Extremely Large Telescope — Attraction in Antofagasta

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Friday inaugurated the construction of the Extremely Large Telescope, which scientists say will be the world’s largest optical and infrared telescope once it is complete. The ELT is being built by the European Southern Observatory and will have a main mirror that is 39 metres in diameter, reported PTI.

The ELT is expected to start operations in 2024 and will be built on top of Cerro Armazones, a 3,046-metre high mountain in Chile. The telescope is also designed to be adaptive, in that it can correct atmospheric turbulence.

The ELT’s spectrograph is being designed and constructed by scientists from Oxford University. The instrument will be able to take 4,000 photos at a time, with minute differences in each. It will help scientists study the formation and evolution of objects in the universe in...

The elevation is almost 10,000 feet in the Chilean desert. Where to the construction workers and all of the designers of the Telescope live? Is there temporary housing? Their Electricity is from the Solar panels nearby. Where do they obtain their water and food? Do they have trouble breathing due to the high altitude? They wear special clothing due to the Sun's intensive heat! Will they Telescope be open to the public? I toured James Lick Telescope on Mt Hamilton near San Jose...

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is an astronomical observatory currently under construction, as part of the Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP).[1] When completed, it is planned to be the world's largest optical/near-infrared extremely large telescope. Part of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) agency, it is located on top of Cerro Armazones in the Atacama Desert of...