Víctor M. Blanco Telescope, Research telescope at Cerro Tololo Observatory, Chile
The Víctor M. Blanco Telescope is a Ritchey-Chrétien reflector with a 4-meter primary mirror and 1.3-meter secondary mirror positioned at 2207 meters elevation on Cerro Tololo. The instrument carries the Dark Energy Camera, which can capture roughly 3 square degrees of sky in a single exposure.
The telescope was completed in 1976 and remained the largest optical instrument in the Southern Hemisphere until 1998, when a larger European facility surpassed it. During this two-decade period, it played a key role in advancing observational capabilities for southern skies.
The National Science Foundation funds this telescope through NOIRLab, enabling international researchers to conduct astronomical studies and gather data about celestial phenomena.
The telescope sits on a high mountain site in Chile's Atacama region, chosen for its clear and dark skies but demanding altitude and remote access. Visitors should prepare for high elevation, cold nights, and limited on-site facilities.
This instrument contributed to landmark observations of supernovae that led to the discovery of dark energy, findings that earned three astronomers the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011. The observations revealed that cosmic expansion is accelerating rather than slowing down.
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