The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), the third of a trio of megatelescopes that will peer skyward next decade, yesterday received $500 million to begin construction. GMT, which will ultimately cost about $1 billion, will have a mirror 25 meters across, giving it vision 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope. The funding agreement means that work can begin soon on the observatory structure at Las Campanas in northern Chile and on the instrument itself. The telescope, set to be fully operational by 2024, is backed by 11 institutions in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Korea, and the United States.
"GMT will herald the beginning of a new era in astronomy," said Wendy Freedman of the University of Chicago in Illinois and chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization board of directors in a statement. "It will reveal the first objects to emit light in the universe, explore the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter, and identify potentially habitable planets in the Earth’s galactic neighborhood.”
To read more, click here.