This dome-shaped glass lens is the largest and heaviest of five components used to correct light reflecting off the Blanco telescope’s 13-foot-wide mirror. The camera optics will allow the Dark Energy Survey to scan an area of the sky about 20 times larger than the moon, detecting red-shifted light from more than 300 million galaxies. Credit: Fermilab and the Dark Energy Survey Consortium
The 1.6-meter aperture New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory has captured the highest resolution image of the surface of the sun ever obtained in visible light. Crisp close-ups of the sun give researchers a better idea of how the sun’s features develop and evolve. Because features such as sunspots impact the earth, imagery will help researchers model and predict how the sun’s activity could affect the planet. This sunspot is slightly larger than Earth. Credit: Wenda Cao, New Jersey Institute of Technology
A pristine coat of protected silver on the Gemini South telescope’s primary mirror is one of the highest performing astronomical mirrors in the world. Pictured: The mirror coating and support teams pose behind the Gemini South primary mirror after a successful coating process. Credit: Gemini Observatory/AURA
