Largest structure in the Universe
The cosmic web is the universe’s hidden backbone — a vast network of dark matter lined with faint threads of gas from the Big Bang. Most of the normal matter in the cosmos lives here, not in stars or galaxies. Yet it’s so dim and diffuse that it has barely been seen and has never been fully mapped.
Largest structure in the Universe
The cosmic web is the universe’s hidden backbone — a vast network of dark matter lined with faint threads of gas from the Big Bang. Most of the normal matter in the cosmos lives here, not in stars or galaxies. Yet it’s so dim and diffuse that it has barely been seen and has never been fully mapped.
World-class Observing Conditions
Northern Chile has some of the clearest, darkest and most stable skies on Earth: ideal conditions for astronomy. Obstech/El Sauce Observatory sits in this world-class environment, near major facilities like Gemini South and Rubin, offering exceptionally dry air, stable and remarkably dark skies.
World-class Observing Conditions
Northern Chile has some of the clearest, darkest and most stable skies on Earth: ideal conditions for astronomy. Obstech/El Sauce Observatory sits in this world-class environment, near major facilities like Gemini South and Rubin, offering exceptionally dry air, stable and remarkably dark skies.
Enclosures contain 30 large fork mounts
MOTHRA uses two roll-off enclosures, each housing 15 precision fork mounts from Software Bisque. The enclosures are spaced far apart, allowing images to be reconstructed without interference from low-Earth-orbit satellites — a major advantage over conventional designs.
Enclosures contain 30 large fork mounts
MOTHRA uses two roll-off enclosures, each housing 15 precision fork mounts from Software Bisque. The enclosures are spaced far apart, allowing images to be reconstructed without interference from low-Earth-orbit satellites — a major advantage over conventional designs.
A "wall of glass" synthesizing a 4.8m refractor from commercial optics
Building on the Dragonfly concept, MOTHRA combines images from 1140 lenses to act like a 4.8-meter, f/0.08 refracting telescope. Its enormous six+ square-degree field of view and unobstructed optics reveal structures far too faint for traditional telescopes. This fusion of optics and computation delivers giant-telescope performance at a fraction of the cost.
A "wall of glass" synthesizing a 4.8m refractor from commercial optics
Building on the Dragonfly concept, MOTHRA combines images from 1140 lenses to act like a 4.8-meter, f/0.08 refracting telescope. Its enormous six+ square-degree field of view and unobstructed optics reveal structures far too faint for traditional telescopes. This fusion of optics and computation delivers giant-telescope performance at a fraction of the cost.
Exquisite optics enabled by advanced imaging lenses
The Canon 400mm f/2.8 lens is a remarkably sharp, fast, and color-pure 5.5-inch refractor. Dragonfly proved that using many of these lenses together creates an ultra-sensitive wide-field telescope capable of detecting the faintest structures in the universe. MOTHRA expands this idea with more than a thousand lenses working in unison.
Exquisite optics enabled by advanced imaging lenses
The Canon 400mm f/2.8 lens is a remarkably sharp, fast, and color-pure 5.5-inch refractor. Dragonfly proved that using many of these lenses together creates an ultra-sensitive wide-field telescope capable of detecting the faintest structures in the universe. MOTHRA expands this idea with more than a thousand lenses working in unison.
Filter-tilter technology to image the glow of the cosmic web
MOTHRA uses ultra-narrowband filters tilted across the field of view, letting each pixel sample a slightly different wavelength. This turns the array into a powerful spectral mapper, capturing both the spatial and chemical structure of faint emission. By isolating the glow of Hydrogen-alpha light, it can directly image the gaseous halos of galaxies — and even the nearby cosmic web.
Filter-tilter technology to image the glow of the cosmic web
MOTHRA uses ultra-narrowband filters tilted across the field of view, letting each pixel sample a slightly different wavelength. This turns the array into a powerful spectral mapper, capturing both the spatial and chemical structure of faint emission. By isolating the glow of Hydrogen-alpha light, it can directly image the gaseous halos of galaxies — and even the nearby cosmic web.