Monday 8 August 2022 05:01 PM Enormous 12-story Magellan telescope that will be the most powerful ever gets ... trends now
A gigantic new telescope, which will be more powerful than any that currently exist, just got a big boost of funding - $205 million - that will turbocharge its construction so that it can help to unlock cosmic secrets.
The 12-story Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is under construction and will allow scientists to see farther into space and with more detail than ever before because it will have ten times the light collecting area and four times the spatial resolution of the James Webb Space Telescope.
'We are working with some of the brightest engineers and scientists at leading research institutions around the globe,' said Dr. Walter Massey, Board Chair of Giant Magellan Telescope and former Director of the National Science Foundation, in a statement.
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The 12-story Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) - pictured above - is under construction and will allow scientists to see farther into space and with more detail than ever before
The construction process for the powerful telescope has been underway for several years thanks to an international consortium that includes financial commitments from multiple U.S. institutions and several in South Korea, Australia, Brazil and Chile
'The recent contributions from our investing partners in the Giant Magellan Telescope are collectively pushing the boundaries of astronomy, making the future a reality, and allowing us to answer some key science goals, including ‘Are we alone in the Universe.”'
The construction process for the powerful telescope has been underway for several years thanks to an international consortium known as the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization that includes commitments from multiple U.S. institutions and several in South Korea, Australia, Brazil, France, Italy and Chile.
'The GMT will revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos through innovative new technology combined with a world class site in Chile,' said Lisa Kewley, director of the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard & Smithsonian, one of the founding institutions behind the telescope’s construction. 'The telescope will answer some of humankind’s biggest questions about the first stars, the first galaxies, the secrets of dark matter and dark energy, and extrasolar planets suitable for life.'
The enormous telescope will have several technical advantages over existing ones and is set to see its first light in 2029. The GMT's seven mirror segments, which are being cast in Tucson, Arizona, will have a total diameter of 82 feet.
The enormous new telescope will have several technical advantages over existing ones and is set to see its first light in 2029. Pictured above is an image from the James Webb Space Telescope (left) and the same image as it would likely be seen from the GMT (right)
