Slashdot Mirror


Vote On What the Very Large Telescope Observes

arisvega writes "The Slashdot crowd may be aware of VLT, the Very Large Telescope array (a collaboration between several European countries). It's located at the Atacama desert in Chile, operating at the visible and infrared wavelengths and producing some very detailed images and exciting new science. It has been significantly boosting astronomy and astrophysics research for the past couple of years without the hassle and the expenses of orbital observatories. Now, and for the first time in its history, there is a public invitation calling you to vote on which of the 16 proposed locations you would like the array to be pointed at, without the need for a scientific proposal. Astronomers are standing by to do your bidding!"

64 comments

  1. My Next door neighbor! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    That way I dont look creepy looking through mine any more :-)

    1. Re:My Next door neighbor! by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 1

      Your neighbor is not that important

      Methinks the Very Large Telescope should be used to observe the following:

      1. The Second Coming of Jesus (maybe this time He is coming on a flying saucer or something like that)

      2. ET - and maybe this time the ET knows how to use mobile phone to "call home"

      --
      Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    2. Re:My Next door neighbor! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Then perhaps Barbara Steisand's beachfront property.

    3. Re:My Next door neighbor! by antdude · · Score: 1

      Are your neighbor attractive? :P

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    4. Re:My Next door neighbor! by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      If he needs a VLT she's probably REALLY fat.

    5. Re:My Next door neighbor! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess I was wrong. I thought the very first suggestion would be Natalie Portman's house.

  2. Insert obligatory Uranus joke here by MSRedfox · · Score: 2

    Insert obligatory Uranus joke here...

    1. Re:Insert obligatory Uranus joke here by fm6 · · Score: 1, Funny

      You forgot the obligatory Futurama reference:

      http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/a6o404/futurama-smelloscope

    2. Re:Insert obligatory Uranus joke here by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      I propose that the next planet we discover be named "balloon knot"

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    3. Re:Insert obligatory Uranus joke here by maxwell+demon · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but the Goatse black hole is not on the list of objects.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    4. Re:Insert obligatory Uranus joke here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uranus is the size of a planet...

  3. The Sun! by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 2

    ...hehe...suckers!

    1. Re:The Sun! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      But only at night.

  4. Not an observation with the Array by ogre7299 · · Score: 2

    The target will not be observed with the array of four telescopes, rather just one of the telescopes will do the observation. Taking data simultaneously with all four telescopes is a tricky procedure and yields data, while extremely useful scienfically, it's very different from the pretty pictures that this contest is after.

  5. Magellanic Cloud and Eta Carinae by djl4570 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The facility is in the southern hemisphere so the Magellanic Clouds are observable.
    Compile monthly or weekly observations of Eta Carinae that can be edited into a video or slideshow.

  6. Here. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We're still looking for that intelligent life.

  7. Point it at Hubble by Lord_of_the_nerf · · Score: 5, Funny

    Part staring contest, part engineering contest.

    1. Re:Point it at Hubble by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      DUDE, don't cross the visibility beams!
      You'll wreck EVERYTHING!

  8. Thor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who would have thought that the only one listed with any type of recognizable name, has the most votes.

  9. Itself by bky1701 · · Score: 1

    How else will it know it exists!?

  10. Re:Romney/Ryan/Constitution Victory Speech by bky1701 · · Score: 0

    Just ignore the trolls. I know there are a lot of them lately. Slashdot's moderation system seems to have been co-opted by sockpuppets, but that's no excuse to feed ones at -1.

  11. What is /.'s pick? by JumperCable · · Score: 2

    What is the most interesting? Closest?

  12. I'd vote for... by Yaa+101 · · Score: 2

    Gum 19 — star-forming region with variable star V391 Velorum

  13. But where is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cowboy Neal option?

  14. How do they expect ... by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... me to participate in a poll without the CowboyNeal option?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:How do they expect ... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 1

      All of the observations will be of Cowboy Neal.

      The voting is just on where to send him first.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  15. Re:Make sure the Mars Rover isn't stuck by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 0

    Actually last fall they released a new version of the OS. The Rover doesn't need to be plugged into iTunes anymore.

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  16. Re:Romney/Ryan/Constitution Victory Speech by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 0

    Give us a little credit, Mr. Limbaugh we know you're not that old!

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  17. Re:Recipe for bad decisions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It is more like voting on the name of the new bridge, not the design specs. This is to get the public interested in the project, not to resolve disputes over time sharing between serious research. The experts already weighed in on deciding how much time to allocate to this and what targets to choose from. This would only go wrong if they screwed up bad enough that it would be the equivalent of a bridge's name plate being load bearing and allowing the length of the name to impact structural integrity.

  18. Uranus by Osgeld · · Score: 1

    next question please

    1. Re:Uranus by Mazda6s · · Score: 1

      Beat me to it.

  19. Why the moon offcourse ... by giorgist · · Score: 1

    That way we can prove once and for all that NASA never ...

    1. Re:Why the moon offcourse ... by maxwell+demon · · Score: 1

      AFAIK the resolution of VLT isn't sufficient for that.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    2. Re:Why the moon offcourse ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent up!!

    3. Re:Why the moon offcourse ... by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      The moon is off course? PANIC!!!!

    4. Re:Why the moon offcourse ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The moon is off course?!? This sounds like a WAY bigger problem than trying to figure out what to point the VLT at...

  20. Soviet Russia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    before Soviet Russia observes YOU!

  21. IMNAA by symes · · Score: 1

    I know nothing about how these things work, but I do like nice pictures. Some of the most facinating I've seen recently are of the surface of the sun - can we get some more of these?

    1. Re:IMNAA by the_other_chewey · · Score: 1

      No. The VLT's telescopes are machines very carefully designed to be able to detect the faintest amounts of light possible. Pointing them at the sun would result in zero pictures and be followed by a Very Large Repair, essentially rebuilding everything that isn't the static support structure or the mirrors (and I'm not even sure about the mirrors).

  22. Re:Romney/Ryan/Constitution Victory Speech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh isn't that cute, you see he equates anyone who doesn't toe the party line, who doesn't vote D all the way down, who doesn't believe the Obama deserved that Nobel prize for doing nothing, that the sea levels are going to drop because Obama says so, with Rush Limbaugh.

    So clever.

    See, I can do it too.

    Hey Mrs. O'Brien you aren't parroting the DNC talking points memo fast enough.

  23. Science is not determined by by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    popular vote.

  24. Re:Romney/Ryan/Constitution Victory Speech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See, I can do it too.

    No, apparently you can't. But don't worry, you're not the only one :)

  25. subject by Legion303 · · Score: 1

    Quick, everyone flood the poll with "your mom."

  26. Observe Nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pick a region in space that has nothing and see how far into space we can see until nothing becomes millions of young galaxies.

  27. Planet X by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let's point it at Niburu since Google Sky has deleted the whole area.

  28. Ringworld by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OR the Puppeteer's Rosette; I'm not picky.

  29. Re:Romney/Ryan/Constitution Victory Speech by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 0

    I like how you try to distance yourself from Rush, yet for the second time, you spout his nonsense almost verbatim. Good little sheep.

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  30. Re:Romney/Ryan/Constitution Victory Speech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I like you you spout media matters talking points like an idiot drone.

    You are boring me, thanks for playing.

  31. Re:Romney/Ryan/Constitution Victory Speech by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

    Awww... angry cos somebody's filling in for Rush today?

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)