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A célula do espelho M5 do ELT já está concluída
4 de Setembro de 2024
O design único de cinco espelhos do Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) do ESO tem impulsionado inovações e avanços em óptica e engenharia desde o seu início e hoje temos mais um: a célula do quinto espelho do ELT, o M5, está concluída. O M5 é o maior espelho basculante do mundo e a sua impressionante célula de suporte será capaz de orientar a luz colectada pelo telescópio até 10 vezes por segundo, de modo a estabilizar as imagens recolhidas pelo ELT.
A célula do M5 é um mecanismo de suporte que será fixado ao ELT, unindo o espelho M5 à estrutura maior do telescópio. Foi concebida, construída e testada pela empresa espanhola Sener nas suas instalações perto de Barcelona, na Espanha; a Sener é também responsável pelo sistema de controlo correspondente e pelo equipamento auxiliar. O Diretor Geral do ESO, Xavier Barcons, e o Gestor do Programa ELT do ESO, Roberto Tamai, visitaram hoje as instalações da empresa para celebrar a aceitação provisória da célula do M5.
O desafio lançado à Sener consistiu em desenvolver um mecanismo capaz de movimentar o espelho M5 a alta velocidade com uma precisão muito elevada. Para isso, a empresa montou um sistema de atuador específico — produzido pela Cedrat Technologies em França — numa estrutura muito rígida e acoplou sensores de posição muito rápidos e precisos a um processador digital potente e rápido, obtendo assim um controlo extremamente preciso da posição do espelho.
Com 2,7 por 2,2 metros, o M5 é o mais pequeno dos cinco espelhos do ELT, no entanto é, ainda assim, o maior espelho basculante alguma vez construído para um telescópio. O mecanismo que inclina a célula ajustará, até 10 vezes por segundo, o ângulo do espelho com uma precisão de algumas dezenas de milissegundos de arco, e isto sem que o espelho se deforme. Os movimentos minúsculos compensarão as perturbações provocadas por vento, turbulência atmosférica ou mecanismos do telescópio, que afectam a qualidade da imagem. Quando associado ao M4, o quarto espelho no trajeto da luz colectada pelo ELT, ambos formam um sistema de óptica adaptativa que estabiliza as imagens, permitindo ao ELT obter as imagens mais nítidas e de maior resolução alguma vez conseguidas por um telescópio óptico.
Enquanto a célula do M5 estava a ser finalizada, o molde do espelho M5 foi completado pela empresa francesa Mersen Boostec e está agora a ser polido pela Safran Reosc, também sediada em França. Tanto o espelho como a célula serão eventualmente enviados para o Chile, para se juntarem à estrutura do “maior olho do mundo virado para o céu”, atualmente em construção no deserto chileno do Atacama.
Espera-se que o ELT do ESO veja a sua primeira luz no final desta década, estando assim preparado para enfrentar alguns dos maiores desafios científicos da nossa época, sondando os confins mais longínquos do cosmos e localizando planetas semelhantes à Terra que orbitam em torno de outras estrelas.
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Bárbara Ferreira
ESO Media Manager
Garching bei München, Alemanha
Tel: +49 89 3200 6670
Telm: +49 151 241 664 00
Email: press@eso.org
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