March 6, 2008—The spiral galaxy NGC 2770 is the star of the first "binocular light" image of an astronomical object released on Thursday.

The shot was captured using the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona, which boasts twin 27.6-foot (8.4-meter) mirrors that can match the resolution of a single 75-foot (22.8-meter) instrument.

By contrast, the world's largest single optical telescope—the W. M. Keck Observatory—has a 34.1-foot (10.4-meter) mirror.

"I think [the LBT is] the most likely telescope to take the first pictures of planets around other stars," Roger Angel, the astronomer who first conceived of the scope, said in a press release.

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