Chile selected for giant telescope
Posted: Wed, Apr 28, 2010, 7:53 AM ET (1153 GMT)
European astronomers have picked a Chilean mountaintop as the future site of what will become the world's largest optical telescope. The European Southern Observatory announced Monday that Cerro Armazones, a 3,060-meter mountain in the central Atacama Desert, will host the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The telescope, scheduled to begin observations in 2018, will be the largest optical telescope in the world, with a diameter of 42 meters, more than four times that of the twin Keck Observatory telescopes. ESO selected Cerro Armazones over three other sites in Chile and one in Spain based on having the "best balance of sky quality" and the ability for it to operate and its location just 20 kilometers from the existing Very Large Telescope, an array of four 8-meter telescopes also operated by ESO.
European astronomers have picked a Chilean mountaintop as the future site of what will become the world's largest optical telescope. The European Southern Observatory announced Monday that Cerro Armazones, a 3,060-meter mountain in the central Atacama Desert, will host the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The telescope, scheduled to begin observations in 2018, will be the largest optical telescope in the world, with a diameter of 42 meters, more than four times that of the twin Keck Observatory telescopes. ESO selected Cerro Armazones over three other sites in Chile and one in Spain based on having the "best balance of sky quality" and the ability for it to operate and its location just 20 kilometers from the existing Very Large Telescope, an array of four 8-meter telescopes also operated by ESO.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, July 26
Arianespace to launch weather satellite MTG-I2 on Ariane 6's first mission to geostationary orbit on August 27, 2026
Arianespace — 8:26 am ET (1226 GMT) How stars die: Astronomers detect magnetic fingerprint of a cosmic explosion for the first time
Univ. of Arizona — 8:25 am ET (1225 GMT) Voyager Wins Contract with Sandia National Laboratories
Voyager Space — 8:24 am ET (1224 GMT) Emergency Injunction Sought to Protect Texas Wildlife Refuge From SpaceX
Center for Biological Diversity — 8:23 am ET (1223 GMT) QuantX Labs Announces Successful In-Orbit Commissioning of World's First Optical Frequency Comb
QuantX — 8:22 am ET (1222 GMT) |
