The VLT: a lifetime dream realised...

Valentina and I at the VLT Residencia

The day started in with glaring sunshine as my first trip up to the VLT summit dawned. I met my host for the trip, Valentina. She is inspirational to me: a local Chilean who is as passionate as I am about astronomy. I sat through the Health and safety briefings with butterflies in my stomach and then the film crew prepared themselves for the trip up to the VLT. I still can hardly believe I am here, I WAS AT THE VLT PARANAL!

I gather what I need: maybe the only time I have ever worn an arctic-grade puffa jacket together with desert-grade sunglassses! We jump into the van, the camera crew at-the-ready: we have no idea what was to come but this is the fulfillment of a lifetime dream for me. As we start the ascent onto the hill, I am reaching fever pitch... The van winds around the bends as we approach the telescopes and with the Residencia left behind, we approach the final bend and I get my first glimpse of UT1. It is HUGE, towering into the sky like a sentient being, grand and fine, dominating its space... alive. We park and enter the control room. I feel like an intruder, my fear and internal process has me bound with fear. It doesn’t last though! I meet Roger, an astronomer from the UK and my fear disappears as he says “Ah, the Kielder Observatory! So that’s you, is it? Welcome!" At that point I feel like part of the team... he has recognised a fellow astronomer and in my own small way the contribution I make is being recognised!

I have always felt like astronomers are a special breed, united in our childlike fascination of all things in the Universe. This feeling was to be confirmed in the following 2 days. Roger says, ”So, you wanna see 'em?” My knees trembled, I know what he means: “Shall we go to the platform?” Oh WOW I am about to see the telescopes for real... ! We walk through the corridor to the door that leads up a small flight of metal stairs, to the platform, the film crew are as nervous I am, then I see them, I see it, I see it all, I pause at the top of the stairs and freeze to the spot...

WOW.
 

A huge platform the size of 4 football fields: to my left the 4 unit telescopes, silver, shining and glimmering in the intense desert sunshine, reaching high into the sky 30 stories high, I am stunned, I don’t know which way to walk, to me I am at the greatest place on earth. I feel incredibly emotional (OK let’s move on...). Valentina just looks at me: she doesn't have to say a word we both know. I turn to my right and see the VLTi, the interferometer array of 4 auxiliary telescopes 1.8m in aperture, on a track system, with clamshell brilliant white domes, the whole place was overwhelming.

Adam, the director from In House Films and now a great friend, says “Right Gary, how do you feel?" a camera in my face... I said “What? WHAT?!” I walk off and take 30 minutes to myself and sat down with my back against a little metal barrier, my back towards the Residencia, maybe 300 m from the telescopes, this was my spot at the VLT, I sit and just look, from my little spot I can see it all, I am here, me Gary Fildes, an ex-brickie from Sunderland, here at the VLT Paranal Chile. My thoughts turn to my family, my beautiful children who I miss, my whole life seemed to be present with me, I think about my ex–wife, mam, dad, the lady I love with all my heart and soul, volunteers at the Observatory... I start to say their names, so that they can be here too. I have to admit I did cry, but so what I am here and it feels incredible. I sit for a little while longer.

Here comes David with his camera...

Valentina asks if I would like to go and see UT3, called MELIPAL, the Southern Cross. I go inside the structure and am dumbstruck at what I see. This telescope is 8.2 m in aperture, it weighs more than a jumbo jet, enormous. The thing that strikes me is the scale and level of engineering that goes into a beast of an instrument like this… then it started to move, nearing the time for observations. The scope starts to whirr and the motors breathe, it is moving toward me… Before the aperture on the structure is opened the scope has to be tilted down to 90 degrees so nothing can fall onto the primary mirror. It stops and is pointing straight at me, looking at me, it feels for a second we are connected, this incredible eye for humanity into the universe  looking at me! Well, I can dream! Then the dome opens its enormous shutters and the scope is ready for observations. I leave, as only the telescope operator can be inside during observations. I turn to look at it as I leave, I know I will one day see it again.

How hard it is to capture the experience of an incredible sunset...

We leave the structure and wander outside, I see Roger and meet many of the staff, gathered outside, I am thinking to myself, what is happening…? Then it hits me, the  sky is pink, lavender, golden, the most incredible mix of colour imaginable... the sky is huge and alive it is breathing, I can only stare at it, we all can, just marvel at the sheer breath-taking beauty of nature, I see God... we are so high up that the horizon is more than 180 degrees, a richly coloured dome, alive.



At this point I can see why people have faith, but THIS is my God, spiritual and physical, elements and light, it is science and the universe, I am alive, goose pimples run up and down my body, the sun is setting. The sky turned from blue to purple to lavender, a thin crescent moon, Venus and Jupiter join our gathering, I LOVE THE UNIVERSE!!!