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A HUGE infrared telescope based in Cerro Pachon in the Chilean Andes
officially opened its eye on the southern skies last week. Gemini South has an
8-metre diameter mirror that can be deformed to remove distortions caused by
turbulence in the atmosphere. It is the identical twin of Gemini North in
Hawaii. The pair are located either side of the equator at similar longitudes,
which means astronomers can scan the northern and southern skies simultaneously.
They’ll be able to track objects such as comets as they pass from one hemisphere
to the other.