ESA’s second #asteroid-spotting Test-Bed Telescope has seen ‘first light’ – the first time a new telescope is used to look up at the sky.

The telescope – dubbed TBT2 – is hosted at @ESO’s #LaSilla Observatory in Chile.

#PlanetaryDefence
The new telescope will work alongside its identical partner at @ESA’s Cebreros station in Spain to test the hardware and software for the future network of asteroid-hunting #Flyeye telescopes.

More info here: https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Planetary_Defence/New_ESA_telescope_in_South_America_to_search_for_dangerous_asteroids

📸: F. Ocaña/J. Isabel/Quasar SR
Spotting Earth-threatening #asteroids is tough, partly because the sky is so big.
ESA’s future #Flyeye telescopes will use a solution inspired by nature – imitating the eye of an insect to look in many directions at once. 🪰
Every night, a network of these #Flyeye telescopes will scan the entire sky for rogue objects, automatically flagging any that pose an impact risk and bringing them to the attention of human researchers the next morning. 🔎
#PlanetaryDefence
The Test-Bed Telescopes are key for fine-tuning the algorithms, remote operation and data processing techniques that the automated #Flyeye network will use to help keep us safe from hazardous asteroids. 🌍
#PlanetaryDefense
📸: F. Ocaña/J. Isabel/Quasar SR
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