Stunning newly released images show that the Extremely Large Telescope is now half complete.
Images taken in June show the structure of the Earth-based Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) currently under construction atop the Cerro Armazones mountain in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile with extraordinary detail.
When completed, the ELT will boast a 128-foot (39-meter) wide main mirror, representing the largest eye in the universe as seen from Earth’s surface, able to observe the universe in even visible light. and infrared.
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The ground-breaking telescope has been under construction since 2014 and its development is happening at an impressive pace, together with its operators, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), comments in a statement that its appearance changes dramatically on a daily basis. Finally, the steel skeleton seen in the new images will be covered and the structure will be covered by a characteristic dome.
«ELT is the largest next-generation optical and near-infrared telescope of its generation and the most advanced in its construction,» ESO General Manager Xavier Barcons said in a statement. ESO.
The second half of the ELT build is expected to continue at an even faster rate than the first half build. This phase included not only meticulous and elaborate details, but was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that closed the construction site for several months.
From the groundbreaking ceremony in 2014 to halfway through, nine years have passed, but the remaining 50% of the ELT is expected to be completed in just five years. The telescope is expected to expand its view of the universe in 2028, yielding its first scientific results that same year.
However, the series of activities required to complete the ELT do not just take place in the deserts of Northern Chile. Companies in Europe are currently working on making mirrors and other parts of telescopes.
When completed, ELT’s main mirror will consist of five separate mirrors, including a giant main mirror (M1) made up of 798 hexagonal segments. About 70% of the support needed for these segments has been completed.
Mirrors 2 and 3 (M2 and M3) are also well underway as these elements are cast and are currently being polished. All six thin petals that make up the fourth flexible mirror (M4) in ELT’s five-mirror design have been finished and placed into their structural unit. The M4 is a particularly impressive piece of telescope technology, capable of adjusting its shape thousands of times a second to correct for distortions caused by turbulence.
Other ELT scientific instruments, including the control systems and equipment needed to assemble and operate the telescope, are also in production or development. In addition, the supporting infrastructure that ELT will need is now available at or near Cerro Armazones.
«Completing 50% is no small feat, given the inherent challenges to large, complex projects, and that has only been possible thanks to the commitment of everyone at ESO, the support of the continued support of the ESO Member States and the involvement of our partners in the industrial and equipment consortium,» concludes Barcons. «I’m incredibly proud that ELT has reached this important milestone.»
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