The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will be a part of the Extremely Large class to come on stream in 2029. This category of telescopes will be able to explore the Cosmos with unprecedented definition and sensitivity. GMT will investigate the past even close to the Big Bang when the first stars, galaxies and black holes were forming.
Currently, the GMT is under construction at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, and will consist of seven primary mirrors measuring 8.4 meters each. Together, the primary mirrors result in an effective diameter of 25.4 meters, much larger than any other telescope ever built. To combine the seven giant mirrors, state-of-the-art optical technologies will be developed to achieve an angular resolution ten times sharper than that of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the infrared region of the spectrum, with a hundred times greater collector power.
When it starts operating at the ending of this decade, GMT will have embarked on a mission to explore the origin of the chemical elements (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and others) that make up our planet and our bodies. The telescope will also investigate the formation of the first stars that appeared in the Universe, and the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. It will also explore the atmosphere of exoplanets looking for signs of biological activity around other stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way.
More information, in English, is available at the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization’s website.
Did you know that Brazil is a partner of the GMT Telescope? Click here to learn more.
