VISTA at the VLT

Off to the VLT for more filming and my planned trip to the VISTA Observatory! I am excited as Valentina arrives to take us up there. It is a short hop from the VLT and I am about to see my favourite instrument.   We arrive at the facility after a 5 minute drive and I am met by Gerhard Hudephl, a technician and engineer, a German engineer who has the awful task of keeping this as well as VLT running... I feel quickly that he is such a great guy, who will hopefully be a friend for life.

VISTA!!

I am taken to the dome where the telescope lives and I see it for the first time. 

WOW!!

It’s a phenomenal piece of engineering: a 4 meter-diameter mirror operating at f1 (translation: FAST!). VISTA is used for wide field surveys in the near infra red range of the electromagnetic spectrum and as an instrument, it is without doubt the most incredible thing I have ever seen. A huge eye on the sky, it is technologically advanced, a masterpiece of engineering. I guess this trip has taught me that the level of engineering on these locations is incredible and without the engineers - nothing happens. 

We film for a while and while I do love facing the camera, all I can concentrate on is my imminent departure from VLT Paranal. I stay a while longer and marvel at the scopes one more time… oh and pose for a picture of course :)

Good bye, VLT...

Bags packed: off we go, we say our goodbyes and Valentina waves us off. As I prepare myself for the long journey north to ALMA and APEX as well as San Pedro de Atacama, I think long about what I have just seen, the huge giant telescopes of the VLT, the incredible VISTA (my favourite) and pinch myself, the people however have left the biggest impression on me. I will be back.