter, der Licht bestimmter Farben beziehungsweise Wellenlängen durchlässt.
Dieser sogenannte zentrale Radmechanismus wurde von der Netherlands Research School of Astronomy (NOVA) gebaut, die Teil des von MPE geleiteten MICADO-Konsortiums ist. Besonders eindrucksvoll an diesem Foto ist die enorme Größe des Geräts im Vergleich zu den beiden Ingenieuren Jeongha Lee und Federico Biondi, die daran arbeiten. Bei heutigen Teleskopen hat ein Filterrad üblicherweise einen Durchmesser von einigen Dutzend Zentimetern. Dieser Mechanismus misst dagegen rund 1,5 Meter – ein extrem großes Teleskop braucht offenbar auch extrem große Instrumente.
Doch die Größe ist nur ein Teil der Herausforderung. Da MICADO im Infrarotbereich beobachtet, muss der Mechanismus bei sehr niedrigen Temperaturen arbeiten. So wird verhindert, dass seine eigene Wärmestrahlung die Beobachtungen stört. Materialien verhalten sich bei solchen Temperaturen jedoch anders, was die genaue Positionierung der optischen Bauteile in diesem Rad erschwert. Einige davon, etwa spezielle Masken für die Beobachtung von Planeten um andere Sterne, müssen mit einer Genauigkeit von nur wenigen Mikrometern positioniert werden – also auf weniger als die Breite eines menschlichen Haares genau.
Sobald MICADO in Chile installiert ist, wird es das Universum mit einer Empfindlichkeit beobachten, die mit der des NASA/ESA/CSA-James-Webb-Weltraumteleskops vergleichbar ist, dabei aber sechsmal schärfere Bilder liefern. Es wird einzelne Sterne in weit entfernten Galaxien sichtbar machen, Planeten außerhalb unseres Sonnensystems untersuchen und die Sterne verfolgen, die das sehr massereiche Schwarze Loch im Zentrum der Milchstraße umkreisen. Noch entsteht MICADO allerdings in Garching, nur wenige Hundert Meter vom ESO-Hauptsitz entfernt – auf einer ganz anderen Erdhalbkugel als der Berg, auf dem das Instrument später seine Arbeit aufnehmen wird.
Bildnachweis:MPE/NOVA/F. Kamphues
Über das Bild
| ID: | potw2638a |
| Sprache: | de-be |
| Typ: | Fotografisch |
| Veröffentlichungsdatum: | 21. September 2026 06:00 |
| Größe: | 6048 x 4024 px |
Über das Objekt
| Name: | MICADO |
| Typ: | Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Instrument Unspecified : People : Scientist |
Bildformate
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