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Construction Starts on the World's Largest Optical Telescope

posted by n1 on Monday May 29 2017, @08:54PM   Printer-friendly
from the bigger-means-better dept.

Fnord666 writes:

After several years of planning and no shortage of financial anxiety, construction has officially started on the Extremely Large Telescope. Contractors are now building the main structure and dome of the Chile-based observer ahead of its initial service in 2024. That's a long time to wait, but this is no mean feat. With a 43-yard aperture, this promises to be the world's largest optical telescope for sometime, even compared to future or in-limbo projects like the Thirty Meter Telescope. Those gigantic dimensions will help it capture far more light, giving astronomers the chance to spot particularly distant galaxies, find small planets and capture more details of larger planets.

The ELT's full capabilities won't come until sometime after 2024, when the ESO starts a second construction phase. It could easily be another few years after that before the telescope lives up to its expectations.

Source: Engadget

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday May 29 2017, @09:43PM (3 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Monday May 29 2017, @09:43PM (#517323) Journal

    Thanks for the delay, Jason Mamoa!

    Oh well, we can trample on Chile.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @10:42PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 29 2017, @10:42PM (#517351)

    As soon as we dig up the Stargate we won't need to worry about Nimby on Earth ever again. Manifest destiny to the stars. Other planets don't have rights. Build a telescope on Sateda instead.

  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday May 30 2017, @09:08PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday May 30 2017, @09:08PM (#517887)

    > Oh well, we can trample on Chile.

    I have access to reliable intelligence that, if we keep flipping the universe upside down to fit our Southern Hemisphere observatories, aliens are likely to express displeasure.