F u tu re T e le s c a p e s in D e c e m b e r 1 9 7 7 , a s tro n o m e rs h a v e b e e n ta lk in g a bo u tfu tu reVery Large Telescopes.B ut w h a t w o u ld th e y a c tu a llyd a w ith th e m ? W e th e re fo re a s k e d s a m e o fth e a s tro n o m e rs in th e E S O c o u n trie s to a n s w e r th es im p le (? ) q u e s tio n :W h a tw o u ldy o u o b s e rv ei fy o u
T h efir s t to s e n d in h is a rtie le w a s P ro fe s s o r J e a n -C la u d e P e e k e r fro m C o lle g e d e F ra n e ea n dIn s titu t d 'A s tr o p h y s iq u e in P a ris .H efe e ls th a tm osto f th e tim es h o u ld b e u s e d t o
F u tu re , D e c e m b e r 1 9 7 7 ),Ife e Ith a tm y T e n N ig h tsa t th e V L T h a v e , lik e th e T h o u s a n d a n d O n e N ig h tso fS c h e h e ra z a d e , acom \ue000 p le te ly im a g in a r y c h a ra c te r! W h e n th eV L T g o e sin to o p e ra \ue000 tio n ,Ia m
Ih a v e th e re fo re b e e nfo rc e dt oth in k alo t b e fo re e s ta b lis h \ue000 ing my"d re a m "p ro g ra m m e . A te le s c o p e w ith ad ia m e te ro f 2 5 mim p lie s a g re a tlyim p ro v e dlig h t-g a th e rin g c a p a c ity a n d am uchb e tte r re s o lu tio n .la d m itth a t th ete m p ta tio n to try to o b s e rv e"th elim itso f th e U n iv e r s e "is v e ry la rg e , a n d a ls ot o c o u n tth e fa in te s t o b je c tss o m e w h e re in th e s k y :b u t th e a t\ue000 m o s p h e reiss till th e re ; a n dI p re fe r to a w a it a s a te llite"o u to f th ee c lip tic " ,w h ic his e q u ip p e dw ith a te le s c o p eo f re a s o n \ue000 a b le s iz e , in
v o /u m e w h ic h c a n b e e x p /o r e db yth eV LTis e le v e n tim e s /a rg e r th a n w hatc a n
s p e c tra l lin e m e a s u re \ue000 m e n ts ; e v e nm orera re a re th e n o rm a l s ta rsfo rw h ic h th e lin e p r o file s h a v e b e e n
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s p a c e p ro b e s ! (B u t th e reisa ls o a le s s o n tow h ic hI re tu rn a f\ue000 te rm y te n th n ig h t). S o n o w ,"O u rG a /a x y "-a n d w e re s e rv e , fo r
m a y th e re fo re b e p o s s ib le ;b u t th e o v e rla p p i n go f th e s p e c tr a w ill b e a p r o b le m .Isi t p o s s ib le to c o m p e n s a te th e n e c e s s a ry in c re a s einth e p la te s c a le in th e fo c a l p la n e
H ap ro file so f th eb rig h te s t s ta rs inth e s k y ; o n en ig h to n T T a u ri(w h ic h h a s m a n y s is te rs );th re en ig h ts t oe x p lo r e , a s afu n c tio no fg a la c tic la titu d e ,b rig h t g a la x ie s ino rd e rtod e te c t in te r s te lla r lin e sfro m
o b s e r v a tio n s ; a n d fin a llytw on ig h tsw iths p e c tra o fv a rio u ss ta rs a th ig h g a la c tic la titu d e s a td is ta n c e so f 2 0t o 6 0 ,0 0 0
ru n. . .B utw ill w e h a v e th e n e c e s s a ryc o m p u te rst os u p p o rtth ise x p lo r a tio n ? A n d s h a ll w eh a v e -w ithth e p r e s e n ts itu a tio n
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w h o , ino rd e r tos tu d yw hat h e b e lie v e s isth em ostim p o r\ue000 ta n t, h a st op o s tp o n es o m e th in g e ls e ,w h ic h am ore d e ta ile d s tu d ys u b s e q u e n tlyreveals asb e in g even
a s kfo r a b s o lu tio n ! It isth e r u leo fth e g a m e .B utth es tu d yo f th ee v o lu tio no fo u rG a la x y isc e r ta in lyw o rth am om ento f jo y o u sd is tr a c tio n. . .
lin e )o u g h tt o b ec o n n e c te dw ith o th e r , v is ib lec o m p o n e n ts(d u s te m ittin g inth e in fra re d ,c a lc iu m
w ithg re a tc a re ; inp a r tic u la rth e g a la x ie sw h ic h a r e s e e nb e \ue000 h in dth ec lo u d ss h o u ldb e o b s e r v e ds p e c tr o s c o p ic a lly ino r\ue000 d e rt o
T h es a m ep ro g ra m m es h o u ld a ls o b e c a rrie do u tto w a rd s th eg a la c ticp o le s .. .O n eo f th e s e w ill b e o b s e r v a b lefro m th eV L Tm o u n ta in .S p e c tras h o u ld
o fs u p e rg ia n ts a n dh a lo s ta rs ,in c lu d in gs p e c trao f c lu s te r s ta rs a tth eh ig h \ue000 e s tp o s s ib le r e s o lu tio n . It is a ls o n e c e s s a ryt o