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World's Largest Telescope Begins Production

Posted by Zonk on from the big-shiny-thing dept.

JohnnyNapalm writes "The Aggie Daily News is reporting today that the first mirrors have been cast for the world's largest telescope. The result of cooperation from some of the foremost institutions in education and science in the nation, the Giant Magellan Telescope stands to operate at a resolution 10 times larger than the Hubble. The project, set to be constructed in Chile, is slated for completion in 2016."

4 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Largest Telescope? by poopdeville · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Largest ptical telescope, perhaps. Arecibo Observatory is still the biggest single telescope, though there are even larger arrays.

    --
    After all, I am strangely colored.
  2. Re:Hubble Telescope by lightyear4 · · Score: 5, Insightful


    The Hubble will be providing scientific insight long past its stamped expiration date. To quote from TFA:

    The telescope will have four-and-one-half times the collecting area of any current optical telescope and the resolving power of a 25.6-meter (84-foot) diameter telescope - or 10 times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope.

    I don't know about you, but given the immense scientific value of the Hubble, investing in further pursuits like this seems a worthwhile and worthy investment.

  3. Re:Hubble Telescope by tempest69 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The Hubble is a great scope, but we need to go farther. The hubble has flaws of up to 1300 nanometers. Where the magellan has up to 15 nanometer flaws.

    Just for some perspective, a silicon arom has a radius of 1.46 angstroms or .146 nanometers. giving it a .292 nanometers, so were looking at a mirror that is within 50 atoms of perfection.

    Heck, the optic technology alone is enough to have real world impacts. So yea I think the investment is well worth it.

    Storm

  4. It's all about the Benjamins, baby. by Shag · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Price of putting the 2.5-meter Hubble Space Telescope in orbit, and installing its corrective glasses:

    Somewhere on the order of $2-4 Billion.

    Price of building both 10-meter Keck Telescopes on Mauna Kea:

    About $200 Million.

    Soooo... for the cost of one orbiting telescope (and that wasn't even counting the later servicing missions), you could build 20-40 terrestrial telescopes, each with four times the diameter.

    Oh, and as a data point... expected price of building the 30-meter Telescope:

    About $1 Billion.

    Launching stuff is way more expensive than getting it places on boats or trucks. :)

    --
    Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.