Why Do We Even Need Big Telescopes? (ESOcast 241)

Why do we aim for bigger and bigger telescopes, such as ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert? And how does the effort pay back, not only in terms of astronomical discoveries but also to the whole of society? Four special guests have answered these questions, so fasten your belt and get ready for a breathtaking discovery journey in the world of big telescopes!

And to know more on how ESO benefits society at large, don’t forget to check out this page!

Credit:

ESO

Directed by: Martin Wallner and Herbert Zodet.
Editing: Herbert Zodet.
Web and technical support: Gurvan Bazin and Raquel Yumi Shida.
Written by: Martin Wallner, Thea Elvin, Anna Purdue and Bárbara Ferreira.
Narration: Sara Mendes da Costa.
Music: Stellardrone — An Ocean of Galaxies, Cosmic Sunrise and Hemeleen — Rainforest (CC BY-NC 3.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)
Footage and photos: ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, F. Char, F. Kamphues, C. Malin (christophmalin.com), R. Genzel, S. Gillessen, Alexandre Santerne, EHT Collaboration, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), SCHOTT, ACe Consortium, Liam Young, NASA, ESA, Hubble, L. L. Christensen, Samuel Santana Tschudi, Space Engine (spaceengine.org), M. Zamani, P. Weilbacher (AIP), M. Cayrel, Tyavin Paul ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ), SiOwl ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ), Pachango ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ), Typ 620.73.451, Houghton Library, Harvard University, P. Horálek, S. Lowery, Craig Baker (CC BY-SA 4.0), Coneslayer CC BY-SA 2.0, Y. Beletsky (LCO), www.andrewdunnphoto.com ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ), Lengau (CC BY-SA 4.0) B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), Large Binocular Telescope Observatory, J.L. Dauvergne & G. Hüdepohl (atacamaphoto.com) and Daniele Gasparri (www.astroatacama.com).
Scientific consultant: Paola Amico.