Astronomy is often described as the oldest science, given the fascination that the universe has always exerted on people of all ages and cultures. Astronomy rrently uses sophisticated technology and is considered one of the most modern and dynamic sciences.
One of the organizations that greatly contributes to the advancement of Astronomy is ESO, European Southern Observatory, a prominent intergovernmental science and technology organization in astronomy. Ahelps scientists from all over the world discover the secrets of the Universe, which consequently benefits the entire society.
Founded in 1962, headquartered in Garching, Germany
ESO develops an ambitious program focused on design, construction and operation of powerful observatories and promotes and organizes cooperations in astronomical research.
On its website, ESO informs that it has more than 750 employees from around 30 countries and countless collaborators from all over the world. There are more than 22,000 users from around 130 different countries, who have access to services, technology and data.
ESO operates three observatories in the Atacama Desert in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor.
LA SILLA OBSERVATORY
O La Silla,_first ESO observatory to come into operation in the late 1960s, it is located on the La Silla mountain, at an altitude of 2350 m, 600 km north of Santiago de Chile. It is equipped with several optical telescopes. The mirrors have a diameter of up to 3.6 meters.
ESO's main optical instruments in La Silla are a 3.6 m reflector, opened in 1976; the 3.5 m New Technology Telescope (NTT), opened in 1989; a 2.2 m reflector jointly owned by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, opened in 1984. 2009 and is now operated by Yale University. Instruments at La Silla owned by individual nations include a 1.54 m Danish reflector opened in 1979 and the 1.2 m Leonhard Euler telescope owned by the Geneva Observatory, opened in 2000 .
Credit: ESO.
Directed by: Nico Bartmann.Editing: Nico Bartmann.Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida.Written by: Laura Hiscott and Calum Turner.Music: John Stanford — The Edge (johnstanfordmusic.com).Footage and photos: ESO, G. Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com), L. Calçada, J. Pérez, Liam Young/Unknown Fields.Scientific consultant: Paola Amico and Mariya Lyubenova.Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.
CERRO PARANAL OBSERVATORY
The ESO observatory in Cerro Paranal is situated on a mountain in the northern part of the Atacama Desert in Chile . VLT-Very Large Telescope, one of the most advanced systems in the world, consisting of four Main Telescopes with main mirrors measuring 8.2 m in diameter and four mobile Auxiliary Telescopes measuring 1.8 m in diameter.
This is the trailer for the Very Large Telescope (VLT), located in Paranal, Chile.
Credit: ESO
Footage and photos: ESO, C. Malin (christophmalin.com) , Liam Young, B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), G. Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com), F. Kamphues, G. Lombardi (glphoto.it), S. Gillessen, F. Char, H. Zodet and Y. Beletsky (LCO). Music by Movetwo.
THE ESO CERRO PARANAL HOTEL
Under the summit, at a At a height of around 2,400 meters, you will find the Hotel ESO no Cerro Paranal. It has housed the Paranal Observatory in Chile since 2002. It is mainly used for scientists and ESO engineers who work there in a scale system, which houses them in stays.
The ESO Hotel at Cerro Paranal has been called a "guesthouse on Mars", because the desert surroundings are similar to Mars and an "Oasis for astronomers" . It is not a commercial hotel, and the public cannot reserve rooms. For the relatively short time of your stays under weather conditions extremes – intense sun, extreme dryness, high wind speeds, large temperature fluctuations and the danger of earthquakes – the hotel was built in place far from the civilization where they can relax and rest between strenuous work phases.
The exterior of the hotel was featured in the 2008 film 007, Quantum of Solace, in which the structure was portrayed as a fictional eco-hotel in Bolivia. A miniature of the hotel was built by the visual effects team for the scenes in which the hotel, in the film, is destroyed by fire.
ESO Paranal and the ESO Cerro Paranal Hotel were the film set for 007, "Quantum of Scolace"
Credit: ESO
Visual design and editing: Martin Kornmesser and Luis Calçada. Cinematography: Peter Rixner. Editing: Herbert Zodet. Web and technical support: Lars Holm Nielsen and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Henri Boffin, Lee Pullen and Lars Lindberg Christensen. Host: Dr. J. Narration: Lee Pullen. Music: Paulo Raimundo; lcg//moulinex. Footage and photos: Sony Pictures, EON Productions Ltd., QUANTUM OF SOLACE / © 2008 Danjaq, United Artists, CPII., 007 TM and related James Bond Trademarks, TM Danjaq & ESO. Directed by: Lars Lindberg Christensen.
