VISTA (telescope)

VISTA
VISTA (Credit: ESO)
Alternative namesVisible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy Edit this at Wikidata
Part ofParanal Observatory Edit this on Wikidata
Location(s)Atacama Desert
Coordinates24°36′57″S 70°23′51″W / 24.615833333333°S 70.3975°W / -24.615833333333; -70.3975 Edit this at Wikidata
OrganizationEuropean Southern Observatory Edit this on Wikidata
Altitude2,518 m (8,261 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Wavelength0.85 μm (350 THz)–2.3 μm (130 THz)
First light1 December 2009 Edit this on Wikidata
Telescope styleRitchey–Chrétien telescope Edit this on Wikidata
Diameter4.1 m (13 ft 5 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Secondary diameter1.24 m (4 ft 1 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Angular resolution0.34 arcsecond Edit this on Wikidata
Focal length12.1 m (39 ft 8 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Mountingaltazimuth mount Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.vista.ac.uk Edit this at Wikidata
VISTA (telescope) is located in Chile
VISTA (telescope)
Location of VISTA
  Related media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]

The VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) is a wide-field reflecting telescope with a 4.1 metre mirror, located at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. It is operated by the European Southern Observatory and started science operations in December 2009. VISTA was conceived and developed by a consortium of universities in the United Kingdom led by Queen Mary University of London[1] and became an in-kind contribution to ESO as part of the UK's accession agreement, with the subscription paid by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).[2]

VISTA is a survey telescope working at infrared wavelengths, and is by far the largest telescope in the world dedicated to surveying the sky at near-infrared wavelengths.[2] The telescope has only one instrument: VIRCAM, the Vista InfraRed CAMera. This is a 3-tonne camera containing 16 special detectors sensitive to infrared light, with a combined total of 67 million pixels.[3]

A second-generation instrument called 4MOST, a 2400-object fibre-fed multi-object spectrograph, is under development to start operations at the telescope in 2025.[4]

Observing at wavelengths longer than those visible to the human eye allows VISTA to study objects that may be almost impossible to see in visible light because they are cool, obscured by dust clouds or because their light has been stretched towards redder wavelengths by the expansion of space during the light's long journey from the early Universe.[2]

  1. ^ "First stunning images captured by Queen Mary led VISTA telescope". Queen Mary, University of London. 2009-12-11. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  2. ^ a b c "The ESO Survey Telescopes". ESO. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  3. ^ "VISTA: Pioneering New Survey Telescope Starts Work". ESO. 2009-12-11. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  4. ^ "4MOST development web site".