New Infared Telescope’s AWESOME First Images

Vista is the latest telescope to come online at the European Southern Observatory’s outpost in the Chilean desert. It is the largest sky-mapping survey telescope and is perched on a peak next to the Very Large Telescope. It has a 13.5-foot mirror and a three-ton, 67-megapixel camera. The result is a sensitivity 40 times greater than previous infrared surveyors, which will provide a whole new look at the southern sky, as these first VISTA images released to the public show.

www.wired.com...

Thick clouds of dust usually obscure the Flame Nebula in visible light, but a brand new infrared telescope saw right through to capture this spectacular image. The Flame Nebula, pictured above, is a cloud of ionized gas located around 1,000 light-years away in the Orion constellation.

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7.6 MB publication version: www.eso.org...

Wallpaper versions: 1280 x 1024 ------- 1600 x 1200

145 MB .tiff format: www.eso.org...

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Constellation Sagittarius:

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Fornax Galaxy Cluster:

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Images: ESO/Vista

The first images are very promising! The future looks very bright for VISTA and the ESO.

[edit on 14/12/2009 by serbsta]

Star and Flag.

These are some nice images and makes me want to turn one of them into my wallpaper . Seeing outer space like this makes me want to go outside, lay on the grass and just look up at the sky. If only it weren't cloudy...

reply to post by serbsta

Looks great!
The James Webb Space Telescope looks even better.
I think they should put it in orbit around the moon!
It's very clear and cool on the dark side of the moon.

reply to post by Eurisko2012


Progress is progress, whether slow or fast. As long as we're not going backwards I think its fine and I'm sure we'll see that enigmatic 'dark side' soon enough. Look at how clear these galaxies are, the power of the telescope is immense and we're only scratching the surface.]

Here's a press release feed for VISTA: www.vista.ac.uk...

BBC link covering the new images and the telescope: news.bbc.co.uk...

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*The camera weighs three tonnes!

[edit on 14/12/2009 by serbsta]

WOW! More pictures of stars! WOW! Only 2 TRILLION DOLLARS! (facetious), Truly, aren't you sick and tired of billions of tax-payers dollars being flushed down the toilet so the guys/girls who got beat up and picked on in school can have something to do with their lives!

Get real! What the hell is going on, what is the purpose of this garbage!
What are we (the people) getting out of this!

What value is it to know HOW BIG (actually UNKNOWABLE, because we humans are actually too stupid, on a galactic scale of knowing anything) the universe is when we're starving ourselves into annialation with petty wars(faked) and fake illnesses, fake global warming, fake governments faking EVERYTHING to make themselves richer and you and I poorer!

Stop The Madness! If we could actually find/see/communicate with someone/something out there, then I might see a purpose for these ridictualess monstrosities. But NO! We haven't found ANYTHING/ANYONE OUT THERE! Stop Wasting My Money!

And How do you know that these are actually images from these supposed new instruments ? HUH! Can you tell the difference from what has been shown before, have you actually SEEN these buildings in person, have you BEEN there, or do you just gaze at the picture and go OOOOOOH' pretty picture! GA GA GOO GOO!

Wake Up! Stop The Madness! Get A Life! Do some REAL Work! Help the world by stopping these A-holes from stealing OUR Futures by robbing us blind by blowing Every Penny they can get their hands on so they don't have to WORK for a living!

Thank You and Be Fruitful and GET A JOB! A real job like Framing, Masonry, Concrete Pouring, Assembly work, Landscaping, Electrician, Welder, Plumbing, Something with a PURPOSE! And maybe we can drive out the ILLEGAL ALIENS that have invaded this Country to do the jobs that you won't do 'cause you're "Lookin' Up At The Stars!" (live long and prosper!)(yea,right Vulcan Boy!)(Go on a diet, wash your face, dress like a man, ask a girl out on a date, get married, have children, and die like a man!) FREAK!

S&F wow those images are awesome.
i just posted about a new one being launched called WISE www.abovetopsecret.com...
I had no idea there is one already out there

Originally posted by Eurisko2012
The James Webb Space Telescope looks even better.

In what way? It won't be launched until 2014.

I think they should put it in orbit around the moon!

Why? I think putting it at the Lagrangian point 2 as planned is a much better choice.

It's very clear and cool on the dark side of the moon.

There is no 'dark side' of the Moon.

Back on topic. The images from Vista look great. So many stars in that Constellation Sagittarius image, it's incredible.

EDIT: Wow, Keymaster1... I don't even know where to begin...

[edit on 14-12-2009 by jra]

Keymaster: If you don't like it, get out. Your passport can take you almost anywhere in the world. Go to a nation without a space agency. Be sure to get your shots and good luck surviving in an environment which you couldnt even begin to udnerstand how terrible the conditions are. Whether you like your nation and government or not, count your blessings.Your life could be a lot worse.

