On October 18, 2025, the European Southern ObservatoryESO’s 4MOST (4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope) instrument observed the sky with its full array of 2,400 optical fibers for the first time, successfully capturing and analyzing light from a wide range of cosmic objects.
What is it?
Unlike traditional telescopes that observe one or a few objects at a time, 4MOST’s engineering allows it to perform massive, simultaneous surveys, seeing more things at the same time. The instrument’s wide hexagonal field of view covers a large portion of the sky with each observation, making it ideal for studying cosmic evolution and dark energy.
Where is?
4MOST and the VISTA telescope are located at the Paranal Observatory in Chile.
Why is it amazing?
During its first observations, 4MOST turned its hexagonal gaze toward a region in the southern sky which includes two popular celestial targets: the Galaxy Sculptor (NGC 253) and the NGC 288 Global Cluster. Each of the colored dots in the image represents a different object whose light was captured and analyzed by one of 4MOST’s 2,400 fibers.
From each target, the instrument collected a spectrum, a detailed fingerprint of light that reveals key physical properties such as chemical composition, temperature, radial velocity, and more.
Over the next decade, 4MOST will deliver millions of spectra, helping scientists address some of the most important questions in astronomy.
Do you want to learn more?
You can read more about the Recent research from the European Southern Observatoryas well as others telescopes in chile.
