This week the opening shot was fired for the construction of the largest infrared optical telescope ever built, all by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) with an investment of 1.1 billion euros
This week the opening shot was fired for the construction of the largest infrared optical telescope ever built, all by the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
The huge telescope, whose estimated cost is 1.1 billion euros, is called the European Extremely Large Telescope E-ELT (in free translation the very large European telescope...). A central mirror with a diameter of 40 meters will be built for the telescope, which will dwarf the size of the mirror in the largest telescope in existence today - 11.9 meters.
Giant telescopes are a top priority in astronomy. They will greatly advance astrophysical knowledge and enable detailed studies of planets, supermassive black holes and the nature of the distribution of dark matter and dark energy in the universe. (According to the accepted theory, dark matter together with dark energy makes up about 96% of the mass of the universe. Deciphering the composition of dark matter is one of the most important problems in astrophysics today. The telescope will measure the expansion of the universe and trace ancient and distant galaxies.
The telescope will collect 15 times the light of any other telescope and reach 15 times the sharpness of the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope has a unique structure with 5 mirrors, the central one of which is 40 meters long, which will consist of 800 parts. The telescope structure will be the size of half a football field and will weigh 2700 tons.
The green light received this week for the start of construction is still not a final approval for the project, because some of the EU member states have not yet secured the transfer of the required additional funding. However, the approval allows the start of work and the preparation of the telescope site in the Atacama desert in northern Chile and the required optical development. If everything goes well, construction will actually begin during 2012, while viewing the telescope will begin in 2022. It is worth noting that Chile donated the land needed for the project and that the fundraising from the various countries, including Brazil, currently amounts to two-thirds of the expected expenditure.
The e-elt telescope has two "competitors" in the USA - the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope - but these projects have not yet obtained the required funding in light of the precarious financial situation of the National Science Foundation
Enter the telescope's official video for a visualization of the telescope and its capabilities.
To the home page of the Telesop
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Asaf
The light absorption capacity of an earthly telescope is much better than that of Hubble. With the help of complex software, they know how to overcome many of the disturbances of the atmosphere.
When will they open a telescope to see a small stone in a star at the edge of the galaxy? This is how we discover creatures
Why only 40 meters? Why not 100 or 200?
What will we have to wait until 2050 for them to understand (again) that they want to see further and more clearly?
Big big but is it better than grief? How much can you zoom in when you are below the atmosphere.
Point, you made an interesting point. Really why so many years.
It is interesting that the Europeans find the money for this project (which is really very important) but do not find enough money to save the Eurozone...
Luke, I also got that impression when I read the article.
Really what will they do when they have to build an even bigger telescope one day
They won't build it because they won't have a suitable name?
Or they will call it "the telescope larger than the one that is exceptionally large"
Why 10 years??? What is the problem with picking up such a telescope in two years?
It seems that the person who invented the name for the telescope is Douglas Adams.
A telescope is like glasses. Only those who can't see well need it.