Anyway, to follow the topic, these images are amazing! I forgot about VISTA (I must admit i've been reading around mostly at Herschel/Planck and James E. Webb myself) But I definitely have a new background. My dad had texted me this morning to tell me they launched it at around 9am here, I completely forgot today was the launch date! Looking forward to more and more pictures, though.

Tonight was a very nice night here in the mountains of midwestern pennsylvania, I went for a walk by myself around campus listening to gustav holst and elton john. It was extremely relaxing. But its a cloudy night, which is a shame. But, I do live only about an hour away from Youngstown, Ohio, one of the nations cloudiest cities. So nothing surprised. I will hopefully be going to the mountains down in somerset county this winter break for skiing, theres a lot less light pollution up there than there is at my home or at my college.

Originally posted by Keymaster1
WOW! More pictures of stars! WOW! Only 2 TRILLION DOLLARS! (facetious), Truly, aren't you sick and tired of billions of tax-payers dollars being flushed down the toilet so the guys/girls who got beat up and picked on in school can have something to do with their lives!

Get real! What the hell is going on, what is the purpose of this garbage!
What are we (the people) getting out of this!

What value is it to know HOW BIG (actually UNKNOWABLE, because we humans are actually too stupid, on a galactic scale of knowing anything) the universe is when we're starving ourselves into annialation with petty wars(faked) and fake illnesses, fake global warming, fake governments faking EVERYTHING to make themselves richer and you and I poorer!

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Firstly, I did not get beat up at school. Secondly, in no way is this telescope providing a main focus for my life, I am not dependent on it. Thirdly the European Space Agency (ESA) is not using your tax money to view the cosmos, you can put that one on NASA.

I think we just have a different outlook on the purpose of this. I see it is a natural progression of human curiosity, I see it as both necessary and beneficial. How is this in any way proving that there is or isn't other life out there? Your reasoning baffles me on that point... Overall I think it's money well spent, whether it's being used in the most efficient manner... well, I'm no financial expert.

Mankind must explore the cosmos.

Originally posted by jra

Originally posted by Eurisko2012
The James Webb Space Telescope looks even better.

In what way? It won't be launched until 2014.

I think they should put it in orbit around the moon!

Why? I think putting it at the Lagrangian point 2 as planned is a much better choice.

It's very clear and cool on the dark side of the moon.

There is no 'dark side' of the Moon.

Back on topic. The images from Vista look great. So many stars in that Constellation Sagittarius image, it's incredible.

EDIT: Wow, Keymaster1... I don't even know where to begin...

[edit on 14-12-2009 by jra]

The James Webb Telescope is larger than the HST.
------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sure it is possible to hide behind the moon so the sun won't
heat up the telescope. It looks like they put a huge heat shield
on it keep the temperature down on the telescope.
------------------------------------------------------------
Putting it in orbit around the moon would make it closer and easier to service. I think a modified space shuttle could make it to the moon and
back no problem. What if a gyro goes bad on it?
------------------------------------------------------------
Just forget the heat shield altogether.
Put the James Webb Telescope in a manned large space station.
Place the telescope in the lower section.
Next level up - a large water tank
Next level up- living quarters for the scientists
Top section - communications array
Don't forget Direct TV - I need the Fox News Channel & SyFy Channel
Put a small emergency escape pod on it.

Originally posted by serbsta
...Thirdly the European Space Agency (ESA) is not using your tax money to view the cosmos, you can put that one on NASA...

Thanks for the backup serbsta! I'm friending you! The only reason I hadn't mentioned the ESA part was because I wasn't sure where keymaster is from.

reply to post by Schmidt1989


1st. This is MY COUNTRY, My family arrived here in 1640a.d.

2nd. I've been to about 13 different countries, they are not that bad, t.v. has brainwashed you into thinking everywhere else is horrible, they're not, as a matter of fact there are about 25 countries that have a far higher standard of living than America.

3rd. My life is Great!

4TH. ESA gets significant amount of funding from NASA for joint projects, so I do have a right to gripe!

5th. Count my blessings! WHAT! you mean 12 trillion in debt, 100,000 americans killed every year by Doctors/Hospitals, 35,000 killed every year by "FLU", HUH?, 50,000 killed every year by Auto accidents that could be averted if the govt. wasn't being paid off by the Auto makers to lower safety standards and fail to keep our roads in good condition by wasting money on frivolous projects like this, etc etc etc , and on and on!

6th. gustav holst and elton john? you call that music?

7th. Get away from the "educational system" it's warping your brain!

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by Eurisko2012
The James Webb Telescope is larger than the HST.

It is, but what does Hubble have to do with this topic? I thought you were comparing Vista to the JWST.

I'm sure it is possible to hide behind the moon so the sun won't
heat up the telescope. It looks like they put a huge heat shield
on it keep the temperature down on the telescope.

You can't hide something on one side of the Moon if it's in orbit. And all sides of the Moon get an equal amount of light. Like I said, there is no 'dark side' of the Moon.

