astrodidact:

From IFLS/FB: Happy birthday to the Very Large Telescope! The VLT is fifteen years old this month. This collage shows one image for each year since it started surveying the universe.

Data gathered from the VLT has led to an average of one peer reviewed scientific paper every DAY. In 2007, almost 500 papers were published based on data from the VLT. Scientific studies from the VLT include:
- Imaging an extrasolar planet for the first time
- Tracking individual stars moving around the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way
- Observing the afterglow of the furthest known gamma-ray burst.
- The detection of carbon monoxide molecules i…n a galaxy located almost 11 billion light-years away for the first time, a feat that had remained elusive for 25 years.
- Study of the violent flares from the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.
- Measuring the age of the oldest star known in our galaxy.
- Analysing the atmosphere around a super-Earth exoplanet for the first time using the VLT.