The space looks better than ever thanks to the ESO's HAWK-I imager

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile is equipped with a new optical module that will allow it to take some of the clearest images of the cosmos, and on Wednesday it had a first look .

The above image shows the super star cluster known as RCW 38, located some 5,500 light-years from Earth. Waving clouds of orange and red cosmic dust sparkle across streams of blue, where nascent stars are born. It was performed during the scientific verification tests of HAWK-I and the new adaptive optics module called GRAAL.

HAWK-I can scan the space using infrared wavelengths allowing for "see inside of the dust and interstellar gas" but GRAAL is the reason we have this incredible cosmic painting.

When we take pictures of the cosmos, the atmosphere of the Earth may interfere, making images blurry. The GRAAL module is able to correct the effect of the base layer of the atmosphere that gives HAWK-I and VLT the ability to take incredibly sharp photos.

If you compare the image below to the 2009 image below, you can see that the ESO's VLT has come a long way. Almost as far as the images of RCW 38.