An Extremely Large Telescope: Watch Your Neighbors on the Other Side of the Universe
When a telescope needs an upgrade, it seems you don’t need to have big words to call it.
European scientists, in an effort to find out more about the universe and the origins of life, have proposed a significant upgrade from current telescopes in use. The European Southern Observatory (ESO), based at the Cerro Paranal observatory in Chile, has a group of specialists to help create a design for the future of telescopic research, dubbed the Extremely Large Telescope or ELT. This telescope, once the design is finalized, is expected to cost 1,000,000,000 Euro (approximately $1.3B) and do things unheard of with current technology.
The ESO also manages the current titleholder for powerful telescopes. The Very Large Telescope, or VLT, is an array of four 8-meter diameter telescopes placed on the peak of the Cerro Paranal. These scopes have seen planets beyond our solar system and observed black holes, but have reached their limits, allowing only the smallest glimpse of the edge of the universe. The ELT, it is hoped, will be able to overcome these limitations with a 42-meter diameter lens, allowing it to produce information on objects the VLT was unable to cover, such as small planets, stars in distant galaxies, and other galaxies in their infancy.
With a lot of backing, scientists expect to get this extremely powerful telescope up and running for the world’s benefit in 2016. Let’s just hope we don’t see a giant eye floating in space when we reach the edge of infinity.
Via Guardian UK
When a telescope needs an upgrade, it seems you don’t need to have big words to call it.
European scientists, in an effort to find out more about the universe and the origins of life, have proposed a significant upgrade from current telescopes in use. The European Southern Observatory (ESO), based at the Cerro Paranal observatory in Chile, has a group of specialists to help create a design for the future of telescopic research, dubbed the Extremely Large Telescope or ELT. This telescope, once the design is finalized, is expected to cost 1,000,000,000 Euro (approximately $1.3B) and do things unheard of with current technology.
The ESO also manages the current titleholder for powerful telescopes. The Very Large Telescope, or VLT, is an array of four 8-meter diameter telescopes placed on the peak of the Cerro Paranal. These scopes have seen planets beyond our solar system and observed black holes, but have reached their limits, allowing only the smallest glimpse of the edge of the universe. The ELT, it is hoped, will be able to overcome these limitations with a 42-meter diameter lens, allowing it to produce information on objects the VLT was unable to cover, such as small planets, stars in distant galaxies, and other galaxies in their infancy.
With a lot of backing, scientists expect to get this extremely powerful telescope up and running for the world’s benefit in 2016. Let’s just hope we don’t see a giant eye floating in space when we reach the edge of infinity.
Via Guardian UK