The Giant Magellan Telescope's third primary mirror will be unveiled at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab on December 6, 2013.
The combined surface area of the three mirrors created to date surpasses that of any existing telescope and will help enable astronomers to peer more deeply into space than ever before once the telescope is completed.
Primary mirrors are the heart of the modern day reflecting telescope. They capture and focus photons coming from space to help construct images of the universe and collect complex spectra.
Generally, the larger the surface area of the primary mirrors, the more photons they can capture, leading to better images and improved data.
The Giant Magellan Telescope will offer the best image resolution ever seen to explore deep space.
"The Giant Magellan Telescope will be one of the most powerful tools for approaching some of society's most profound questions: where did we come from, where are we going, and are we alone in the universe?" said Patrick McCarthy, Giant Magellan Telescope Project Director.
"The technology used to design and construct the telescope is breathtaking, but the answers it may provide as to the beginnings of time itself will be staggering."
The first of a new generation of "extremely large telescopes," or "ELTs," the Giant Magellan Telescope will have a mirror array consisting of seven 27-foot- (8.4-meter-) diameter mirror segments.
The telescope is anticipated to begin operation in 2020 with four mirror segments completed, making it the largest telescope in the world.
When its final stages of construction are complete, it will have ten times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope.
The combined surface area of the three mirrors created to date surpasses that of any existing telescope and will help enable astronomers to peer more deeply into space than ever before once the telescope is completed.
Primary mirrors are the heart of the modern day reflecting telescope. They capture and focus photons coming from space to help construct images of the universe and collect complex spectra.
Generally, the larger the surface area of the primary mirrors, the more photons they can capture, leading to better images and improved data.
The Giant Magellan Telescope will offer the best image resolution ever seen to explore deep space.
"The technology used to design and construct the telescope is breathtaking, but the answers it may provide as to the beginnings of time itself will be staggering."
The first of a new generation of "extremely large telescopes," or "ELTs," the Giant Magellan Telescope will have a mirror array consisting of seven 27-foot- (8.4-meter-) diameter mirror segments.
The telescope is anticipated to begin operation in 2020 with four mirror segments completed, making it the largest telescope in the world.
When its final stages of construction are complete, it will have ten times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope.
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