Keeping cool at La Silla

This striking picture of the New Technology Telescope (NTT) was taken just after sunset at ESO's La Silla Observatory, located in the Norte Chico in outskirts of the Chilean Atacama Desert. The Moon has already begun its journey across the evening sky, and is shining brightly overhead. The Sun dips below the horizon to the left of the frame, soaking the clouds in a rich orange colour.

The warm glow of the last rays of sunshine are caught by the reflective surface of the NTT walls. The purpose of this metallic dome is to stop the telescope’s enclosure from heating up during the day. This would affect the telescope’s observations, as rising warm air and turbulence blur images and worsen the astronomical seeing.

It is not just the telescope's enclosure that is designed to reduce heat accumulation during the day; the concrete platforms and parking spaces around the site are all painted white to increase the amount of light reflected from their surface.

Källa:

ESO/B. Tafreshi (twanight.org)

Om bilden

ID:potw1538a
Typ:Foto
Publiceringsdatum:21 september 2015 10:00
Storlek:7506 x 7506 px

Om objektet

Namn:New Technology Telescope
Typ:Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope
Kategori:La Silla

Bildformat

Originalstorlek
56,9 MB
Stor jpeg
8,1 MB
Skärmstor jpeg
205,9 kB

Zoombar


Skrivbordsunderlägg

1024x768
186,3 kB
1280x1024
288,7 kB
1600x1200
398,7 kB
1920x1200
456,0 kB
2048x1536
614,5 kB