CHAJNANTOR OBSERVATORY
The Chajnantor Observatory is operated by Caltech - California Institute of Technology in collaboration with the University of Chile and the University of Concepción and is located at an altitude of 5080 meters (16700 feet) in the Andes Mountains in northern Chile.
The high, dry Chajnantor plateau is one of the best places in the world for millimeter and submillimeter astronomy.
The first observatory instrument, the Cosmic Background Imager (CBI) is housed in a retractable dome that provides some protection from rain, snow and wind. On most days, the wind in Chajnantor peaks in the late afternoon at around 15 m/s (30 mph). Under these conditions, cold is a serious problem, but the dome provides a sheltered workspace where it is possible to repair and maintain the CBI. The dome is a hemispherical steel structure covered with polyester fabric, housed in a wall 2 m high and 10.5 m in diameter.
The CBI and its dome require concrete support plates, but this is the only construction work on the site. All other installations are in ISO standard shipping containers placed directly on the ground. This modest approach to site infrastructure reduces costs, reduces maintenance burden and has a very low impact on the environment.
Observatory facilities include a control room, laboratory, mechanical workshop, power plant, two workrooms/bedrooms and a bathroom – all inside the shipping containers.
To counteract the effects of high altitude, the air in working and living areas is enriched with oxygen (using molecular sieves to separate oxygen from air), and people who work outside can use portable oxygen tanks with demand regulators when needed to improve efficiency and safety. The power plant and fuel tanks are located about 100 m east of the CBI; Average power consumption for the site is around 100 kW and the plant has a pair of diesel generators rated for 150 kW at 5000 m.
The base facilities are located at Residencia Don Esteban, in the historic oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, at an altitude of 2500 m. These include bedrooms, kitchen, conference room and computer room.
The observatory is partially supported by SAINT, Strategic Alliance for the Implementation of New Technologies, a consortium formed by twelve institutions: the California Institute of Technology
This consortium was formed for studies and research into fundamental problems in physics which can be resolved by observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation and research into a variety of new astrophysical planes.
Below see the trailer for ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence.
A state-of-the-art telescope that studies light with wavelengths of around one millimeter, emitted by some of the coldest objects in the Universe, ALMA is a cooperation of the European Observatory do Sul (ESO), together with its international partners. The ALMA site is the Chajnantor plateau, 5000 m above sea level, in northern Chile, one of the driest places on Earth.
Credit: ESO
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), C. Malin (christophmalin.com), P. Horálek, Liam Young, B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), J. J. Tobin (University of Oklahoma/Leiden University), M. Kaufman, Theofanis N. Matsopoulos, H. H. Heyer, S Argandoña and H. Zodet. Music by Movetwo.
ESO undoubtedly has a sophisticated technological structure and, with its 61 years of existence, a natural curiosity would be to know some of its main scientific results, which will be seen below.
TEN SPACE DISCOVERIES FROM THE ESO OBSERVATORY, BY ELIZABETH HOWELL, SPACE.COM
1.OBSERVING THE COSMOS
Since the first telescope began operating in 1966, ESO has brought about many changes in the way we perceive the Universe. Astronomers observed the acceleration of the Universe as it expanded and learned more about what the young Universe looked like. ESO telescopes have also taken photographs of distant planets and helped measure the weight of gigantic stars.
2. FIRST ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS OF PLUTO AND CHARON (1986)
By observing the light curve of Pluto and its moon Charon during eclipses with ESO La Silla telescopes, astronomers were able to reduce the size of both objects. Pluto, then considered a planet, has a diameter of approximately 1367 miles (2200 kilometers). Its largest moon, Charon, has been measured at about 721 miles (1160 kilometers).
3.PIONEERING IN ADAPTIVE OPTICS (1989)
ESO was one of the first observatories to test "adaptive optics", a technique used to make corrections for turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. A telescopic mirror, connected to a computer, automatically adjusts as the atmosphere flexes. This allows light to reach the telescope with greater precision – meaning we can see further into space. Adaptive optics is a standard technique used today.
4.EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE ACCELERATING (1998)
By studying the brightness of stellar explosions, researchers have discovered that the universe is not just expanding, but accelerating as it grows. Telescopes at ESO and other observatories, including the Hubble Space Telescope, have determined this through measurements of Type Ia supernovae. The main discoverers were awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
5.CONFIRMING THE UNIVERSE'S HOT PAST (2000)
Researchers were able to obtain the temperature of the Big Bang echo – cosmic microwave background radiation – from when the universe was just 2.5 billion years old. An ESO telescope has taken spectrum measurements of a quasar, which is a bright, distant galaxy powered by a huge black hole. The quasar's glow showed that the universe was hotter than it is now.
