Progress update!! I'm leaving some space for a few more (@aster.id sticker when??) but my laptop is much more whimsical now

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Straight out of the “Dune” films? Not really: this spectacular sunset scene took place in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, and in the distance you can spot the domes of our Very Large Telescope. Discover more: www.eso.org/public/image... 🔭 #flashback

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133 additional segments have been produced (that is, a total of 931). This way, once the telescope is operating, a segment can be taken out for recoating and be immediately replaced. Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann26009/

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It is not possible to make a mirror this big from a single piece of glass. That is why the main mirror of the ELT consists of 798 individual segments, working together as one, to observe the cosmos in depth and detail. 🔭 🧪

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New milestone reached 🥳 Nearly 500 segments of the main mirror of our ELT have now arrived from Europe at the ELT Technical Facility at our Paranal Observatory in Chile. That is around half of all the segments being made for what will become a 39-metre eye on the sky. 🔭 🧪

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