The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is an array of telescopes located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It is operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
The VLT consists of four individual telescopes, each with an 8.2 metre primary mirror. Telescopes can make observations in visible light and infrared wavelengths.
The telescopes are usually operated separately but they can be used together to achieve higher angular resolution.
Notable Achievements
- The first direct image of an exoplanet.
- Tracking stars orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.
- Observations of the afterglow of the furthest known gamma-ray burst.
Related Feeds
- VLT Panorama
- VLT Sky View
- VLT Melipal
- VLT VST
- VLT A1 (Auxilliary telescope)
- VLT G1 (Auxilliary telescope)
- VLT K0 (Auxilliary telescope)
External Links
- www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/ Official home page
