Welcome to the Museum of Cosmic Curiosities, a growing collection of strange objects, forgotten artefacts and obscure relics from the history of astronomy and space exploration. Some are profound, some are absurd, but they all have a story to tell.
🏛️ Exhibit 026 - The CO2 Telescope Cleaner
We all know what a pain it is to keep a mirror clean. Smudges, marks, streaks - they all ruin that perfect reflection.
So how do astronomers keep the mirrors of the biggest telescopes in the world in tip-top condition?
The optics at the Very Large Telescope in Chile are so delicate that ordinary cleaning chemicals are out of the question.
Instead they turn to an unlikely substance: carbon dioxide snow.
The tiny flakes - cooled to -80 degrees Celsius - ‘explode’ when they hit the mirror. Far from as catastrophic as it sounds, any dust is gently removed and floats away.
Engineers carry out this process once a week. Then, every six months, the mirror is completely removed for a biannual sponge bath.
🏛️ Browse all exhibits in the Museum of Cosmic Curiosities here
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Well, a lot of equipment used by amateurs today got its start with professionals in decades past. We can always hope!