From The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral] [Europäische Südsternwarte] (EU)(CL) : “Looking for tsunami clues in the skies above Paranal with OASIS”

From The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral] [Europäische Südsternwarte] (EU)(CL)

4.30.24
Alain Smette
ESO Staff Astronomer
Paranal, Chile
Tel: +56 2 2463 3113
Email: asmette@eso.org

Patrick Hannawald
DLR German Remote Sensing Data Center, Atmosphere
Weßling, Germany
Tel.: +49 8153 28-3566
Email: Patrick.Hannawald@dlr.de

Bárbara Ferreira
ESO Media Manager
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6670
Email: press@eso.org

A view of the OASIS container on ESO’s Paranal Observatory

As part of a collaboration between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and ESO, the Observations of Airglow with Spectrometer and Imager Systems (OASIS) project has officially joined the ranks of ESO’s Paranal Observatory. Best known for hosting world-leading astronomical observatories, like ESO’s Very Large Telescope, Paranal also happens to be ideally suited for certain atmospheric observations. Operated by DLR and hosted by ESO, OASIS aims to show that monitoring “airglow” in our atmosphere has potential to provide early warnings for tsunamis.

Tsunamis, giant waves caused mostly by earthquakes under the sea, are a destructive force of nature that can result in a significant loss of life and damage to infrastructure. OASIS aims to show that it is possible to mitigate some of the impacts of these natural hazards by monitoring our atmosphere. Earthquakes generate sound waves that travel upwards through the atmosphere. These perturbations affect the so-called airglow or nightglow — the natural emission of molecules high up in the atmosphere. OASIS will monitor this airglow, specifically the emission from hydroxyl molecules at a height of around 86 km, which could eventually be used to issue tsunami early warnings.

Paranal is uniquely suited to observing the atmosphere due to its special environmental and climate conditions. Chile’s Atacama Desert, where Paranal is located, boasts a uniquely dry climate ideal for both astronomical and atmospheric observations. Chile is also close to two tectonic plate boundaries that often produce strong earthquakes, including some that generate tsunamis.

As a side effect of monitoring airglow on a given night, OASIS also has the potential to benefit its neighbouring telescopes. Airglow appears as a dim glow that prevents the night sky from being entirely dark, which can affect observations from ground-based telescopes. While methods exist to account for it, airglow is a complex and constantly changing phenomenon. The regular airglow monitoring data OASIS will collect could be used to help forecast the airglow brightness on a given night, with potential to eventually help ESO better account for airglow in astronomical observations and optimise the use of telescope time.

The inauguration of OASIS took place late last week, more than a year after the first test observations were obtained by OASIS instruments. As part of the inauguration event, DLR and ESO staff came together at Paranal for general presentations on the project followed by a roundtable discussion on cooperation opportunities.

See the full article here .

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The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europäische Südsternwarte] (EU)(CL) is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organization in Europe and the world’s most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. today ESO is supported by 16 Member States (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious program focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organizing cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: Cerro La Silla, Cerro Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world’s most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world’s largest survey telescope and the VLT Infrared Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is a major partner in ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre European Extremely Large Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become “the world’s biggest eye on the sky”.

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all. We design, build and operate world-class observatories on the ground — which astronomers use to tackle exciting questions and spread the fascination of astronomy — and promote international collaboration in astronomy. Established as an intergovernmental organization in 1962, ESO’s headquarters and its visitor centre and planetarium, the ESO Supernova, are located close to Munich in Germany, while the Chilean Atacama Desert, a marvelous place with unique conditions to observe the sky, hosts our telescopes. At Paranal ESO will host and operate the Čerenkov Telescope Array South, the world’s largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory.

European Southern Observatory(EU) La Silla HELIOS (HARPS Experiment for Light Integrated Over the Sun)

MPG Institute for Astronomy [MPG Institut für Astronomie](DE) European Southern Observatory (EU)(CL) 2.2 meter telescope at Cerro La Silla, Chile, 600 km north of Santiago de Chile at an altitude of 2400 metres.

The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europäische Südsternwarte](EU)(CL) Danish 1.54 meter telescope at Cerro La Silla, 600 km north of Santiago de Chile at an altitude of 2400 metres.

The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europäische Südsternwarte](EU)(CL) La Silla Observatory 600 km north of Santiago de Chile at an altitude of 2400 metres.

Paranal Observatory pictured with Cerro Paranal in the background. The mountain is home to one of the most advanced ground-based telescopes in the world, the VLT. The VLT telescope consists of four-unit telescopes with mirrors measuring 8.2 meters in diameter and work together with four smaller auxiliary telescopes to make interferometric observations. Each of the 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye.

The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral][Observatoire européen austral][Europäische Südsternwarte](EU)(CL), Very Large Telescope at Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert •ANTU (UT1; The Sun ) •KUEYEN (UT2; The Moon ) •MELIPAL (UT3; The Southern Cross ), and •YEPUN (UT4; Venus – as evening star). Elevation 2,635 m (8,645 ft) from above Credit J.L. Dauvergne & G. Hüdepohl atacama photo.

