Víctor M. Blanco Telescope

It was the largest optical telescope in the Southern hemisphere from 1976 until 1998, when the first 8-metre telescope of the ESO Very Large Telescope opened. Currently the main research instrument used at the telescope is the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), the camera used in the Dark Energy Survey. DECam saw its first light in September 2012. The Mosaic II camera was used at this CTIO 4-m telescope in the southern hemisphere since 1999. This was a development of the KNPO Mosaic camera installed in 1998 in the northern hemisphere. These cameras were used for various astronomical surveys, and were noted for their success. • Illustration — the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter telescope on the summit of Mt. Cerro Tololo (foreground) with many other NOIRLab-operated telescopes • Illustration — alt=Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope with DECam Víctor M. Blanco Telescope inside its dome with DECam mounted at its focus Largest optical astronomical telescopes in 1976 • # — Name / Observatory — Image — Aperture — M1 Area — Altitude — First Light — Special advocate • 1. — BTA-6 (Special Astrophysical Obs) — — 238 inch 605 cm — 26 m 2 — 2070 m — 1975 — Mstislav Keldysh • 2. — Hale Telescope (Palomar Observatory) — — 200 inch 508 cm — 20 m 2 — 1713 m — 1949 — George Ellery Hale • 3. — Mayall Telescope (Kitt Peak National Obs.) — — 158 inch 401 cm — 10 m 2 — 2120 m — 1973 — Nicholas Mayall • 4. — Víctor M. Blanco Telescope (CTIO Observatory) — — 158 inch 401 cm — 10 m 2 — 2200 m — 1976 — Nicholas Mayall • 5. — Anglo-Australian Telescope (Siding Spring Observatory) — — 153 inch 389 cm — 12 m 2 — 1742 m — 1974 — Prince Charles • 6. — ESO 3.6 m Telescope (La Silla Observatory) — — 140 inch 357 cm — 8.8 m 2 — 2400 m — 1976 — Adriaan Blaauw • 7. — Shane Telescope (Lick Observatory) — — 120 inch 305 cm — ~7 m 2 — 1283 m — 1959 — Nicholas Mayall