{{B}} A Star Is Born{{/B}}
1 The VLT (Very Large Telescope) is the world's largest telescope (望远镜) and is taking astronomers (天文学家) further back to the Big Bang than they ever thought possible. Located 2,600 metres up in the Chilean Andes, it has four huge mirrors, each about the size of a London bus. The VLT is so powerful it can spot a burning match 10,000 kilometres away.
2 This astonishing power will allow astronomers to see events in space from the birth of stars to the collision (碰撞) of galaxies (星系) on the edge of the cosmos (宇宙). The VLT is giving astronomers their best-ever view of the cosmos. The power of the VLT to see the smallest detail at the furthest distances makes its designers amazed.
3 Take the case of Eta Carinae, one of the most explosive stars in the universe. This star produces ultraviolet laser rays (紫外线) and it will destroy itself in a few million years' time. It is five times brighter than the sun and when it explodes it is going to be a sight worth waiting for!
4 But it is at distances of millions, even billions, of light years that the VLT really shows its power. The VLT can detect light that set out on its journey before the earth even existed. This gives astronomers their first-ever detailed views of events that took place in the earliest days of the cosmos.
5 In other words, the VLT is a kind of a time machine. It takes astronomers back to a time when complete galaxies crashed into each other. The effects of these past collisions can now be seen by scientists, and astronomers believe the telescope will reveal more about these exciting events in the years to come. One day, we might be able to say we have traveled back to 'the beginning of time, and we will have a much clearer picture of how our planet was born.