VLTI in the Morning

This image shows three of the four ESO 1.8-meter VLT Auxiliary Telescopes (AT’s). They observe simultaneously, using interferometry to get a sharp vision as if they used a telescope with a diameter equal to the largest distance between the telescopes, in this case, 48 meters. Because the larger 8.2-meter Unit Telescopes of the VLT are usually used individually, the four AT’s have been added to the system to make full use of the interferometric laboratory. Facing the East, the photo shows the constellations Ophiuchus (the ‘snake-holder’), Sagittarius (the ‘archer’), Scorpius (the ‘scorpion’), and Triangulum Australe (the ‘southern triangle’). The Center of the Milky Way is just below the center of the image. The bright glow just in front of the constellation Scorpius is the Zodiacal light. © Yuri Beletsky