The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is a ground-based large telescope planned for completion in 2025, and it consists of seven 8.4 m (27.6 ft) diameter primary segments that will observe optical and near infrared light, with the resolving power of a 24.5 m (80.4 ft) primary mirror and collecting area equivalent to a 22.0 m (72.2 ft) one. The telescope is expected to have the resolving power 10 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope, and will be the largest optical observatory in the world, at the time of its first light. Continue reading for two more videos, pictures and information.
“On track to shoot its first photo in the year 2024, the GMT is being built at the Las Campanas Observatory on a mountain the Atacama Desert of Chile. The site, which is located at an altitude of 8,500 feet (2,550 meters), was selected because it has clear conditions perfect for observations over 300 nights every year,” according to Peta Pixel.
