Giant Magellan Telescope
Artwork of Giant Magellan Telescope
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| Organisation | GMT Consortium |
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| Location(s) | Las Campanas Observatory, Chile |
| Coordinates | 29°01.7′S 70°41.15′W / 29.0283°S 70.68583°WCoordinates: 29°01.7′S 70°41.15′W / 29.0283°S 70.68583°W |
| Altitude | 2,516 m (8,255 ft) |
| Wavelength | optical and near infrared (320–25000 nm) |
| Built | Under construction |
| First light | 2021; completion: 2025 |
| Telescope style | Gregorian telescope |
| Diameter | 25.448 metres (1,002 in) (7×8.365 m) |
| Secondary dia. | 3.2 metres (130 in) (7×1.063 m) |
| Angular resolution | 0.21–0.3″ at 500 nm |
| Collecting area | 368 m² |
| Focal length | 18.000 m (M1) 202.745 m (M1+M2) |
| Mounting | altazimuth |
| Website | http://www.gmto.org/ |
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The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is a ground-based extremely large telescope under construction, planned for completion in 2025. It will consist of seven 8.4 m (27.6 ft) diameter primary segments, with the resolving power of a 24.5 m (80.4 ft) primary mirror and collecting area equivalent to a 22.0 m (72.2 ft) one, which is about 368 square meters. The telescope is expected to have the resolving power 10 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope, and will be the largest optical observatory in the world, at the time of its first light. As of December 2015[update], four mirrors have been cast and the construction of the summit facility has begun.
A total of seven primary mirrors are planned, but it will begin operation with four. The $1 billion project is US-led in partnership with Australia, Brazil, and Korea, with Chile as the host country.
The location of the telescope is Las Campanas Observatory, which is also the site of the Magellan Telescopes, some 115 km (71 mi) north-northeast of La Serena, Chile. The site has been chosen as the new instrument's location because of its outstanding astronomical seeing and clear weather throughout most of the year. Moreover, due to the sparsity of population centers and other favorable geographical conditions, the night sky in most of the surrounding Atacama Desert region is not only free from atmospheric pollution, but in addition it is probably one of the places least affected by light pollution, making the area one of the best spots on Earth for long-term astronomical observation. Major site preparation began with the first blast to level the mountain peak on 23 March 2012. In November 2015, construction was started at the site, with a ground-breaking ceremony.
The telescope will use seven of the world's largest mirrors as primary mirror segments, each 8.417 m (27.61 ft) in diameter. These segments will then be arranged with one mirror in the center and the other six arranged symmetrically around it. The challenge is that the outer six mirror segments will be off-axis, and although identical to each other, will not be individually radially symmetrical, necessitating a modification of the usual polishing and testing procedures.
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Wikipedia