With a 39m mirror, ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope will be the largest optical telescope ever built. But how will we protect it from the harsh conditions of the Atacama Desert?

Join ESO astronomer Suzanna Randall in this episode of Chasing Starlight, where she travels to Chile to tell us about the amazing engineering behind the ELT’s gigantic dome.

00:00 Introduction
00:44 Why do we need a dome?
02:28 Aerodynamic design
04:20 Solar powered air conditioning
04:57 What next?

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Credit:
ESO

Directed by: M. Wallner, L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser, J. C. MunozMateos
Hosted by: S. Randall
Written by: P. Freeman, T. Howarth, B. Ferreira
Editing: M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada
Videography: A. Tsaousis, R. Soruco
Animations & footage: M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, C. Malin/ Vectorial/ J. F. Salgado/ Chepox/ G. Huedepohl (atacamaphoto.com)/ESO/Alessio Dradi (Cimolai), ESO/ACe Consortium, ESO/G. Beccari.
Music: Videvo
Web and technical support: G. Bazin, R. Shida
Scientific consultant: P. Amico
Promotion: O. Sandu
Filming Locations: ESO Supernova (supernova.eso.org), Cerro Armazones in northern Chile.

Produced by ESO, the European Southern Observatory (eso.org)


ESO #europeansouthernobservatory #astronomy #science