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A $1 billion telescope, 10 times sharper than Hubble, now officially under construction
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:33 am
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:33 am
LINK
So it goes with the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), which will the world's largest and most powerful when it sees "first light" in 2024. Astronomers hope to use the huge observatory to study the ancient universe and look for signs of alien life.
Construction crews atop a Chilean mountain range broke ground for the $1 billion project on Tuesday. The final device will weigh more than 2 million lbs, so workers are now punching a 23-feet-deep hole in bedrock that they'll eventually fill with concrete to support GMT's enormous weight.
"It will be supported by a 1,000 ton steel telescope structure that will be housed inside a rotating enclosure that will measure 22 stories tall and 56 meters wide," a representative for GMT told Business Insider in an email.
..
The telescope will also use laser-based "adaptive optics" to measure distortion caused by Earth's atmosphere, correct for that interference, and produce crisper and clearer pictures.
"The GMT mirrors will collect more light than any telescope ever built and the resolution will be the best ever achieved," the project claims on its website.
LINK
So it goes with the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), which will the world's largest and most powerful when it sees "first light" in 2024. Astronomers hope to use the huge observatory to study the ancient universe and look for signs of alien life.
Construction crews atop a Chilean mountain range broke ground for the $1 billion project on Tuesday. The final device will weigh more than 2 million lbs, so workers are now punching a 23-feet-deep hole in bedrock that they'll eventually fill with concrete to support GMT's enormous weight.
"It will be supported by a 1,000 ton steel telescope structure that will be housed inside a rotating enclosure that will measure 22 stories tall and 56 meters wide," a representative for GMT told Business Insider in an email.
..
The telescope will also use laser-based "adaptive optics" to measure distortion caused by Earth's atmosphere, correct for that interference, and produce crisper and clearer pictures.
"The GMT mirrors will collect more light than any telescope ever built and the resolution will be the best ever achieved," the project claims on its website.
LINK
14
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:44 am to DavidTheGnome
Don’t telescopes get better images by being in space like the Hubble? Why not make a newer better hubble?
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:47 am to DavidTheGnome
I love how a lot of the names are just like "really big telescope" 
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:48 am to DavidTheGnome
I would give my left nut to look through the eyepiece real-time.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:49 am to biglego
quote:
Don’t telescopes get better images by being in space like the Hubble? Why not make a newer better hubble?
Probably because it already cost 1 billion. I wonder how much it costs to put it in space and maintain.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:50 am to biglego
quote:
Don’t telescopes get better images by being in space like the Hubble? Why not make a newer better hubble?
That's the James Webb Telescope...if it can ever get off the ground.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:51 am to biglego
quote:
Don’t telescopes get better images by being in space like the Hubble? Why not make a newer better hubble?
They are, it’s called the James Webb Space Telescope.
But adaptive optics have been a real game changer. They point a laser into the sky to measure the turbulence of the aptmosphere. The mirrors on the telescope change shape rapidly to counteract it. The result is a much clearer picture. Not quite as good as in space but the flip side is you don’t have to worry about weight as much and can build huge frickin telescopes.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:54 am to DavidTheGnome
I like the names of these telescopes...
Large
Very Large
Extremely Large
Overwhelmingly Large...
These guys don't waste time thinking of a cool name.
Large
Very Large
Extremely Large
Overwhelmingly Large...
These guys don't waste time thinking of a cool name.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 10:55 am to Hu_Flung_Pu
quote:
I wonder how much it costs to put it in space and maintain.
$1,000,000,350.00
Posted on 8/18/18 at 11:02 am to biglego
quote:
Don’t telescopes get better images by being in space like the Hubble?
They do but it costs a frickton to launch a big scope into orbit. Plus if something breaks on a scope here on Earth you can fix it.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 11:33 am to DavidTheGnome
quote:
So it goes with the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), which will the world's largest and most powerful when it sees "first light" in 2024
Construction crews atop a Chilean mountain range broke ground for the $1 billion project on Tuesday. The final device will weigh more than 2 million lbs, so workers are now punching a 23-feet-deep hole in bedrock that they'll eventually fill with concrete to support GMT's enormous weight.
By 2030 cell phone cameras will be more powerful.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 11:44 am to DavidTheGnome
quote:
Construction crews atop a Chilean mountain range
Sounds like the beginning of a movie pitch staring the Rock
Posted on 8/18/18 at 12:13 pm to DavidTheGnome
Two weeks ago I went to the world's largest radio telescope in Guizhou, China. The English name is FAST (Five-hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope), and the Chinese name just translates to Sky Eye. It opened about two years ago. Can't say I had a great grasp of what was going on, but it was massive and the scenery in that province is beautiful.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 12:21 pm to DavidTheGnome
What a waste of money.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 12:34 pm to BurningHeart
quote:
Large
Very Large
Extremely Large
Overwhelmingly Large...
Telescope of Unusual Size
Posted on 8/18/18 at 12:37 pm to foshizzle
quote:
They do but it costs a frickton to launch a big scope into orbit. Plus if something breaks on a scope here on Earth you can fix it.
Also, the earthly locations are chosen for a reason.
The mountains in Chile have a lot of advantages. Extremely dry air, no nearby light sources, thinner atmosphere, no industrial pollution. All of which allow a clearer view.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 12:46 pm to Tigris
quote:
Telescope of Unusual Size
Soon they're going to need to go to a different category...
Big frickin Telescope
Very Big frickin Telescope
God Damn that's a Huge arse frickin Telescope
Posted on 8/18/18 at 12:51 pm to DavidTheGnome
Do you even James Webb Telescope bro?
Posted on 8/18/18 at 1:27 pm to Flashback
quote:
What a waste of money.
Shave a fraction of a percent off the military budget and explore space.
Posted on 8/18/18 at 1:33 pm to DavidTheGnome
It will never be ready in time.
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