Final phases of VLT UT1 installation

The final phases of the assembly work on the first VLT 8.2-m Unit Telescope (UT1) at Paranal. In order to properly balance the telescope, a two-ton dummy of the same shape as FORS (FOcal Reducer/low dispersion Spectrograph), is attached to the M1 Cell. FORS was the first major astronomical instrument to be attached to the UT1, at the Cassegrain focus inside the M1 Cell. (Photo obtained on March 12, 1998).