Information from the European Southern Observatory ESO Press Photos 25a-d/97 29 August 1997 For immediate release | |
Top Ring in Place on VLT Unit Telescope 1 Here are some recent photos from the installation of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Northern Chile. One week ago, the top ring which will carry the secondary mirror unit was attached to the mechanical structure of the first 8.2-m telescope (UT1). It is a torus with elliptical cross-section, of 8.5 m inner and 10.2 m outer diameter. The first two photos in the present series show phases of this delicate operation and the third, which was taken yesterday, is the first to show the telescope structure much as it will look like when finished. However, there is still much work to be accomplished before the many other components, in particular the large primary mirror, can be put in place. The fourth image is of the Paranal Observatory power plant which will provide stable electric power to this remote site. The plant will generate a total of 2.4 MW and is currently undergoing extensive tests. It has also been described in an earlier ESO Press Communication ( ESO PR Photos 08a-c/97 ).
|  ESO Press Photo 25a/97 [JPG, 116k] : Here, the top ring is being lifted into the enclosure that protects VLT Unit Telescope no. 1. The points of attachment to the supporting Serrurier struts (below, left, see also ESO PR Photos 23a-g/97 ) are clearly seen. (Photo obtained on August 21). |  ESO Press Photo 25b/97 [JPG, 136k] : On this photo, workers are attaching the top ring to the Serrurier struts. (Photo obtained on August 21). | |  ESO Press Photo 25c/97 [JPG, 159k] : The VLT Unit Telescope 1, seen through the opening of the telescope enclosure building. The hole in the centerpiece is where the light from the telescope will enter the astronomical instrument on the Nasmyth platform. (Photo obtained on August 28). |  ESO Press Photo 25d/97 [JPG, 165k] : The containers near the base camp which house the Paranal power plant. The hill in the background is located East of the base camp. (Photo obtained on August 27). | | |
Please note that since these images were electronically recorded and were primarily obtained to document the VLT construction activities, they may not be of sufficient quality for all reproduction purposes. This is the caption to ESO PR Photo 25a/97 [JPG, 116k] , ESO PR Photo 25b/97 [JPG, 136k] , ESO PR Photo 25c/97 [JPG, 159k] and ESO PR Photo 25d/97 [JPG, 165k]. They may be reproduced, if credit is given to the European Southern Observatory. © ESO Education & Public Relations Department
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How to obtain ESO Press Information ESO Press Information is made available on the World-Wide Web (URL: http://www.eso.org../). |
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