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Víctor M. Blanco Telescope

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Telescope located in Chile
Víctor M. Blanco Telescope
Víctor M. Blanco Telescope
Alternative namesVictor M. Blanco Telescope Edit this at Wikidata
Named afterVíctor Manuel Blanco Edit this on Wikidata
Part ofCerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
Dark Energy Survey Edit this on Wikidata
Location(s)Chile Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates30°10′11″S 70°48′24″W / 30.16967°S 70.80653°W / -30.16967; -70.80653 Edit this at Wikidata
OrganizationNOIRLab Edit this on Wikidata
Altitude2,207 m (7,241 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Built1974–1976 (1974–1976) Edit this at Wikidata
First light1976 Edit this on Wikidata
Telescope styleRitchey–Chrétien telescope Edit this on Wikidata
Diameter4,022.9 mm (13 ft 2.38 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Collecting area10.014 m (107.79 sq ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Enclosurespherical dome Edit this on Wikidata
Websitenoirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/ Edit this at Wikidata
Víctor M. Blanco Telescope is located in ChileVíctor M. Blanco TelescopeLocation of Víctor M. Blanco Telescope
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The Víctor M. Blanco Telescope, also known as the Blanco 4m, is a 4-metre aperture telescope located at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile on the summit of Mt. Cerro Tololo. Commissioned in 1974 and completed in 1976, the telescope is identical to the Mayall 4m telescope located on Kitt Peak. In 1995 it was dedicated and named in honour of Puerto Rican astronomer Víctor Manuel Blanco. It was the largest optical telescope in the Southern hemisphere from 1976 until 1998, when the first 8-metre telescope of the ESO Very Large Telescope opened.

Currently the main research instrument used at the telescope is the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), the camera used in the Dark Energy Survey. DECam saw its first light in September 2012.

The Mosaic II camera was used at this CTIO 4-m telescope in the southern hemisphere since 1999. This was a development of the KNPO Mosaic camera installed in 1998 in the northern hemisphere. These cameras were used for various astronomical surveys, and were noted for their success.

  • the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope on the summit of Mt. Cerro Tololo (foreground) with many other NOIRLab-operated telescopes the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope on the summit of Mt. Cerro Tololo (foreground) with many other NOIRLab-operated telescopes
  • Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope with DECam Víctor M. Blanco Telescope inside its dome with DECam mounted at its focus
Largest optical astronomical telescopes in 1976
# Name /
Observatory 		Image Aperture M1
Area 		Altitude First
Light 		Special advocate
1. BTA-6
(Special Astrophysical Obs) 		238 inch
605 cm 		26 m 2,070 m (6,790 ft) 1975 Mstislav Keldysh
2. Hale Telescope
(Palomar Observatory) 		200 inch
508 cm 		20 m 1,713 m (5,620 ft) 1949 George Ellery Hale
3. Mayall Telescope
(Kitt Peak National Obs.) 		158 inch
401 cm 		10 m 2,120 m (6,960 ft) 1973 Nicholas Mayall
4. Víctor M. Blanco Telescope
(CTIO Observatory) 		158 inch
401 cm 		10 m 2,200 m (7,200 ft) 1976 Nicholas Mayall
5. Anglo-Australian Telescope
(Siding Spring Observatory) 		153 inch
389 cm 		12 m 1,742 m (5,715 ft) 1974 Prince Charles
6. ESO 3.6 m Telescope
(La Silla Observatory) 		140 inch
357 cm 		8.8 m 2,400 m (7,900 ft) 1976 Adriaan Blaauw
7. Shane Telescope
(Lick Observatory) 		120 inch
305 cm 		~7 m 1,283 m (4,209 ft) 1959 Nicholas Mayall

See also

References

  1. Great Telescopes. (2003). In Atlas of the Universe. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/philipsuniverse/great_telescopes
  2. Freeman, Ira Henry (October 28, 1979). "An Astronomical Journey in Arizona". The New York Times (Late City ed.). p. 377. ISSN 0362-4331.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2009-10-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Gregory, B; Abbott, T (July 22, 2008), The Blanco 4m Telescope, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
  5. "Brief History of THE CERRO TOLOLO INTER-AMERICAN OBSERVATORY". Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  6. Dark Energy Camera and Dark Energy Survey:photos, videos & graphics fnal.gov
  7. Berkeley Lab sensors enable first light for the dark energy camera phys.org Retrieved 2012-09-18
  8. ^ Dey, Arjun; Valdes, Francisco (2014-03-01). "The Delivered Image Quality with the MOSAIC Cameras at the Kitt Peak 4 m Mayall and Cerro Tololo 4 m Blanco Telescopes". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 126 (937): 296. doi:10.1086/675808. ISSN 1538-3873.
  9. "Explore the Universe Live with Astronomers in Chile". NOIRLab Announcement.
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