World's largest telescope in Chile desert will trounce Hubble with 16 times sharper images

[Judi Lynn]

Once the construction is over, the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) will become the world's largest optical telescope, and will be operational in 2024.

Kukil Bora May 27, 2017 10:16 IST





Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Friday inaugurated the construction of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), which will be the world's largest optical telescope upon its completion. Located on a 3,000 metre-high mountain in the middle of the Atacama desert, E-ELT is expected to start operations as an integral part of the Paranal Observatory in 2024.

The telescope is said to be five times larger than many of its existing counterparts. With its enormous size, the E-ELT could change our perspective of the universe, according to its backers, who are optimistic about the performance of the telescope's primary mirror that can measure some 39 metres across.

The E-ELT is expected to help astronomers find exoplanets orbiting other stars while also refining their discoveries with its ability to locate smaller planets. The telescope is also capable of imaging larger planets and characterising their atmosphere, which would help astronomers better understand the possibility of life there.

More:
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/worlds-largest-telescope-chile-desert-will-trounce-hubble-16-times-sharper-images-728294

[onecaliberal]

1. The unitied states can pay for nothing but tax cuts for the

Already obscenely wealthy. We apparently have no desire to do anything big or be the best at anything anymore, well except for being the most stupid country on the planet.

[FBaggins]

2. Off-base in this case

The 30-meter telescope in Hawaii will be just as impressive... and the Webb telescope (replacement for Hubble) is almost done as well (many times sharper than Hubble but in infrared.

The upcoming LSST and Giant Magellan are also US projects.

[caraher]

3. Depending on whether the Trump budget goes through

We'll see what Congress sends him. But I don't think it's safe to assume any US science programs are going forward as planned until the money is disbursed.

[onecaliberal]

4. No it's not. I'm not just talking about a telescope. We have crumbling infrastructure

High infant mortality. Hurry up and die care, not enough jobs. We're killing our ability to live on the planet and we're getting ready to make it worse by going against our agreement because money. This country is capable of nothing but war and tax cuts for the wealthy. Period.

[longship]

6. The 30 meter telescope is being delayed because volcano gods,...

Or some such nonsense.

They are considering moving the construction to the Canary Islands.

Of course, this is not only nonsense, it's utter madness. The Mauna Kea summit is the finest site for visual astronomy in the northern hemisphere, by far.

[FiveGoodMen]

5. I'll bet it won't be able to do something like Hubble's Ultra Deep Field

Because the earth will keep turning it away from the spot it's trying to observe.

[gilbert sullivan]

7. 16 times sharper than Hubble?

I seriously doubt that, it will still have to (as does any terrestrial scope) deal with refraction and density variations in the atmosphere.

[burfman]

8. Adaptive optics is able to provide sharpe images than Hubble currently with ground based telescopes.

check out the pictures at: http://exoplanet.as.arizona.edu/~lclose/a302/Lecture11/Lecture_11.html

article at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/sky-and-telescope-magazine/beyond-the-printed-page/adaptive-optics-before-and-after/

The adaptive optics technique isn't perfect, but it is a lot cheaper to build a telescope for the Earth than to launch it into space.

burfman.......