Trois très différents télescopes à La Silla
L'ESO a cinquante ans cette année, pour célébrer cet anniversaire important nous allons vous montrer des morceaux de notre histoire. Une fois par mois durant 2012, une Photo de la Semaine comparant le Passé et le Présent montrera comment les choses ont changé durant les décennies au observatoires de La Silla et de Paranal, les installations ESO à Santiago du Chili et le Siège Social à Garching / Munich, Allemagne.
Ces deux photos ont été prises sur le plus haut sommet de La Silla, une montagne culminant à 2400 mètres d'altitude, à la frontière du désert chilien d'Atacama. La Silla était le premier observatoire de l'ESO. La photo historique, prise en 1975, montre quelques-uns des camions et autres équipements utilisés pour la construction du dôme du télescope ESO de 3.6 metres, qui se trouve derrière le photographe. Sur la gauche se trouvent les réservoirs d'eau du site.
Dans la photo actuelle, trois nouveaux télescopes sont apparus, tous très différents l'un de l'autre. Sur la droite des réservoirs d'eau se trouve le New Technology Telescope (NTT) de l'ESO, qui a observé pour la première fois le 23 Mars 1989. Ce télescope de 3.58 mètres était le premier ayant un miroir principal contrôlé par ordinateur, on pouvait ajuster sa forme durant les observations pour optimiser la qualité d'image. L'abris octogonal abritant le NTT est une autre révolution technologique, ventilé par un système de volets qui fait passer un faible courant d'air à travers le miroir, reduisant ainsi les turbulences et permettant de prendre des images plus nettes.
Sur la droite du NTT se trouve le télescope Suisse Leonhard Euler de 1.2 mètres, qui a un dôme de forme plus traditionnel. Il est exploité par l'observatoire de Genève à l'Université de Genève en Suisse, il a observé pour la première fois le 12 Avril 1998. Il est utilisé pour la recherche d'exoplanètes dans le ciel austral; sa première découverte étant une planète orbitant autour de l'étoile Gliese 86 (Voir eso9855). Le télescope observe également les étoiles variables, les sursauts de rayons gamma et les noyaux actifs des galaxies.
Dans l'avant-plan sur la droite se trouve un bâtiment surnommé le sarcophage. Il abrite le TAROT (Télescope à Action Rapide pour les Objets Transitoires) qui a été mis en place à La Silla le 15 Septembre 2006. Ce rapide et petit télescope robotique réagit très rapidement aux alertes satellites signalant des sursauts de rayons gamma. L'observation de ces explosions cosmiques permet aux astronomees d'étudier la formation des trous noirs et l'évolution des étoiles dans l'Univers primordial. TAROT est exploité par un consortium dirigé par Michel Boër de l'Observatoire de Haut Provence en France.
Le NTT est exploité par l'ESO tandis que le télescope Leonhard Euler et TAROT sont des télescopes nationaux se trouvant à La Silla. De nos jours, 40 ans après son inauguration, La Silla reste au devant de l'astronomie.
Links
- L'image historique
- L'image actuelle
- Une comparaison côte-à-côte de l'image historique et actuelle
- Plus sur La Silla
- Communiqué de presse à l'occasion du 40ème anniversaire, en 2009, de l'inauguration de La Silla
- Le timeline de l'ESO
Crédit
ESO
À propos de la comparaison d'images
| Identification: | potw1219a |
| Date de publication: | 7 mai 2012 10:00 |
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