VISTA reveals secrets of Blue Lagoon

A new image of a star-forming region known as the Lagoon Nebula that lies about 4-5000 light years away has been captured by the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO’s) UK-designed and built VISTA telescope. Astronomers at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile are using the telescope to take infrared images for a huge survey called VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV), which is mapping the structure of the Milky Way’s central regions in greater detail than ever before. VISTA involves a consortium of institutions led by Queen Mary, University of London and was project-managed by STFC’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC). The camera for the telescope was part-built at STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.

Professor Ian Robson, Head of STFC’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, said: "The Lagoon Nebula has always been one of the ‘picture-book’ images of astronomy, but seen in the optical rather than the infrared light of VISTA, and these new images are breaking new grounds and further demonstrating how the hard work of this project is paying off in spades." Professor Richard Holdaway, Director, RAL Space at STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory said: “We are breaking new ground all of the time with the VISTA telescope. Region by region we are building up a solid picture of how our galaxy formed.” Science & Technlogy Facilities Cncl.