Guardians of the Galaxy

A crack team, each with their own remarkable abilities, are gathered together in a remote spot in the Chilean Andes. Together, they will help uncover some of the Universe’s biggest secrets. It sounds like the premise for an exciting superhero movie! But it’s just another day at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, where a collection of remarkable telescopes are situated. 

The Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope (far left) is a reflecting telescope, and it has the biggest primary mirror at CTIO. The primary mirror in a reflecting telescope is used to collect light from the night sky, which is then reflected onto another surface inside the telescope. In addition to the team of telescopes surrounding it, the Blanco has a nearly identical twin, the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope. The Mayall is located at Kitt Peak National Observatory, another NOIRLab Program.