ExifMM*jJ(In mid-August 2010 ESO Photo Ambassador Yuri Beletsky snapped this amazing photo at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. A group of astronomers were observing the centre of the Milky Way using the laser guide star facility at Yepun, one of the four Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Yepun’s laser beam crosses the majestic southern sky and creates an artificial star at an altitude of 90 km high in the Earth's mesosphere. The Laser Guide Star (LGS) is part of the VLT’s adaptive optics system and is used as a reference to correct the blurring effect of the atmosphere on images. The colour of the laser is precisely tuned to energise a layer of sodium atoms found in one of the upper layers of the atmosphere — one can recognise the familiar colour of sodium street lamps in the colour of the laser. This layer of sodium atoms is thought to be a leftover from meteorites entering the Earth’s atmosphere. When excited by the light from the laser, the atoms start glowing, forming a small bright spot that can be used as an artificial reference star for the adaptive optics. Using this technique, astronomers can obtain sharper observations. For example, when looking towards the centre of our Milky Way, researchers can better monitor the galactic core, where a central supermassive black hole, surrounded by closely orbiting stars, is swallowing gas and dust. The photo, which was chosen as Astronomy Picture of the Day for 6 September 2010 and Wikimedia Picture of the Year 2010, was taken with a wide-angle lens and covers about 180 degrees of the sky.   This image is available as a mounted image in the ESOshop.   #LHHICC_PROFILE lcmsmntrRGB XYZ )9acspAPPL-lcms desc^cprt\ wtpthbkpt|rXYZgXYZbXYZrTRC@gTRC@bTRC@descc2textFBXYZ -XYZ 3XYZ o8XYZ bXYZ $curvck ?Q4!)2;FQw]kpz|i}0C     C   "K !1A"Qaq2#B3RSbr$5CT„4Vcs2!1AQa"2q#3Br ?lUO#I;qemi( T^B9Bq)[텍}«[YyPEok@@`(axM"l5.W^0dPݖl;z8LiQ| >@tK"m|s0мwv[Xb$cq+$j{ 1XSc}:RDQ٫wojzqgArYXFC G@}L2(UA<tA B,Q%ڮ5t8"H01*^ y|~# HF=}s`!H45 Cn)#o:@*Oj -n?1侏ME曹ʴ- ]6F1f{7؝r=k"ѼL,XaJGŴQ:}Ȯ16vgDEB4H8[JŻ(^lڔ GuV8ry^KLs&C4dOwlS[ja~vצ< ?K]X:w waZHBM=!Z矝aHWPn=q֔v?`Z4W :0ݓjr.^%.Q񧕀Ⱦfƺ X"(`<:˔*wH-!ݙ#m{IG̟]덜N8hQ[vl}iXgEN~0FRfYj_y xdf;W>\~;#2,Pdp<*Mv-Eb=$$1ҢFsHEY%~#U>?e&Rʊ4yOcK2E;%/ , :fg\gfM$ Fje$(~ 2WH|=vf Svrm$ 7#}K\5?WX_f7:)yc|%.