First images produced by new ESO instrument
A new telescopic instrument able to record astronomical images from radiation with a wavelength of just 1.2 millimetres, recently installed at the European southern observatory (ESO) at La Silla, Chile, has produced its first pictures from outer space. SIMBA (SEST Imaging Bolometer Array), the first imaging millimetre instrument in the southern hemisphere, was installed at the Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope (SEST) at the La Silla observatory in July this year. Radiation at this wavelength is mostly emitted from cold dust and ionised gas in a variety of objects in the universe. SIMBA observations therefore enable the study of star formation deep inside interstellar clouds which are impenetrable to optical light. In addition, this will allow the observation of related phenomena such as the dust around nascent stars. SIMBA is also especially suited to observing disks of cold dust around nearby stars in which planets are being formed, and distant galaxies in the preliminary stages of formation, in the early universe. During its first observations, SIMBA was used to study the gas and dust content of star-forming regions in the Milky Way and more distant galaxies. It was also used to record emissions from planetary nebulae, clouds of matter ejected by dying stars. Attempts were also made to detect distant galaxies and quasars located in two well-studied sky fields, Hubble Deep Field South and the Chandra Deep Field. These results also pave the way for the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA), a joint research project between Europe, the USA and Japan. This giant radio telescope is to be constructed and operated in co-operation with the republic of Chile, where it will be located. The telescope is made up of 64 transportable antennae, 12 metres in diameter, distributed over an area 14 km long. By pointing all the antennae in unison towards a single astronomical object, and combining the signals detected using a super-fast digital signal processor, ALMA achieves imaging detail 10 times better than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. A European Space Agency (ESA) telescope is also set to take part in a groundbreaking new technique which could lead to the discovery of life in space. A decade from now, scientists using the ESA's Darwin telescope and NASA's terrestrial planet finder could use the technique to look for telltale variations in the light scattered by a planet as it spins. The intensity and colour of this light can provide clues as to the planet's surface and atmosphere, and even give away the presence of life. The ESA and NASA telescopes will both use inferometers - made up of multiple telescopes working together - to look for planetary systems up to 50 light years away.