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Distant Quasar Helps to Analyze Light in Universe (2 of 3)

Caption: The two 17 m MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes located at the Roque de los Muchachos observatory on the Canary Island of La Palma. Cherenkov telescopes detect gamma rays through short light flashes that are produced when gamma rays cross the atmosphere (Cherenkov light). While the first MAGIC telescope has been successfully taking data since 2004, a second telescope is under construction and will be inaugurated in September 2008. This image relates to an article that appeared in the June 27, 2008, issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS. The study, by the MAGIC Collaboration, was titled "Very-High-Energy Gamma Rays from a Distant Quasar: How Transparent Is the Universe?"

Credit: Image courtesy of Robert Wagner, Max Planck Institute for Physics

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