The LP2 location is a much better place than Lunar orbit.

Putting it in orbit around the moon would make it closer and easier to service. I think a modified space shuttle could make it to the moon and
back no problem. What if a gyro goes bad on it?

There is no way you can modify a Shuttle to go into Lunar orbit. The new Orion capsule would be much better suited for the job and it's not limited to low Earth orbit like the Shuttle is.

That is so amazing. Great photos

Originally posted by jra
You can't hide something on one side of the Moon if it's in orbit. And all sides of the Moon get an equal amount of light. Like I said, there is no 'dark side' of the Moon.

Excuse my ignorance, but isn't a reference to the 'dark side' of the moon meant to mean the side that we simply do not see? I never thought of the 'dark side' as being literally dark, with no sunlight, just out of our sight here on Earth.

Originally posted by Keymaster1
ESA gets significant amount of funding from NASA for joint projects, so I do have a right to gripe!

The ESA gets it's funding from the European Countries that are apart of the ESA. The two agencies do work together on some projects and NASA might spend more money on there part of the project. But I don't think NASA gives the ESA money, not a significant amount anyway, to my understanding.

As for the ESO, unless you live in Belgium, Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Finland, Spain, Czech Republic or Austria. Then I don't think you need to worry about your tax dollars being spent on this.

Originally posted by serbsta
Excuse my ignorance, but isn't a reference to the 'dark side' of the moon meant to mean the side that we simply do not see?

You could refer to the side we don't see as the 'dark side', but it makes a lot more sense to call it the 'far side'. It creates less confusion that way. I've seen many people who thought the side of the Moon we don't see was literally dark.

Originally posted by Keymaster1
reply to post by Schmidt1989

 

1st. This is MY COUNTRY, My family arrived here in 1640a.d.

2nd. I've been to about 13 different countries, they are not that bad, t.v. has brainwashed you into thinking everywhere else is horrible, they're not, as a matter of fact there are about 25 countries that have a far higher standard of living than America.

3rd. My life is Great!

4TH. ESA gets significant amount of funding from NASA for joint projects, so I do have a right to gripe!

5th. Count my blessings! WHAT! you mean 12 trillion in debt, 100,000 americans killed every year by Doctors/Hospitals, 35,000 killed every year by "FLU", HUH?, 50,000 killed every year by Auto accidents that could be averted if the govt. wasn't being paid off by the Auto makers to lower safety standards and fail to keep our roads in good condition by wasting money on frivolous projects like this, etc etc etc , and on and on!

6th. gustav holst and elton john? you call that music?

7th. Get away from the "educational system" it's warping your brain!

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Your country? I wasn't aware you were related to ALL of the founding fathers.Don't forget, you are an illegal immigrant, too. Ask a native american.

Your life is great, but you still find things to cry about over the internet... king behind a keyboard, you are.

Gustav Holst and Elton John is fantastic music. I'd like to know what someone with your intellectual capacity listens to. Kidz Bop?

The educational system is not warping my brain. It's teaching me precisely what I will need to know about biological anthropology so that I may better understand the evolution of man and become a professor, obviously in order to brainwash other future children.

I was obviously referring to a nation like ethiopia. Please go there and tell the dying children how crummy your life is because the program that allows for your citizens to brek through the atmosphere and go to the moon spends too much money on pictures (for the record, genius, the VISTA project is not joined with NASA anyway), and the doctors that save millions of lives every year occasionally cant save someone.

You just sound like a grumpy old man, who may be slightly insane.

reply to post by Keymaster1


Obviously you don't know what the words "Privately Funded" mean but that's ok.

Besides even if not, I would rather have my Tax money go into a nifty high tech telescope than into the pockets of a foreign bank somewhere.

That is all I have to say about that Mr. Cranky Pants!

reply to post by jra


I'm confident i could enhance a space shuttle to travel to the moon,
dock with the James Webb Space Station and then return to the
Earth. Just use your imagination.
They have some great xenon drive systems / plasma drive systems
now. It sounds like a fun project.
The Lockheed Martin black project division guys would laugh and
say no problem.

The most advanced technology on Earth is at Area 51.
Ben Rich said so.

Originally posted by serbsta

Originally posted by jra
You can't hide something on one side of the Moon if it's in orbit. And all sides of the Moon get an equal amount of light. Like I said, there is no 'dark side' of the Moon.

Excuse my ignorance, but isn't a reference to the 'dark side' of the moon meant to mean the side that we simply do not see? I never thought of the 'dark side' as being literally dark, with no sunlight, just out of our sight here on Earth.

Yeah, since the Earth has a dark area behind the sun you would
think the moon has one.
I don't need the space station to remain in the shadow all the time.
It just needs to stay there while i take my picture of Andromeda .
I like my solution better. Gyros go bad on the HST all the time.
We need scientists right there to service and maintain it.

[edit on 15-12-2009 by Eurisko2012]