2024-05-02 17:07:00
The new TAO observatory is located in the Atacama desert in Chile. Astronomers there want to find out more regarding dusty regions of space.
Wednesday, atop the 5,640-meter-high Cerro Chajnantor mountain in northern Chile University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) opened. It is the tallest telescope in the world. It is no coincidence that it is also located in one of the driest zones on earth, as Scinexx reports.
The 8.5 meter high telescope will allow astronomers to carry out undisturbed investigations Infrared range make possible. “Thanks to its high altitude and arid environment, TAO will be the only ground-based telescope in the world that allows clear observations in the mid-infrared region,” explains TAO Director Takashi Miyata.
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Better view
Through the extreme dryness, which prevails in the Atacama desert, the atmosphere there is particularly clear. Because the air above the telescope contains almost no moisture, astronomers can observe distant galaxies, stars and planets undisturbed Turbulence investigate what will absorb or interfere with infrared radiation.
The TAO observatory is equipped with highly advanced devices characterized by special optics and sensors. Scientists also have a special one Spectograph called Simultaneous-Color Wide-Field Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph (SWIMS). This should make it possible to observe a very large area of the sky simultaneously in two different wavelength ranges of light.
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Star-forming regions and black holes
Thanks to this special equipment, astronomers hope to gain new insights into star-forming regions. With the SWIMS spectrograph, the researchers want to do different things galaxies research and learn more regarding Basic structures of the universe experience. This also includes the formation of supermassive black holes. Another special device called Mid-infrared multi-field imaging camera is intended to help take a closer look at particularly dusty zones in space.
Because the Atacama Desert in Chile is so dry, this place is particularly suitable for astronomical observations. That is why this is happening there at the moment Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) built. It will be the largest telescope in the entire world. In addition to the TAO telescope, Cerro Chajnantor is also home to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescopes and the APEX telescope.
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