268 Megapixels Of Astrophotography

The ESO’s new 268 megapixel telescope captures highly detailed wide-angle surveys of the night sky.

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) have released the first two images taken with their new VLT Survey Telescope (VST). The visible light telescope features a 268 megapixel sensor, comprised of 32 individual CCDs sealed within a vacuum. What makes this telescope unique is its wide field of view – the sensor captures square images with a field of view of approximately four full moons as viewed from Earth. The combination of the high megapixel sensor and relatively wide-angle optics allows the VST to survey large areas of the night sky while still capturing the finest details. But enough with the science lecture, here’s the amazing images as captured by the VST.