标签天文台下的文章

拉西拉ESO天文台上的天文望远镜设备，智利 Swedish antenna at La Silla ESO Observatory, Chile (© Alberto Ghizzi Panizza/Getty Images)

仰望夜空 Eyes on the skies

Astronomy Day

In one of the darkest places on Earth there's a cluster of telescopes that examine the heavens each night, sending detailed information about the celestial bodies they observe to astronomers across the planet. Far from any population centers or light pollution, the Atacama Desert is the world's driest nonpolar desert. It's the perfect place for La Silla Observatory, one of the largest observatories in the Southern Hemisphere, and the first to be used by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), a research organization made up of astronomers from 16 European nations. The first ESO telescope at the La Silla site in Chile began operating in 1966.

And what better place to spend World Astronomy Day? Started in 1973 by Doug Berger, the president of the Astronomical Association of Northern California, Berger's initial intent was to set up various telescopes in busy urban locations so that passersby could enjoy views of the heavens. Since then, the event has expanded and is now sponsored by several organizations associated with astronomy. The springtime Astronomy Day is mirrored by another in the fall between mid-September and mid-October.

天文日

在地球上最黑暗的地方之一，每天晚上都有一组望远镜检查天空，向地球各地的天文学家发送有关他们观察到的天体的详细信息。阿塔卡马沙漠远离任何人口中心或光污染，是世界上最干燥的非极性沙漠。这是南半球最大的天文台之一拉西拉天文台的完美地点，也是欧洲南方天文台（ESO）首次使用的天文台，该研究机构由来自16个欧洲国家的天文学家组成。智利拉希拉基地的第一台ESO望远镜于1966年开始运行。

还有什么地方能更好地度过世界天文日呢？1973年，北加州天文协会主席道格·伯杰（Doug Berger）创立了该望远镜，伯杰最初的意图是在繁忙的城市地点安装各种望远镜，以便路人可以欣赏天空。从那时起，这项活动已经扩大，现在由几个与天文学有关的组织赞助。9月中旬至10月中旬之间的秋季，春季天文学日与另一个天文学日相映成趣。

汉密尔顿山顶的利克天文台，美国加利福尼亚州 The Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California (© Jeffrey Lewis/Tandem Stills + Motion)

Lick Observatory

Shrouded in snow on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, lies the world's first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory. Constructed between 1876 and 1887, the Lick Observatory has been the site of significant discoveries including several of Jupiter's moons and other planetary systems. It's named for American real-estate entrepreneur James Lick, who set aside $700,000 for the University of California to build a facility that would be home to a 'telescope superior to and more powerful than any telescope yet made.'

His wish came true. The 36-inch refracting telescope on Mount Hamilton was the largest that had ever been built from when it saw first light on January 3, 1888, until the construction of the 40-inch refractor at Wisconsin's Yerkes Observatory in 1897. Sadly, Lick died before his vision became a reality, but his name lives on. His body is even buried beneath the telescope, which continues to scan the skies today.

利克天文台

在加利福尼亚州圣何塞以东的暗黑破坏神山脉的汉密尔顿山顶上，积雪覆盖着世界上第一座永久性的山顶天文台。建于1876年至1887年间的利克天文台一直是重大发现的地点，其中包括一些木星卫星和其他行星系统。这是以美国房地产企业家James Lick命名的，他为加利福尼亚大学留出了700000美元建造一个设施，它将是一个比任何望远镜都更强大、更强大的望远镜。

他的愿望实现了。汉密尔顿山上的36英寸折射望远镜是从1888年1月3日第一次看到曙光到1897年威斯康星州耶克斯天文台建造40英寸折射望远镜的最大望远镜。可悲的是，利克在他的梦想变成现实之前就去世了，但他的名字却永存。他的尸体甚至被埋在望远镜下面，望远镜今天继续扫描天空。

半球形的谢尔亨里克森天文台，挪威斯瓦尔巴群岛 Kjell Henriksen Observatory in Svalbard, Norway (© Vincent Fournier/Gallery Stock)

Kjell Henriksen Observatory

While these domes look like they should be in a movie set depicting a galaxy far, far away, they're actually part of a scientific research station here on planet Earth. Kjell Henriksen Observatory is named for a Norwegian scientist whose research focused on polar lights. The aurora borealis is frequently seen here, deep within the Arctic Circle on Norway's remote Svalbard territory. And the observatory is specially designed to observe the aurora. Since it opened in 2008, the observatory has become a destination for atmospheric scientists, who can rent one of these thirty glass-topped rooms built to house high-end optical instruments.

基尔·亨利克森天文台

虽然这些圆顶看起来像是在电影场景中描绘了一个遥远的星系，但它们实际上是地球上一个科学研究站的一部分。基尔·亨利克森天文台是以一位挪威科学家的名字命名的，他的研究集中在极光上。在挪威偏远的斯瓦尔巴特地区的北极圈深处，经常可以看到北极光。天文台是专门为观测极光而设计的。自2008年开放以来，天文台已成为大气科学家的目的地，他们可以租用这30间玻璃顶房间中的一间，这些房间是为安装高端光学仪器而建造的。

Happy Astronomy Day!

No, that's not a downpour of lightsabers—but it's no typical night sky either. Stargazing here at Paranal Observatory, on a mountaintop in Chile's desolate Atacama Desert, you'll get one of the clearest possible naked-eye views of the southern skies. This 'lightsaber' effect comes from the photo's long exposure: What we're seeing is these stars' paths as they track across the night sky due to our planet's rotation. The dazzling colors indicate temperature, from chilly red (5,000-ish degrees Fahrenheit) to balmy blue (temps in the tens of thousands).

What about those structures beneath the starry sky? They're three of the eight telescopes making up the Very Large Telescope, an aptly named project of the European Southern Observatory. Together the telescopes compose photographs of astronomically fine focus: If you were to drive a car on the surface of the moon (which we don't advise trying), the VLT could snap a crystal-clear shot of your headlights.

天文学节快乐！

不，那不是一场光剑雨，但也不是典型的夜空。在智利荒凉的阿塔卡马沙漠的山顶上，你可以用肉眼看到最清晰的南方天空。这种“光剑”效应来自于照片的长时间曝光：我们看到的是由于我们星球的自转，这些恒星在夜空中的轨迹。耀眼的颜色表示温度，从冷红色（5000华氏度）到温和的蓝色（数万华氏度）。

星空下的那些建筑呢？它们是组成超大型望远镜的八个望远镜中的三个，这是欧洲南方天文台的一个恰当命名的项目。这些望远镜一起组成了天文上精细聚焦的照片：如果你在月球表面驾驶一辆汽车（我们不建议你尝试），VLT可以拍下你的头灯的清晰照片。

星空迷