Size Matters: Big Telescopes to Answer Big Questions of Universe

Larger reflecting mirrors in optical telescopes provide greater depth and clarity for observing distant parts of the universe. With this greater clarity, scientists hope to garner better answers to questions of the birth of planets and stars, the formation and evolution of black holes, the origin and development of the universe, and the nature of dark matter, among countless other questions.

Currently, the largest telescope in the world is the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) 16.2-meter Very Large Telescope located in Cerro Paranal, Chile. However, eight U.S. universities have partnered to sponsor an even larger telescope, the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). An innovative construction process began this year at the University of Arizona on the first of seven 8.4-meter primary mirrors that, when combined in a floral pattern, will form the 25.4-meter diameter telescope. This size and configuration will provide resolution greater than any other optical telescope and 10 times that of the famed Hubble telescope now orbiting the earth. The GMT is scheduled for completion in 2016 and could significantly improve astronomers’ view of the depths of the universe.

Still, despite the strides forward expected by the GMT, astronomers will not be quickly satiated by its clearer vision. The University of California and California Institute of Technology have already partnered to study the creation of the aptly named Thirty Meter Telescope (formally, the California Extremely Large Telescope). Also, the ESO, in an attempt to firmly retain its biggest telescope title, is working to design the OverWhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL), which could be as large as 100 meters in diameter and fully operational by 2021.

It seems that when looking to the depths of the universe, astronomers will always want bigger telescopes . . . with no end in sight.

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