International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Drone’s-Eye View of Gemini South's Solar Panels
This drone footage shows an aerial view of Gemini South in the Andes of Northern Chile. Gemini South is the southern member of the pair of 8.1-meter telescopes which together comprise the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Though you might associate telescopes with darkness and starry nights, Gemini South spends its days basking in bright sunlight — hence the banks of solar panels surrounding the telescope. These panels provide roughly 28% of the power needed to run the telescope.
It can be difficult to gauge the true size of observatories in aerial photographs like this. Try to spot the silver car hiding in the shadows behind Gemini South — it’s dwarfed by the telescope dome!
