Stunning or concerning?

[rogerg (Roger)]

I'm not sure if this image is stunning because it shows the enormous size of the VLT array, or somewhat concerning that the mountain top is so obviously flat that it must have been buldozed to be completely flat from a normal natural mountain peak over what must be an enormous area.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061104.html

Roger.

[spacezebra (Petra)]

Roger

I would have to say "both"

Cheers Petra

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Ex mining site?

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Here's a wider view of the Cerro Paranal with the observatories in the distance. It appears for the antwrp image that the top of the mountain was used to build up the access ramp

[Lee]

Gorgeous picture though! Think of what gets bulldozed for housing estates and mall carparks, this is merely a tiny scratch on the earth..... for a good purpose.

[ving (David)]

hey! where'd you get a pic of my home!!!

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

It is both!

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

Looks like a very dry & Barren place.
All for the greater good, understanding the Universe & all that !
I would expect a Brazilian rancher would clear an area that size before Smoko !

[jase (Jason)]

This is a common sight. When I took a trip up Mauna Kea in Hawaii back in '98, I saw a similar scene. For those that don't know about Manua Kea - http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/. It is the mecka for professional astronomers fighting for telescope reseach time. Big telescopes, big cameras, big egos.

Anyway, the summit generates a lot of conflict as the Hawaiian's have sacred sites at the summit. During excavation, many human bones have been found. I have heard to put a telescope, regardless of size on the summit costs quite a sum of money. Some of the proceeds actually go to the Hawaiian community. In some cases I think we've taken things too far, but it is one of the very few prime locations on earth with steady dark skies.

I find it interesting that we've explored more things beyond earth than earth itself. At least 60% of the oceans are yet to be explored...

[tbentley]

Can I suggest that we have only "explored" significantly less than 60% of the universe?

[xelasnave]

Welcome tbently to iceinspace and your sobering observation a master undersatement indeed .. I may spend the rest of the day thinking about that .
alex

[Lee]

I would think that if the universe were the earth, then we had probably explored less one subatomic particle inside one grain of sand in the sahara - and that is probably still an understatement.....