Um timelapse entusiasmante: um ano na vida do ELT
No ano passado, o Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) do ESO registou progressos notáveis. Nesta Fotografia da Semana, recuamos no tempo para ver até onde chegou já o ELT.
Inicialmente, vemos apenas uma cúpula de aço esquelética que, ao longo do ano, vai sendo gradualmente coberta com uma camada brilhante de revestimento protetor termicamente isolante. Painel a painel, a enorme estrutura de 80 metros de altura e 93 metros de largura vai sendo embrulhada num "cobertor quente" de alumínio e outros reguladores térmicos. Esta cobertura ajudará a manter o ar no interior à temperatura prevista para a noite seguinte, para além de proteger o telescópio da areia e pó resultantes do ambiente agreste do deserto chileno do Atacama.
Mas não é tudo, pois este timelapse mostra também os progressos efetuados na construção da estrutura principal do ELT. Crescendo como um grande cristal branco no centro da cúpula, esta peça gigantesca, leve e resistente, irá acolher os espelhos do ELT. Na sua base, podemos ver a enorme estrutura celular de 39 metros onde serão colocados os 798 segmentos que constituirão o espelho primário, M1. O M1 é uma proeza da engenharia astronómica e foi concebido para colectar dezenas de milhões de vezes mais luz do que o olho humano é capaz e para focar essa luz ao longo de um percurso que passa pelos outros quatro espelhos do ELT. Três destes espelhos estarão alojados numa torre central robusta, recentemente instalada.
Houve igualmente outros motivos de celebração em 2024 relativos ao ELT, que não foram captados neste timelapse. Por exemplo, em Janeiro chegaram ao Chile os primeiros segmentos do M1, que foram posteriormente revestidos com uma camada de prata refletora em Março. Alguns meses mais tarde, ficou concluída a peça em bruto, não polida, do quinto espelho do telescópio, M5, e, em Setembro, terminou-se também a construção da célula onde este espelho irá ser colocado, e que ajusta a posição do espelho até 10 vezes por segundo. No mesmo mês, foi fabricada a última das seis fontes laser do ELT — parte do sistema de óptica adaptativa do telescópio e que irá corrigir das perturbações atmosféricas. Entretanto, o desenvolvimento dos instrumentos científicos do ELT tem avançado a todo o vapor, com o METIS e o MICADO a passarem as suas revisões finais de projeto e com a assinatura do acordo de construção do ANDES. Com todas estas conquistas fantásticas em apenas doze meses, ficamos a pensar: que outros grandes avanços estarão reservados para 2025?
Créditos:ESO
Sobre o vídeo
| Id: | potw2508a |
| Língua: | pt |
| Data de divulgação: | 24 de Fevereiro de 2025 às 06:00 |
| Duração: | 01 m 12 s |
| Frame rate: | 25 fps |
Sobre o objeto
| Nome: | Extremely Large Telescope |
| Tipo: | Unspecified : Technology : Observatory |
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