Fact Sheet
Galactic Firepower
A laser takes aim at the Milky Way from one of the large telescopes at the European Southern Observatory in Chile. The laser helps astronomers correct for the distorting effects of Earth's atmosphere, providing sharper views of the heavens. The planet Jupiter is the bright object at far right, with the star Antares just to its left. The Small Magellanic Cloud, a companion galaxy to the Milky Way, looks like a small cloud above the telescope at left. [Copyright Yuri Beletsky/ESO]
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