Giant telescope opens both eyes (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

The world's most powerful optical telescope has opened both of its eyes.

Astronomers at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona have released the first images taken using its two giant 8m diameter mirrors.

The detailed pictures show a spiral galaxy located 102 million light-years away from the Milky Way.

LBT has been 20 years in the making but promises to allow astronomers to probe the Universe further back in time and in more detail than ever before.

"The amount of time and work that was put into this project to reach the point where we are today is immense," said LBT Director Richard Green. "To see the telescope operational with both mirrors is a great feeling."


caption: A composite image of ultraviolet, green and deep red light shows the detailed structure of hot, moderate and cool stars in the spiral galaxy NGC 2770.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7282385.stm

[Mojorabbit]

1. This is so cool.

Thanks for posting it.

[stevedeshazer]

2. Seeking truth through science

What a concept!

knr

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. I'm sorry, but I don't get impressed by space photographs

they're all in black and white anyway and the color is added by NASA technicians to make it look pretty for the public.

At least, that's what my astronomy professor in college told me, and he used to work for NASA.

[rasputin1952]

4. I think it's fascinating how they have come to the point where

we can actually see what is out there in Deep Space...as for the colors, my cousin worked for NASA, and he says that they come to the colors by using several methods, spectroanalysis being one of the oldest. Each element has a signature color, and by analyzing the gases, they can come up w/a pretty good idea of what the subject is primarily made of.

Any way you look at it, it is an amazing feat. To be able to see so far into the universe, and into the past is amazing...the knowledge gleaned has helped us understand just what we are all about in the scheme of things....I think these pics and the knowledge gained are phenomenal, even if they add colors that aren't "guaranteed" to be authentic...:)

[Bill McBlueState]

5. the colors do more than make it look pretty

In this case, red actually corresponds to low-energy visible light, green corresponds to intermediate-energy visible light, and blue corresponds to UV light.

Since massive stars emit more light at UV wavelengths, solar-mass stars emit more light at optical wavelengths, and the least massive stars emit more light at infrared wavelengths, this color scheme allows us to easily see how different parts of the galaxy have different types of stars.

Notice, for example, how the arms of the spiral are bluer than the center. That tells us that the spiral arms are home to massive stars. Since massive stars have much shorter lives than low-mass stars, we can tell that the spiral arms are the sites of the most recent star formation.