Annonce

Astronomers Build the Most Advanced Observatory in the World from LEGO®

29 juin 2017

It took some of the brightest minds in science and technology to build ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile, one of the largest and most sophisticated telescope facilities in the world. Now Dutch astronomer Frans Snik and a team of dedicated helpers have created a unique LEGO® model of the entire Paranal platform, complete with replicas of the four 8.2-metre VLT Unit Telescopes (UT), the four 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes and other astonishingly minute details [1].

This mind-boggling one-of-a-kind model has been handed over to ESO and is on display at the ESO Headquarters in Garching, Germany. When the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre opens at the ESO Headquarters in spring 2018, the model will be displayed there.

The model of the Paranal platform, at a scale of approximately 1:150, comprises the VLT telescopes and their dome structures, and all of the instruments used on the real VLT are also present. It also has accurate models of the VST, VISTA and the Control Building. Each 8.2-metre UT on the VLT platform comprises exactly 3104 parts, and the whole Paranal platform model required over 25 000 individual parts — plus a substantial amount of time and patience! The telescopes rotate and all the dome shutters and vents open and close. The four Auxiliary Telescopes can be moved into position along their tracks, just like the real things, and the VLTI tunnels house a working miniature interferometer that can produce real fringes.

Building a model telescope is an excellent way to understand how complex modern astronomical instruments work and anyone ambitious enough (and with around 5000 euros to spare) can build their own version of these huge telescopes. Frans Snik will be pleased to provide the necessary instructions.

As if that wasn’t enough, ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, currently being built close to Paranal, can also be built — to the same scale as the Paranal model — out of LEGO®.

Notes

[1] The LEGO® Paranal began its small-scale existence in 2014, when Snik designed and built his first LEGO® model of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Later on a  LEGO® model of the 8.2-metre VLT Unit Telescopes (UT) was conceived.

Liens

Contacts

Frans Snik
Leiden Observatory, Leiden University
Leiden, the Netherlands
Tel: +31 71 527 8431
Email: snik@strw.leidenuniv.nl

Richard Hook
ESO Public Information Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6655
Cell: +49 151 1537 3591
Email: rhook@eso.org

À propos de l'annonce

Identification:ann17038

Images

The LEGO® model of the Paranal platform is handed over to ESO’s Director General
The LEGO® model of the Paranal platform is handed over to ESO’s Director General
The finishing touches are made to the LEGO® model of the VLT platform
The finishing touches are made to the LEGO® model of the VLT platform
A LEGO® interferometer!
A LEGO® interferometer!
All of the VLT telescopes are now modelled in LEGO®
All of the VLT telescopes are now modelled in LEGO®

Vidéos

ESOcast 114 Light: VLT LEGO model (4K UHD)
ESOcast 114 Light: VLT LEGO model (4K UHD)
Full tour of ESO's Paranal Observatory in miniature
Full tour of ESO's Paranal Observatory in miniature
LEGO® Interferometer comes together
LEGO® Interferometer comes together
Building the desert landscape
Building the desert landscape
Building a base
Building a base
Constructing the platform
Constructing the platform
Assembling Paranal
Assembling Paranal
LEGO® laser guide stars
LEGO® laser guide stars
Building the VLT
Building the VLT
Teamwork to build the VLT
Teamwork to build the VLT
Adjusting a LEGO® Unit Telescope
Adjusting a LEGO® Unit Telescope
Bright young minds working on Paranal
Bright young minds working on Paranal
Building Paranal from LEGO®
Building Paranal from LEGO®
Time-lapse of building Paranal
Time-lapse of building Paranal
Time-lapse of building Paranal
Time-lapse of building Paranal