The European ELT: Links
Extremely Large Telescopes
There are a number of ongoing or completed design studies for telescopes with diameters upwards of 15 metres. The list below is certainly incomplete and open to future modification, as new concepts arise, others merge.
Name |
Aperture (m) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Overwhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL) | 100 | ESO (concept study, completed) |
| Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) | 30 | US-Canada (ACURA, CALTECH, University of California) collaboration (design study in progress) |
| Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) | 25 | The Giant Magellan Telescope (collaboration of US institutes, design study in progress) |
| Euro50 | 50 | Lund Observatory (Sweden), with collaboration from Spanish, Finnish and Irish institutes (concept study completed) |
OPTICON - Optical-Infrared Co-ordination Network
OPTICON is an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative funded by the European Commission as part of its Sixth Framework Programme. OPTICON brings together providers and users of European astronomical in0frastructures to identify common approaches and improve access for the benefit of all European astronomy.
Already Quite Large
20th century telescopes allowed giant astronomical leaps, from revealing the true nature of galaxies to finding a plausible physical description of the very first moments of the universe. It would be impossible to give proper credit to all of these incredible science machines; the list below provides links to the largest and best known optical-IR telescopes.
Name |
Aperture (m) |
Location |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keck I+II | 2 x 10.0 | Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US | Segmented telescopes, interferometer |
| Keck Interferometer | 2 x 10.0 | Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US | The twin Keck telescopes combined in an interferometer |
| South African Large Telescope (SALT) | 9.2 | Sutherland, ZA | Fixed elevation spectroscopic telescope based on the HET design |
| Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) | 9.2 | Mt Fowlkes, TX, US | A fixed elevation, low cost spectroscopic telescope |
| Subaru | 8.3 | Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US | Active telescope made in Japan |
| Very Large Telescope (VLT) | 4 x 8.2 | Cerro Paranal, CL | Europe's flagship |
| VLT Interferometer (VLTI) | 4 x 8.2 | Cerro Paranal, CL | The 4 VLT telescopes and auxiliary 1.8-m combined in an interferometer |
| Gemini | 2 x 8.0 | N: Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US S: Cerro Pachon, CL |
Twin 8-m telescopes in the Northern and Southern hemispheres |
| Magellan | 2 x 6.5 | Las Campanas, CL | Twin 6.5-m telescopes; also known as the Walter Baade and Landon Clay telescopes |
| MMT | 6.5 | Mt Hopkins, AZ, US | Replacement of the 4.2-m Multiple-Mirror Telescope |
| Bolshoi Teleskop Azimutalnyi (BAT) | 6.0 | Nizhny Arkhyz, RU | Breaking limits, and the first large altazimuth telescope |
| Hale | 5.0 | Mt Palomar, CA, US | A ground breaking development; nothing less than a legend |
| William Herschel Telescope (WHT) | 4.2 | La Palma, ES | Altazimuthal; largest member of the famous Isaac Newton Group of telescopes |
| Victor Blanco Telescope | 4.0 | Cerro Tololo, CL | The largest telescope in the southern hemisphere until 1998 |
| Anglo-Austtralian Telescope (AAT) | 3.9 | Siding Springs, AU | |
| Mayall Telescope | 3.8 | Kitt Peak, AZ, US | |
| United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope (UKIRT) | 3.8 | Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US | Dedicated to infrared astronomy |
| Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) Telescope | 3.7 | Haleakala, Hawaii, US | Maui Space Surveillance System; mostly military |
| ESO 3.6m telescope | 3.6 | Cerro La Silla, CL | Europe's first major telescope in the southern hemisphere |
| Canadian-French Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) | 3.6 | Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US | |
| Telescopio Nazionale Galilei (TNG) | 3.6 | La Palma, ES | Based on the NTT design |
| Calar Alto 3.5m Telescope | 3.5 | Calar Alto, ES | The largest telescope in continental Europe |
| New Technology Telescope (NTT) | 3.5 | Cerro La Silla, CL | The first active optics telescope |
| Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) Telescope | 3.5 | Apache Point, NM, US | |
| Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO (WIYN) Telescope | 3.5 | Kitt Peak, AZ, US | Kitt Peak's latest acquisition |
Under Construction
Name |
Aperture (m) |
Location |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) | 10.4 | La Palma, ES | A segmented mirror design inspired by the Keck |
| Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) | 2 x 8.4 | Mt Graham, AZ, US | Formerly Columbus |