Giant Magellan Telescope
The Giant Magellan Telescope (Giant Magellan or GMT) is a 25.4-meter, ground-based, extremely large telescope under construction at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert. Commissioning is anticipated in the early 2030s. Once complete, the Giant Magellan will be the largest Gregorian telescope ever built observing in optical and mid-infrared (320–25000 nm) light. The telescope uses seven of the world’s largest mirrors to form a light collecting area of 368 square meters.
| Alternative names | GMT |
|---|---|
| Part of | US Extremely Large Telescope Program |
| Location(s) | Atacama Desert, Coquimbo Region, Atacama Region, Chile |
| Coordinates | 29°02′54″S 70°41′01″W |
| Altitude | 2,516 m (8,255 ft) |
| Wavelength | 320 nm (940 THz)–25,000 nm (12 THz) |
| Built | 2015–2025 |
| Telescope style | Gregorian telescope |
| Diameter | 25.448 m (83 ft 5.9 in) |
| Secondary diameter | 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) |
| Mass | 2,100 t (2,100,000 kg) |
| Angular resolution | 0.01 arcsecond |
| Collecting area | 368 m2 (3,960 sq ft) |
| Focal length | 18, 202.7 m (59 ft 1 in, 665 ft 0 in) |
| Website | giantmagellan |
Location of Giant Magellan Telescope | |
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The Giant Magellan Telescope is expected to have a resolving power 10 times that of the Hubble Space Telescope and four times that of the James Webb Space Telescope, although it will be unable to image in the same infrared frequencies available to telescopes in space. Scientists will use the Giant Magellan to study nearly all aspects of astrophysics — from searching for signs of life on distant exoplanets to investigating the cosmic origins of chemical elements. The Giant Magellan Telescope began casting its primary mirrors in 2005 and started site construction in 2015. As of 2023, all seven of the primary mirrors have been cast, the first of seven adaptive secondary mirrors are underway, and manufacturing of the telescope mount is underway. Other telescope subsystems are in final design stages.
The USD$2 billion telescope is the work of the GMTO Corporation, an international consortium of research institutions that represent seven countries: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States.