Das Extremely Large Telescope der ESO aus dem All betrachtet
Wie ein kleines Schneckenhaus, das am Strand liegt, ragt eine zarte Spirale aus der Weite der Atacama-Wüste hervor. Während die meisten Linien, die die Landschaft in der dieswöchigen Aufnahme prägen, natürliche Folgen geologischer Prozesse sind, handelt es sich bei dem kreisförmigen Weg tatsächlich um eine Straße, die hinauf zum Berg Cerro Armazones führt. Auf seinem Gipfel befindet sich das im Bau befindliche "Extremely Large Telescope" (ELT) der Europäischen Südsternwarte, das auf dem Bild lediglich als ein schwarzer Punkt unterhalb der Bildmitte zu erkennen ist.
In der riesigen Fläche aus Rot- und Grautönen ist es zunächst schwierig, das ELT auszumachen, sodass sein Name beinahe übertrieben erscheinen mag. Doch es ist alles nur eine Frage der Perspektive. Diese Aufnahme wurde von Sophie Adenot gemacht, einer französischen Ingenieurin, Hubschrauberpilotin und Astronautin der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation (ESA), die sich derzeit im Rahmen einer Langzeitmission namens „εpsilon“ auf der Internationalen Raumstation befindet. Selbst aus ihrer Position, mehr als 400 Kilometer über der Erdoberfläche, ist das ELT als markantes Merkmal der Landschaft erkennbar. Nach seiner Fertigstellung wird es das größte Teleskop der Welt für sichtbares Licht und nahes Infrarot sein. Dank seiner gewaltigen Fähigkeit Licht zu sammeln, wird es tiefere Einblicke in das Weltall ermöglichen als je zuvor. Die leidenschaftliche Himmelsbeobachterin Adenot hat aus dem All einen Eintrag übermittelt, in dem sie erläutert, warum der ELT-Standort ausgewählt wurde:
Tag 051, Umlaufbahn 802 – Chile besitzt einige der schönsten Nachthimmel der Erde … Dort erhält das Betrachten der Sterne eine ganz neue Dimension, denn drei Galaxien sind mit bloßem Auge sichtbar: unsere eigene Milchstraße sowie ihre beiden Nachbarn, die Große und die Kleine Magellansche Wolke.
Die an die Landschaft des Mars erinnernde Atacama-Wüste beherbergt mehrere Sternwarten der Europäischen Südsternwarte, unter anderem in La Silla und auf dem Cerro Paranal. Dieses Bild zeigt die Baustelle des Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) auf dem Cerro Armazones. Nach seiner Fertigstellung wird es das größte Auge der Menschheit zum Himmel sein und über einen Hauptspiegel mit einem Durchmesser von 39 Metern verfügen – das entspricht etwa neun hintereinander abgestellten Autos oder zwei Hubschraubern des Typs H225, die Nase an Nase stehen.
Ein eindrucksvolles Beispiel gelungener Zusammenarbeit zwischen Europa und Chile!
Herkunftsnachweis:ESA – S. Adenot. CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Über das Bild
| ID: | potw2614a |
| Sprache: | de |
| Typ: | Fotografisch |
| Veröffentlichungsdatum: | 6. April 2026 09:00 |
| Größe: | 8256 x 5504 px |
Über das Objekt
| Name: | Extremely Large Telescope |
| Typ: | Unspecified : Technology : Observatory |
Bildformate
Our use of Cookies
We use cookies that are essential for accessing our websites and using our services. We also use cookies to analyse, measure and improve our websites’ performance, to enable content sharing via social media and to display media content hosted on third-party platforms.
ESO Cookies Policy
The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in astronomy. It carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities for astronomy.
This Cookies Policy is intended to provide clarity by outlining the cookies used on the ESO public websites, their functions, the options you have for controlling them, and the ways you can contact us for additional details.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of data stored on your device by websites you visit. They serve various purposes, such as remembering login credentials and preferences and enhance your browsing experience.
Categories of cookies we use
Essential cookies (always active): These cookies are strictly necessary for the proper functioning of our website. Without these cookies, the website cannot operate correctly, and certain services, such as logging in or accessing secure areas, may not be available; because they are essential for the website’s operation, they cannot be disabled.
Functional Cookies: These cookies enhance your browsing experience by enabling additional features and personalization, such as remembering your preferences and settings. While not strictly necessary for the website to function, they improve usability and convenience; these cookies are only placed if you provide your consent.
Analytics cookies: These cookies collect information about how visitors interact with our website, such as which pages are visited most often and how users navigate the site. This data helps us improve website performance, optimize content, and enhance the user experience; these cookies are only placed if you provide your consent. We use the following analytics cookies.
Matomo Cookies:
This website uses Matomo (formerly Piwik), an open source software which enables the statistical analysis of website visits. Matomo uses cookies (text files) which are saved on your computer and which allow us to analyze how you use our website. The website user information generated by the cookies will only be saved on the servers of our IT Department. We use this information to analyze www.eso.org visits and to prepare reports on website activities. These data will not be disclosed to third parties.
On behalf of ESO, Matomo will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage.
Matomo cookies settings:
Additional Third-party cookies on ESO websites: some of our pages display content from external providers, e.g. YouTube.
Such third-party services are outside of ESO control and may, at any time, change their terms of service, use of cookies, etc.
YouTube: Some videos on the ESO website are embedded from ESO’s official YouTube channel. We have enabled YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode, meaning that no cookies are set unless the user actively clicks on the video to play it. Additionally, in this mode, YouTube does not store any personally identifiable cookie data for embedded video playbacks. For more details, please refer to YouTube’s embedding videos information page.
Cookies can also be classified based on the following elements.
Regarding the domain, there are:
- First-party cookies, set by the website you are currently visiting. They are stored by the same domain that you are browsing and are used to enhance your experience on that site;
- Third-party cookies, set by a domain other than the one you are currently visiting.
As for their duration, cookies can be:
- Browser-session cookies, which are deleted when the user closes the browser;
- Stored cookies, which stay on the user's device for a predetermined period of time.
How to manage cookies
Cookie settings: You can modify your cookie choices for the ESO webpages at any time by clicking on the link Cookie settings at the bottom of any page.
In your browser: If you wish to delete cookies or instruct your browser to delete or block cookies by default, please visit the help pages of your browser:
Please be aware that if you delete or decline cookies, certain functionalities of our website may be not be available and your browsing experience may be affected.
You can set most browsers to prevent any cookies being placed on your device, but you may then have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit a site/page. And some services and functionalities may not work properly at all (e.g. profile logging-in, shop check out).
Updates to the ESO Cookies Policy
The ESO Cookies Policy may be subject to future updates, which will be made available on this page.
Additional information
For any queries related to cookies, please contact: pdprATesoDOTorg.
As ESO public webpages are managed by our Department of Communication, your questions will be dealt with the support of the said Department.