In the midst of Chile’s Atacama desert, there’s a number of exercise as development on the Extraordinarily Giant Telescope (ELT) continues to be underway, with cranes serving to to maneuver items in place.
What’s it?
The ELT is the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) $1.4 billion mission to create the next-generation observatory.
Right here, the world’s largest optical telescope will scan the sky with a major segmented mirror stretching 128 toes (39 meters) in diameter, roughly 4 instances bigger than any present ground-based optical telescope. The big mirror is not going to solely permit the telescope to gather extra gentle, however in accordance with the ESO, the telescope may even present photos 15 instances sharper than the Hubble House Telescope.
The place is it?
The ELT is being in-built Chile’s Cerro Armazones, a mountaintop within the Atacama desert.
Why is it superb?
In April 2025, crews on the ELT celebrated the telescope’s topping-out or roofing ceremony, because the roof was raised over the dome of the telescope. Flags from each the ESO and Chile had been positioned on the scaffolding over the roof.
In Chilean custom, this ceremony is named Tijerales, and was celebrated on April 16, 2025 with a conventional barbeque for the crew. The ceremony was additionally livestreamed to ESO’s headquarters in Garching, Germany, bringing collectively a world neighborhood enthusiastic about the way forward for astronomy.
Need to study extra?
You may learn extra concerning the Extraordinarily Giant Telescope and different telescopes in Chile.