ESO Paranal Residencia.

ESO Paranal Residencia inside near the swimming pool.

ESO Paranal Residencia dining room.

The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europaiche Sûdsternwarte] (EU)(CL) VLTI Interferometer image at Cerro Paranal, with an elevation of 2,635 metres (8,645 ft) above sea level, •ANTU (UT1; The Sun ),
•KUEYEN (UT2; The Moon ),
•MELIPAL (UT3; The Southern Cross ), and
•YEPUN (UT4; Venus – as evening star) [Click on image for a readable version].

2009 European Southern Observatory(EU)VLTI Interferometer image, Cerro Paranal, with an elevation of 2,635 metres (8,645 ft) above sea level, •ANTU (UT1; The Sun ),
•KUEYEN (UT2; The Moon ),
•MELIPAL (UT3; The Southern Cross ), and
•YEPUN (UT4; Venus – as evening star).

Part of The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europaiche Sûdsternwarte] (EU)(CL)’s Paranal Observatory, the VLT Infrared Survey Telescope observes the brilliantly clear skies above the Atacama Desert of Chile. It is the largest survey telescope in the world in infrared light, with an elevation of 2,635 metres (8,645 ft) above sea level.

ESO Very Large Telescope 4 lasers on Yepun (CL)

Glistening against the awesome backdrop of the night sky above ESO’s Paranal Observatory, four laser beams project out into the darkness from Unit Telescope 4 UT4 of the VLT, a major asset of the Adaptive Optics system.

The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europaiche Sûdsternwarte] (EU)(CL) New Technology Telescope at Cerro La Silla , Chile, at an altitude of 2400 metres.

ESO VLT Survey Telescope [VST]. VST is a 2.6-m wide field optical survey telescope for the southern hemisphere, with an elevation of 2635 metres (8645 ft) above sea level.

The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europäische Südsternwarte](EU)(CL)/National Radio Astronomy Observatory/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan(JP) ALMA Observatory (CL).

The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europaiche Sûdsternwarte] (EU)(CL) ELT 39 meter telescope for visible/infrared light to be on top of Cerro Armazones in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile at an altitude of 3,060 metres (10,040 ft).

European Southern Observatory(EU) MPG Institute for Radio Astronomy [MPG Institut für Radioastronomie](DE) ESO’s Atacama Pathfinder Experiment [APEX] (CL) high on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile’s Atacama region, at an altitude of over 4,800 m (15,700 ft).

Leiden MASCARA instrument cabinet at Cerro La Silla, located in the southern Atacama Desert 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of Santiago de Chile at an altitude of 2,400 metres (7,900 ft).

ESO Next Generation Transit Survey telescopes, an array of twelve robotic 20-centimetre telescopes at Cerro Paranal,(CL) 2,635 metres (8,645 ft) above sea level.

The European Southern Observatory [La Observatorio Europeo Austral] [Observatoire européen austral][Europäische Südsternwarte](EU)(CL) Speculoos telescopes four 1 meter robotic telescopes at ESO Paranal Observatory 2635 metres 8645 ft above sea level.

TAROT telescope at Cerro LaSilla, 2,635 metres (8,645 ft) above sea level.

European Southern Observatory(EU) ExTrA telescopes at erro LaSilla at an altitude of 2400 metres.

A novel gamma ray telescope under construction on Mount Hopkins, Arizona. A large project known as the Čerenkov Telescope Array composed of hundreds of similar telescopes to be situated in the Canary Islands and Chile at, ESO Cerro Paranal site. The telescope on Mount Hopkins will be fitted with a prototype high-speed camera, assembled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and capable of taking pictures at a billion frames per second. Credit: Vladimir Vassiliev.

A large project known as the Čerenkov Telescope Array, composed of hundreds of similar telescopes to be situated at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias ](ES) in the Canary Islands and Chile at European Southern Observatory Cerro Paranal(EU) site. The telescope on Mount Hopkins will be fitted with a prototype high-speed camera, assembled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and capable of taking pictures at a billion frames per second. Credit: Vladimir Vassiliev.

[La Agencia Espacial Europea][Agence spatiale européenne][Europäische Weltraumorganization](EU)‘s The open dome of The black telescope structure of the European Space Agency Test-Bed Telescope 2 peers out of its open dome in front of the rolling desert landscape. The telescope is located at ESO’s Cerro La Silla Observatory, which sits at a 2400 metre altitude in the Chilean Atacama desert.

European Space Agency [Agence spatiale européenne][Europäische Weltraumorganization](EU), The new Test-Bed Telescope 2 is housed inside the shiny white dome shown in this picture, at ESO’s LaSilla Facility in Chile. The telescope has now started operations and will assist its northern-hemisphere twin in protecting us from potentially hazardous, near-Earth objects.The domes of ESO’s 0.5 m and the Danish 0.5 m telescopes are visible in the background of this image.

BlackGEM Telescope Array at Cerro LaSilla. 65 centimetres. Built by a consortium of universities: Radboud University, the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy, and KU Leuven in Belgium searching for gravitational waves.