Preparations for VLT UT1 first light

Final preparations being carried out in the week before the VLT UT1 First Light. Following successful optical alignment tests, the 8.2-m primary mirror was removed from the first Unit Telescope (UT1) to be coated with an aluminium layer. This image shows the top half of the lower half of the coating vessel with the supports on which the mirror will rest. A test target (the curved segment) is seen at the center. (Photo obtained on May 16, 1998).