Product Description: It has always been ESO's aim to operate the VLT in an interferometric mode (VLTI) which allows the coherent combination of stellar light beams col­ lected by the four 8-m telescopes and by several smaller auxiliary telescopes. In December 1993, in response to financial difficulties, the ESO Council de­ cided to postpone implement at ion of the VLTI, Coude trains and associated adaptive optics for all the UTs but included provisions for continuing tech­ nological and development programmes devoted to the aim of reintroducing these capabilities at the earliest possible date...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)