Un tour al crepuscolo di Paranal
Questo ampio panorama è stato catturato in condizioni difficili. Il Very Large Telescope (VLT) dell'ESO è uno degli osservatori più avanzati al mondo, che raccoglie dati astronomici di chiarezza insuperabile da Cerro Paranal, un sito isolato in cima a una montagna solitaria nel deserto cileno di Atacama. Questo angolo remoto del globo ha molti vantaggi; offre alcune delle condizioni di osservazione più asciutte e più chiare sulla Terra - alcune delle stazioni meteorologiche nel deserto di Atacama non hanno mai registrato precipitazioni! - e una totale mancanza di inquinamento luminoso. Gli astronomi di Paranal possono vedere un cielo pieno di stelle anche prima del tramonto, mentre il Sole che affonda illumina la brina e getta un bagliore etereo e insostituibile attraverso l'intero osservatorio.
Anche questo isolamento ha i suoi lati negativi. Raggiungere il sito remoto richiede dedizione. Non ci sono mezzi pubblici per Paranal, quindi i visitatori devono viaggiare in auto dall'aeroporto di Antofagasta nel nord, o 110 chilometri dalla città più vicina a sud. Tuttavia, ciò non impedisce agli scienziati, ai visitatori e persino agli equipaggi del cinema di avventurarsi sul sito. L'inconveniente è ripagato con panorami mozzafiato, come quello catturato qui da Miguel Claro, un ambasciatore fotografo per ESO.
Il VLT è formato non solo da un telescopio unico, ma da otto, sette dei quali sono visibili in questo panorama. Il telescopio comprende quattro grandi telescopi unitari da 8,2 metri (le strutture squadrate e angolari a destra dell’immagine) e quattro piccoli telescopi ausiliari da 1,8 metro (le cupole curve e aperte a sinistra - tre delle quattro possono essere viste qui) . Questi piccoli telescopi sono mobili, il che significa che il VLT può essere usato come un interferometro meravigliosamente adattabile. L'interferometria è una tecnica che combina i dati provenienti da più telescopi in modo tale che funzionino essenzialmente insieme come un telescopio più grande, aumentando enormemente la quantità di ricerca scientifica che possono condurre.
Coloro che sono interessati a vedere Paranal in persona sono fortunati: tour pubblici gratuiti vengono eseguiti ogni fine settimana. I visitatori possono vedere uno dei telescopi unitari, il famoso hotel La Residencia e, a volte, le sale di controllo dove lavorano gli astronomi. Ulteriori informazioni sono disponibili qui.
Crediti:ESO/M. Claro
Riguardo l'immagine
| Identificazione: | potw1915a |
| Lingua: | it-ch |
| Tipo: | Fotografico |
| Data di rilascio: | Lunedì 15 Aprile 2019 06:00 |
| Grandezza: | 7762 x 3847 px |
Riguardo all'oggetto
| Nome: | Very Large Telescope |
| Tipo: | Unspecified : Technology : Observatory |
Formati delle immagini
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