Short List of Inteferometric Telescopes
October 14, 2021 —
Thomas Leavitt
A space-based interferometric telescope (see linked PDF for an intro to the concept from the ESO) array is a very logical (and cool) application of our technology, and offeres compelling advantages over ground based telescopes from a technical, operational, and political perspective (given the growing opposition of indigenous communities to further expansion of facilities located on sacred ground).
- The United States National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) operates a variety of interferometric radio telescopes, including the Very Large Array (VLA) - perhaps the most famous application of the concept: an array of 28 telescopes that is periodically reconfigured by moving the individual instruments up and down a rail track.
- Very Large Telescope - "The world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory", based in Chile, operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO)
- Event Horizon Telescope - used to image black holes at the center of galaxies; featured in a Netflix documentary
Tags: astronomy, telesopes, interferometry, science, applications