ESO 3.6 m Telescope
The ESO 3.6 m Telescope is an optical reflecting telescope run by the European Southern Observatory at La Silla Observatory, Chile since 1977, with a clear aperture of about 3.6 metres (140 in) and 8.6 m2 (93 sq ft) area.
| Alternative names | The ESO 3.6m at La Silla |
|---|---|
| Part of | La Silla Observatory |
| Location(s) | Chile |
| Coordinates | 29°15′39″S 70°43′54″W |
| Organization | European Southern Observatory |
| Altitude | 2,400 m (7,900 ft) |
| First light | 1977 |
| Telescope style | infrared telescope reflecting telescope |
| Diameter | 3.566 m (11 ft 8.4 in) |
| Angular resolution | 0.2 arcsecond |
| Collecting area | 8.8564 m2 (95.329 sq ft) |
| Website | www |
Location of ESO 3.6 m Telescope | |
| Related media on Commons | |
The telescopes uses the HARPS instrument and has discovered more than 130 exoplanets. In 2012, it discovered Alpha Centauri Bb, a now-disproven possible planet in the Alpha Centauri system only 4.4 light-years away.
ESO collaborated with CERN on building the telescope. It saw first light in 1976 and entered full operations in 1977. When completed it was one of the world's largest optical telescopes. It received an overhaul in 1999 and a new secondary in 2004. The ESO 3.6-metre Telescope has supported many scientific achievements and presented ADONIS, one of the first adaptive optics system available to the astronomical community in the 1980s.