Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

HET: The New Largest Optical Telescope

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 27, 1996 is “HET: The New Largest Optical Telescope,” an image. It is credited to Credit: UT Austin, PSU, Stanford, GAUG, & LMUM. The original explanation runs about 132 words.

HET: The New Largest Optical Telescope
Credit: UT Austin, PSU, Stanford, GAUG, & LMUM Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Explanation : Most of our universe is too dim to see. To peer into our cosmos’ unknown depths, astronomers must deploy new tools – and the classic new tool is a larger telescope.”

— APOD editors, December 27, 1996

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 27, 1996
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: UT Austin, PSU, Stanford, GAUG, & LMUM
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 132 words

All of December 1996 → · 1996 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

On this day: December 27 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.