In october 2012, I won the opportunity to actually observe Thor's Helmet nebula (NGC 2359) with the largest optical telescope en Earth... This presentation is a glimpse into this out-of-this-world trip!

1. VERY Large Telescope
Cerro Paranal, Chile

2. Tweet Your Way to the VLT!
Very Social
(Don’t tell, but wishing
on the Perseids actually
works…)

3. Very Global
- 5 Founding members*
- 15 Member States:
Austria, Belgium*, Brazil
(ratification ongoing), Czech Republic,
Denmark, Finland, France*,
Germany*, Italy,
Netherlands*, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden*, Switzerland,
United Kingdom
- 1 Partner: Chile

4. Very Dry
In a year:
>340 clear nights
<10mm water

5. Very Hidden

6. Very Surprising
ESO’s Residencia,
Home (away from Home)
to 100 people

7. Very 007
I kept expecting to run into Daniel
Craig… (and now, you really MUST
watch Quantum Of Solace again!)

8. Very Mars-like

9. Very Large
Yes, that’s a real pick-up truck!

10. Very Breathtaking
Gigantic pieces
of machinery, but
eerily quiet…

11. Very Synchronized
Interferometry at Paranal: getting up to 8
telescopes to simulate a very very large one!

12. Very Unique
- 4 8.2m Unit Telescopes
- 4 movable 1.8m Auxiliary Telescopes

13. Very PerfectVLT mirrors
* diameter: 8,2 m
(visualize a 123000mm lens)
* weight: 23 tons
* thickness: 17 cm
* coating thickness: 0.1 micron

14. Thor’s Helmet as imaged previously
by the VLT for a wide-field survey
Very Powerful

15. Very Cool
Taking pictures with the
largest optical telescope
on Earth!

16. Very Sharp
NGC 2359 Thor’s Helmet (credit: ESO/Me!)

17. Very Magical
Credit: G. Hüdepohl/ESO

18. Sunrise, sunset, noon
or midnight… the VLT
platform can charm
anyone, anytime!
Very Beautiful

19. Very Visionary
15th
anniversary
today of
the First
Light at
the VLT…
E-ELT… expected early 2020s

20. Very Thankful
#spacetweeps
Mathieu
@matisidro