Description

The Giant Magnellan Telescope is being built. It will have 10 times the resolving capability of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Characteristics

The Giant Magnellan Telescope is a massive telescope. That is, the primary mirror's aperture ranges between 20 and 100 metres. It will be equipped with seven major mirror segments. Each segment has a diameter of 8.4 metres, these segments will be observed in the near infrared and optical light spectrums. The telescope's collecting area will be 368 square metres.

Location

The telescope will be housed in Chile's Las Campanas Observatory. Magnellan telescopes are also available in Las Campanas. The telescopes are named after Ferdinand Magnellan, a Portuguese adventurer from the 16th century. Magnellan was the first person to complete a circumnavigation of the globe. The observatories are situated in the Atacama Desert. Air and light pollution have a lower impact on the region. As a result, it is best suited to long-term astronomical observations.

The telescope's seven mirrors are considered to be the world's biggest mirrors. One mirror is to be put in the centre, surrounded by six additional mirrors.

Design of the Alt – Azimuth

The telescope will have an Alt – Azimuth configuration. Two axes are supplied for support in this design. The first is vertical, whereas the second is horizontal. The angle of elevation of the pointing direction varies as the horizontal axis is rotated. The compass bearing or azimuth of the pointing direction changes as the vertical axis is rotated.

Participants

The project is being spearheaded by the United States. Brazil, Australia, and South Korea are the partners. Chile is the host nation. In 2018, WSP, a Canadian company, was granted the contract to build the telescope.

What is the size of the Giant Magnellan Telescope?

The aperture diameter of a telescope is used to determine its size. The aperture diameter is the greatest diameter of light beam that can travel through an optical system. The following are the world's largest telescopes and their aperture diameters:

30 metre telescope

Magnellan Telescope: 24.5 metres in length

10 metre Keck Telescope

Canarias Telescopio: 10.4 metres

8.2 metre Very Large Telescope

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