=:YݙO PvBgQ54/)O%m9NNE0סqfgYjvۏ9iRe o5_ 2۴)$hj;Z!Tzw%:љ.N(g1˦@G,nf;,fCJ-/zLJw"8ǟ07 }CTEƐj; gmͨߊv2_ۇpv'>+$sh| P&s*w:__՟abhfKY'9g,flИ(6=C񽱟,c4}M~Ia^FAM)Q[4U[7;mXK'&o0(xl1FcȽO@P\{=wTU@;}A:5!Tb5W44l$/2}̼S 漓 j ~@uMv>Nhǻʳ/88^C&j|JE(C`Vx-ގW46K,[/ Q&1s=EK1$uߘ;CY^E7$i` ]W< ,$K;,RQ#"ΐ, pHͻ= F|94ej؀@qM.IQp:͞ve- 1w` #eṳ2 -4DXRCmzG͙YMPV$P![^;Gj(n+Q K 7Gn&v)R |>\-!X';nߎ]1-",r+nPjAE<L˼yH?WRG3~T1`Qc|0!U#+ -X O;d+^(KV2D€Z_ sxTH8Ap]YL-<]dP *[}'>V'ˡ,@zmGqfD5hw`FH?2)$IR<%u^(vCvxNxjrylٻBpMEk[,ķZ] N2D) .Ƈ3,S38(=lۧ/ds{b.}V"V,#M,d kK7Gg ^a.,2΁ *TtVΚb3MXbY$ ,yڴ͒*ek;>Eyegm&,Ua<ئڪmuB՞ju=!q},<"˗ "8`X ,lM{?M{={&Hj ܝym`mL|~$uUi I%O$2݊.X)}kN@Pn>|W\e}G.mb|@F fne,)w\{pu_Nnb00 s,Fu78sbTj kmm4AGN ^ͱnXVl98K1""6UzǞN;2(`FލU]p\F%ר{ MZ>:&HoM8`d* $:0,aϬTw;6sXRk )&ɻsIe!$~Ͻok.b!WZ=Bp@@^@xrU9SСwCLY rFZ%:k5|LdF p>1XgCW~dOqdFbKi)~Ě!{cAmxjya/!=Y2 obvӳ\bG|_M/My& XEP'Tj(4۝lI\N{:,`Q`h+$M6\ !U˳V66=|yFQrQ :KdZP đ7|W @6}$- E$n}U j ~P k5<tX>P+m<' |Ff[.W,gs,y%wR@['\7N7;tH#`Jȅ6벃 mጽ%ĕ %HU]81dhQ kbA~K{5d|)0:4WuZ8Ĕo]mG|iE!TY3k]xq0ҨyNLA#ϖ׾42y;ݎQǘ7y!ɖqYݤ^[sGh3`r?/\1IqHV1ROMZ 9B#4 JeЉG$ߙWɓ=I $qfp@Ϡ'cLG}$ϖ&F*ډb;!Ufpifųu#@uuI"Ea4\ji{n_%ƄFŻЪ҃\mUy{YeiI|s9\@:չm&t$nvݍcD96#ϴ+1-E5;Vվal~Tޣ t ka_cOLG?v9<I翢oJ5|ǖw jr7{ m*$Tl#G#)ԤX鍻g̝ eV JcH pXT5vC݀I ;ox#8XCX huXf AT"睯UXaaQPSZi@7B.$5n<WR%iԥPwSų2˘yR0MWRO\*5, ZӸX@ hʀ,8y:|zTx;{(^Ulhyymc#xY{ؚn'I!Bv#὏>qO$H}u7uI._S!ٹAW/=77[&l|ɮ,&I848R2<^Gb)]qxIewUEIX;xMЃ+#fa\Bν]lUƹŬSxJxj{Ȝ}e ǚMq_f.JX]S'ʉbn2L4K`MUFI"r@b]jm$-pQl$]T5B랛vBcB%buRu`m2Iď v r}7x.=3l0;م@+}GgvFnElzR_ -|98ʬ5I!PF!`ZFF̡%H ߇N_^R ^7$PDU[ceadHCiPSW>XrI[0$h U@dKߕ~a=̙"ջ3 *5`0@yY$FYziQYh FjDXMoo'߮%%:5nN\r<)]ŏ.1`K;j@6|$"E*}d\yei 'M"Fp4C)U>fw`"#gJw}1H0T-CKn]9o˜).$߯WБxo-w IYMX"U޾XX˩F(xS|y @'[eSIL7 -Kǘ wT%t$˧0.)Bz# ƛ|Xr" '3YJg#9y *FC!ۦ  xːA6xU\vq#` ,9\UR@g #G.1UQ;Eo"ϖYaypF}?<1k_)7w㏺!0@P72wy pẌ-jllb2 TIŝP13_#ߓZL.Kˢ2 d덈Y$]i]d6{: ,?jȿ~0ZUDw[iѰ|qF֏uوAږ2@ .vZBeiF]VLTLo N˹[ I`^AΎ'ϐi/c*4Ѣh3~SaWμ#ډ`5ZW>Uiw7-CX +ׅލU^pDrP f*E0mY֪B`[ (z} ?-, *J(y&`sP;thVfhIų#Ht󋊶k'IИ{O%)W%  F 'VF вp?c`E[`&NqT4t)пBz>/Hۮ5܊[`Z7{&5d D<;o7dF͂kG_{Yø`ڃi%6|ya(X4mx;D]Y$#b+Sc#a߷+esK92,*AWZI*qBBoщ#Jӻ1:Ar6xXBJ BK߈߯ :CSRXybqI H ܚb]ӜPRlCqX:זvŕ;(p0-KHP lO@ !R Uv#oo|RB% 貢CVcPf9(]]oߦ,FV"#)Э l RM͡ 50! dnǥUbXF"Ҁ,w {*hd`J=X~G_L* Αl߈˱/Q*ޕO^B+RUBRu_@`]\FeډZx:>e6Db  nEz;]yw0ŵ"QgHSf4m&]7`P{~xMdu]:]{K˥m]>_~=MH[ =Pbj"]0!G eY v.Q̚8ԁ*HqCiݴs[z y]Z8~( 11bƎ_3HMX59rjed Flݾ{[d ʼnR+[| -]fhG"(=ȼleb蓼%$]Huד4'ُK:F;)))Da OW.=FYc;lB0ߊqb,ѹA

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