Telescopes are developed for providing us with an insight into the Universe around us. It not only allows us to carry out an examination of various planets and stars but also enables us to understand the nature of reality in a better manner. Remember the Event Horizon Telescope that has enabled us to take an image of the black hole? It is always exciting to hear about new telescopes; say hello to Giant Magellan Telescope.
Two months ahead of the original plan, excavations for the foundations of the pier and enclosure for the Giant Magellan Telescope are complete. The Giant Magellan, also known as GMT is supposed to be in a class of its own. It is quite massive in size and will be changing the way we look at the Universe.
It is slated to be constructed in Campanas Observatory in Chile. The commissioning of the telescope is set to start in 2025. It has been reported that the Giant Magellan Telescope will have a series of features incorporated into it that will set it apart from its peers, and render it as a powerful tool. The Giant Magellan Telescope is a segmented mirror telescope that makes use of the world’s biggest monolith mirrors as segments. The segments, measuring 27 feet, surround the central on-axis of the telescope thus creating a single optical surface with a diameter of 80 feet. The GMT will have a total collecting area of 368 square meters, and the resolving power of this telescope is ten times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope.
The fast-paced progress of the GMT has already started creating a buzz in the community of scientists all over the world. The completion of foundations’ excavations was a huge milestone for the project as well. The team has moved on to the next phase of the project to upgrade the site-utilities infrastructure which is expected to take about eight months to complete.
Once this phase is completed, the team will begin work on the construction of a temporary concrete plant on the summit and concrete foundations for the pier, enclosure, and summit utility building. Apart from the completion of the excavation, the team has also announced that it was able to secure more funds.
