Panorama of Mirror Maintenance Building
A 360 degree panorama inside the Mirror Maintenance Building (MMB) at Paranal: a large and complex structure that has been constructed next to the base camp, at the foot of the Paranal mountain. In order to hold the large VLT mirrors, this coating plant has a diameter of 9.4 metres. It is used to cover the large mirror surfaces with a thin layer of highly reflecting material (normally aluminium, maybe silver at a later stage), thus ensuring that nearly 100% of the photons from celestial objects impinging on the mirror may also be recorded by the sensitive telescope instruments.
Due to the unavoidable deterioration of this reflective layer, for instance oxidation and abrasion by airborne particles, the mirrors must be re-coated at intervals of some years.
Enjoy also our exciting Virtual Tours.
Crédit:ESO
À propos de l'image
Identification: | mmb-cr-washmachin-pan |
Type: | Photographique |
Date de publication: | 26 avril 2013 10:51 |
Taille: | 15176 x 7588 px |
Field of View: | 360° x 180° |
À propos de l'objet
Nom: | Panorama, Paranal |
Type: | Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Facility |
Catégorie: | 360 Panorama Paranal |