NTT swallows the Milky Way

This is the New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla. The design of the octagonal enclosure housing the NTT is another technological breakthrough. The telescope dome is relatively small, and is ventilated by a system of flaps that makes air flow smoothly across the mirror, reducing turbulence and leading to sharper images. This way the view of the sky is not obscure by turbulence. In this image the Milky Way galaxy perfectly aligns with the opening of the NTT.