Latest Extremely large telescope Stories

ESO Council Gives Green Light to Detailed Study of the European Extremely Large Telescope European astronomy has received a tremendous boost with the decision from ESO's governing body to proceed with detailed studies for the European Extremely Large Telescope. This study, with a budget of 57 million euro, will make it possible to start, in three years time, the construction of an optical/infrared telescope with a diameter around 40m that will revolutionise ground-based astronomy. The chosen...

PPARC -- Astronomers from across Europe today (July 7th) took a step closer to making their plans for a giant telescope a reality when they unveiled the scientific case for an Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) - a monster telescope with a light capturing mirror of between 50 and 100 metres, dwarfing all previous optical telescope facilities. The announcement was made at a meeting in Dwingeloo, the Netherlands and initiates the design phase of the project. Astronomers plan to use the ELT to...

EU -- Astronomy is one of the most ancient sciences that humanity has ever pursued. Since the dawn of civilisation, mankind has gazed at the night sky, awed and inspired by its black emptiness, the apparent immutability of the heavens, and wondered. Through the study of the heavens mankind has always sought to discover its place in the scheme of things, its connection to the divine, and its ultimate fate. Mankind has evolved from these early times, we live now in a technological era of high...

RAS -- The largest ground-based optical telescopes in use today use mirrors that are 10 m (33 ft) across. But the prospects for future Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) are looking up. According to recent studies by international teams of astronomers and leading astronomical organisations, the next generation of optical telescopes could be 50-100 metres (165 330 ft) in diameter - big enough to fill a sports stadium. This quantum leap in size has important implications, since astronomers want...