6.THE BLUEEST YEARS IN THE UNIVERSE (2003)
From observations with ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers discovered the color of the young universe, 2.5 billion years old, was much bluer than it is today because it was full of young, blue stars. Because blue stars emit more light than ancient stars — and the universe has as much light now as in the past — the findings suggest that there were fewer stars in the early years of the universe.
7. CONNECTING GAMMA RAYS WITH SUPERNOVAS (2003)
After a gamma-ray burst shone in the constellation Leo on March 29, 2003, Australian and Japanese telescopes detected a bright light source in the same location within 90 minutes. ESO telescopes then captured the first spectrum of the object. They discovered that this large supernova or "hypernova" was 2.65 billion light years away, and were able to link it to the gamma-ray burst.
8.THE GREATEST STAR OF ALL TIME (2010)
The biggest star ever, R136a1 is 165,000 light-years away from Earth and more than twice the size scientists thought stars could get. This magnificent discovery was made possible using ESO's Very Large Telescope and confirmed with archival data from the Hubble Space Telescope.
9. FIRST DIRECT SPECTRUM OF AN EXOPLANET (2010)
Scientists used ESO's Very Large Telescope to detect the chemical composition of a planet about 130 light-years from Earth. This planet is about 10 times the size of Jupiter, with a surface temperature of 1472 degrees Fahrenheit (800 degrees Celsius). This was the first time the spectrum was observed from direct observations of a planet.
10.EARTH-SIZED PLANET FOUND IN NEXT STAR SYSTEM (2012)
A planet with approximately the same mass as Earth has been discovered near Alpha Centauri B, which is part of a three-star system just 4.3 light-years from Earth. An ESO telescope at La Silla detected the planet by measuring the star's wobbles. The planet is causing Alpha Centauri B to move back and forth at 1.1 miles (1.8 kilometers) per hour, the same speed as a crawling baby.
THE INNOVATIVE ELT
The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a revolutionary ground-based telescope that will have a 39-meter main mirror and will be the world's largest telescope for visible and infrared light: the world's largest eye on the sky. Construction of this technically complex project, which began 9 years ago, is progressing at a good pace, with the ELT now surpassing the 50% completion mark.
The telescope is located at the top of Cerro Armazones, in the desert of Atacama, Chile, where engineers and construction workers are currently assembling the telescope's dome structure at an impressive pace.
Visibly changing every day, the steel structure will soon acquire the familiar round shape typical of telescope domes.
As per the words of ESO Director General, Xavier Barcons, "The ELT is the largest of the next generation of optical and near-infrared telescopes based on land and what is most advanced in its construction. Reaching 50% completion is no small feat given the challenges inherent in large, complex projects, and it was only possible thanks to the commitment of everyone at ESO, the continued support of ESO Member States, and the involvement of our partners in industry and instrument consortia. I am extremely proud that ELT has reached this milestone."
ESO ELT Video
Credit: ESO.
Directed by: Martin Wallner
Editing: Martin Wallner
Web and technical support: Gurvan Bazin and Raquel Yumi Shida
Written by: Martin Wallner
Consultants: Bárbara Ferreira, Michele Cirasuolo
Music: Jon Kennedy – You, You and You
Footage and photos: ESO, G. Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto .com), L. Calcada, M. Kornmesser, A. Tsaouis, M. Wallner, H. Zodet, SCHOTT, APICAL
Acknowledgments: R. Parra, G. Vecchia, CIMOLAI, SCHOTT
ESO Observatory: Science and Technology in Astronomy
Sources:
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. Chajnantor Observatory. Available in <https://sites.astro.caltech.edu/chajnantor/> Access at 25 dez.2023.
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. Chajnantor Observatory: Strategic Alliance for the Implementation of New Technologies (SAINT). Available in <https://sites.astro.caltech.edu/chajnantor/saint/> Access at 25 dez.2023.
EUROPEAN SUTHERN OBSERVATORY. Observatories La Silla, Chajnantor and Paranal. Available in <www.eso.org/public> Access at 25 dez.2023
HOWELL, Elizabeth. 10 Space Discoveries by the European Southern Observatory. Available in <https://www.space.com/18665-european-southern-observatory-major-discoveries.html> Access at 26 dez.2023.
JORNAL FOLHA DE S. PAULO – 19 set.2010 – página A22
OXFORD REFERENCE. La Silla Observatory. Available in
Access at 26 dez.2023.
WIKIPÉDIA. ESO Hotel. Available in <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESO_Hotel> Access at 26 dez.2023.
Comments