The largest telescope in the world is set to begin its construction as announced on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Named as the Giant Magellan Telescope, this advanced optical device is said to be the pioneer in the new generation of supermassive telescopes.
The GMT will be built on a carefully-selected mountain at the Carnegie Institution for Science's Las Campanas Observatory, located in the Atacama Desert in Chile. With the construction on going, it is estimated that the operations could commence as early as 2021. Workers will have to level a road to the summit, which measures about 8,366 feet. Scientists behind the telescope project said that they chose the said location due to its dark skies and excellent astronomical lucidity, adding that the desert is one of the leading locations in the world to study space.
The telescope, which will weigh about 1,100 tons, will generate images that are 10 times crisper and more defined than those produced by the Hubble Space Telescope. With this, it is possible that astronomers will be able to see the earliest events that occurred after the Big Bang, such as highly distant and ancient galaxies. Moreover, Earth-like planets and other small distortions created by black holes are anticipated to be discovered.
The endeavor will become the largest space observatory in the world, empowering scientists to see space in infrared, utilizing magnetized coils for enhanced imaging, which is a first for atmosphere-bounded telescopes.
"We want to understand what are the contents of the universe, how it evolves and what's our place in the universe," said Patrick McCarthy, interim president of GMT.
GMT will be composed of seven mirrors. When these mirrors are merged together, it will produce a telescope that measures 85 feet in diameter and 72 feet in length. "An enormous amount of work has gone into the design phase of the Project and development of the giant mirrors that are the heart of the telescope," said McCarthy
GMT in an international collaboration headed by the United States, Australia, Korea and Brazil. The project will cost at least $500 million.
The development of the project comes alongside the production of two other massive telescopes, which are the California-led Thirty Meter Telescope and the European Extremely Large Telescope.
GMTO board member Dr. Charles Alcock, who is also the director of the Harvard/Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said that they are pleased to celebrate this milestone with colleagues in Chile, international partners and the entire community of astronomers.
