ESO to upgrade its Very Large Telescope to spot exoplanetsJanuary 11, 2017 - 11:39 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope is getting an upgrade, Engadget said. ESO signed an agreement with Breakthrough Initiatives, a program created to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, to modify its infrared instrument called VISIR (VLT Imager and Spectrometer for mid-Infrared). Once it's done, the observatory in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile will easily be able to spot exoplanets in the Alpha Centauri. According to ESO, the astronomers' discovery of a habitable planet in our neighboring star system late last year "adds even further impetus to this search." Exoplanets are hard to spot since the brightness of the massive stars they orbit tend to overwhelm their presence, making them hard to see from our little corner in the universe. While observing them in infrared makes exoplanets easier to detect, the upgrade will give VISIR an even more powerful technique called coronagraphy. It greatly reduces stellar light to make their comparably tinier planets more visible to the telescope. Breakthrough Initiatives -- backed by Stephen Hawking, Mark Zuckerberg and Russian tech investor Yuri Milner -- will treat any habitable planet VLT finds in the Alpha Centauri as a possible destination for the spacecraft it plans to make. The program aims to develop a "nanocraft" fast enough to travel to the star system, and it wants to reach that goal within one generation. Photo: Y. Beletsky (LCO)/ESO Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. |