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12-24-2004, 03:36 PM
Camera scoops amazing Orion snaps
Astronomers have produced some amazing pictures using a remarkable new instrument on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in Hawaii.
The Wide Field Camera (WFCAM), built at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, is the world's most powerful infrared survey camera.
WFCAM was trained on a region of star formation in the Orion constellation about 1,500 light-years away.
The stunning images cover an area of sky that was unobtainable before.
"The ability to see such a large area at once, with state-of-the-art detectors, makes WFCAM the fastest infrared survey instrument in the world, bar none," commented Dr Andy Adamson, head of operations at the Hawaii telescope, which is sited on top of the Mauna Kea mountain.
More on this Story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4121717.stm)
Astronomers have produced some amazing pictures using a remarkable new instrument on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in Hawaii.
The Wide Field Camera (WFCAM), built at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, is the world's most powerful infrared survey camera.
WFCAM was trained on a region of star formation in the Orion constellation about 1,500 light-years away.
The stunning images cover an area of sky that was unobtainable before.
"The ability to see such a large area at once, with state-of-the-art detectors, makes WFCAM the fastest infrared survey instrument in the world, bar none," commented Dr Andy Adamson, head of operations at the Hawaii telescope, which is sited on top of the Mauna Kea mountain.
More on this Story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4121717.stm)