1 00:00:03,818 --> 00:00:09,594 Survey telescopes are designed to scan large areas of the sky quickly and deeply, 2 00:00:10,015 --> 00:00:14,275 looking for the rarest and most interesting astronomical objects. 3 00:00:14,824 --> 00:00:20,685 They use the latest technology on their scouting missions and produce huge amounts of data. 4 00:00:21,209 --> 00:00:26,131 ESO’s two dedicated survey telescopes are at work every clear night, 5 00:00:26,491 --> 00:00:30,950 carefully mapping the southern skies piece by piece. 6 00:00:35,797 --> 00:00:37,992 This is the ESOcast! 7 00:00:37,992 --> 00:00:46,064 Cutting-edge science and life behind the scenes at ESO, the European Southern Observatory. 8 00:00:55,286 --> 00:00:57,526 VISTA and the VST — 9 00:00:58,384 --> 00:01:00,497 two powerful survey telescopes: 10 00:01:01,145 --> 00:01:05,523 VISTA, the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy, 11 00:01:06,163 --> 00:01:11,224 and the VST, the VLT Survey Telescope. 12 00:01:13,301 --> 00:01:17,539 Both telescopes are located at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile 13 00:01:17,539 --> 00:01:24,550 and they are arguably the most powerful dedicated imaging survey telescopes in the world. 14 00:01:27,568 --> 00:01:31,109 Survey telescopes look for needles in haystacks: 15 00:01:31,575 --> 00:01:43,101 rare astronomical objects, such as potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroids, hidden clusters, exploding stars and remote quasars. 16 00:01:45,727 --> 00:01:51,612 Unlike larger telescopes, which concentrate on tiny parts of the sky in extreme detail, 17 00:01:51,612 --> 00:01:57,115 VISTA and the VST study broad areas of the sky. 18 00:02:00,645 --> 00:02:08,226 The resulting surveys produce huge archives of scientific data and pick up many interesting objects. 19 00:02:09,481 --> 00:02:16,516 These can then be studied in greater detail by much larger telescopes such as the neighbouring VLT. 20 00:02:20,107 --> 00:02:24,368 VISTA has a main mirror 4.1 metres across, 21 00:02:24,618 --> 00:02:32,257 making it by far the largest telescope in the world dedicated to surveying the sky at near-infrared wavelengths. 22 00:02:32,820 --> 00:02:44,244 Moreover, it is equipped with a state-of-the-art 67-megapixel camera with the widest coverage of any astronomical near-infrared camera. 23 00:02:47,010 --> 00:02:49,598 VISTA began operations in 2010 24 00:02:49,598 --> 00:02:58,921 and it can observe the sky with a sensitivity that is 40 times greater than that achieved with earlier survey telescopes. 25 00:03:02,662 --> 00:03:13,518 By observing in infrared light, VISTA can study objects that may be impossible to see in visible light because they are cool, obscured by dust clouds 26 00:03:13,518 --> 00:03:19,102 or because their light has been stretched or redshifted away from the visible spectrum. 27 00:03:24,254 --> 00:03:33,867 The VST is a state-of-the-art 2.6-metre telescope equipped with a monster 268-megapixel CCD camera 28 00:03:33,867 --> 00:03:38,535 with a field of view four times the area of the full Moon. 29 00:03:40,925 --> 00:03:48,519 The VST surveys the visible-light night sky and complements VISTA’s near-infrared sight. 30 00:03:51,470 --> 00:03:56,734 VISTA and the VST produce immense quantities of survey data 31 00:03:56,734 --> 00:04:03,120 and hugely increase the scientific discovery potential of the Paranal Observatory. 32 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:08,144 The data is stored in vast archives of images and catalogues of objects 33 00:04:08,144 --> 00:04:12,287 that can be picked over by astronomers for decades to come. 34 00:04:14,014 --> 00:04:20,351 The survey telescopes will play a vital role in preparing the way for future facilities. 35 00:04:20,351 --> 00:04:29,282 Some of their discoveries will be targets for much more detailed study using the future European Extremely Large Telescope. 36 00:04:29,282 --> 00:04:35,377 ESO’s survey telescopes will continue to map the sky in the finest detail. 37 00:04:35,377 --> 00:04:41,985 What they find will help to tackle some of the most exciting problems in astrophysics today — 38 00:04:41,985 --> 00:04:49,462 including the structure of the Milky Way and the nature of the mysterious dark matter and dark energy. 39 00:05:10,745 --> 00:05:13,562 Transcription by ESO; translation by —