A giant telescope valued at $1 billion is said to be able to take photos that trample all over NASA’s Hubble by shooting images with 10 times greater resolution.
Currently under construction in Chile, the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will produce the best resolution ever achieved, thanks to mirrors included within it than are capable of collecting more light than any other telescope in existence.
Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation
The Giant Magellan Telescope website lists the technology as “one member of the next class of giant ground-based telescopes that promise to revolutionize our view and understanding of the universe.”
Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation
Don’t get excited just yet though; we’ve got more than five years to wait before it begins operations in 2024. Being assembled atop a mountain in the Atacama Desert at an altitude of 8,500 ft, scientists are based at the Las Campanas Observatory, thanks to the clear conditions from such a great height. It should permit them to take images with perfect clarity over 300 nights a year.
Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation
Weighing in at 1,500 tons, the telescope will be comprised of a total of seven mirrors, each clocking in at 20 tons, while able to withstand extreme temperature changes. The mirrors were constructed at the University of Arizona’s Richard F. Caris Mirror Laboratory.
Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation
The intended use for such a groundbreaking piece of equipment is to “explore the ancient universe and search for life among the stars.”
All images courtesy of Giant Magellan Telescope, GMTO Corporation, and used with permission.
Cool... Is there a DSLR mount on that thing? I bet it's a Pentax mount... bastards.
Sorry that shouldn't be a comment to you, but a comment to the post. But somehow Fstoppers seem to bug and I am unable to post it:
Could have been a more indepth article explaining the differences to the current and future record holders of ESO
The VLT already today outresolves hubble and in 2024 the ELT will be ready. Quite a bit bigger and higher res than the GMT
So while the GMT is impressive, because of its delayed construction it will never be the biggest or highest res telescope
It’s a Nikon Z mount. It would perform better but they’re waiting on lenses...
Incredible. Ive always wanted to go to one of these places just to see what the sky looks like at night there. Who funds a $1 billion telescope?
I knew the new Nikon mount was big, didn't think it was THIS big though....
Sweet. I look forward to seeing the images if I'm still kicking then. One of our neighbors maintains the glass at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and a few others. He has some amazing images.
"Being assembled atop a mountain in the Atacama Desert at an altitude of 8,500 ft, scientists are based at the Las Campanas Observatory..."
I am surprised to learn that scientists are being assembled atop a mountain. Did some lonely soul up there finally get his DIY Scientist Assembly Kit from Lego?