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Inside this Article

1. Introduction to 10 Amazing Telescopes2. Telescope 10: Southern African Large Telescope3. Telescope Nine: Keck Observatory4. Telescope Eight: Great Canary Telescope5. Telescope Seven: Very Large Telescope6. Telescope Six: Large Binocular Telescope

7. Telescope Five: Hubble Space Telescope8. Telescope Four: Chandra X-ray Observatory

9. Telescope Three: Giant Magellan Telescope

10. Telescope Two: Thirty Meter Telescope11. Telescope One: European Extremely Large Telescope12. Lots More Information

13. See all Astronomy articles7.

Telescope 10: Southern African Large Telescope

In an optical telescope, performance depends primarily on two characteristics: the ability to

collect lightbouncing off objects and the ability to focus that light to produce a clear image of

those objects. The ability to collect light is directly related to aperture size, or the area available

to capture light. In the huge telescopes of modern astronomy, one or more mirrors serve to

collect light. The size of the mirror is the single most important determinant in how far a

telescope can see, since the farther away an object is, the fainter the light bouncing off it.

Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images

SALT's large mirrors allow it to peer out at distant galactic sights.

It's mirror size that makes the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), located just outside

Sutherland, South Africa, stand out among the most amazing telescopes in the world. With an

11.1-meter (36.6-ft) aperture, SALT can see distant galaxies and quasars that are one billion

times fainter than what can be seen with the human eye [source: GTC]. No one can

manufacture a single mirror of that size, which is about the height of a three-story building, so

SALT uses a collection of hexagonal mirrors pieced together into one perfectly smooth mirror. A

single imperfection would distort the image it captures.
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If we could see a candle flame on the moon with the naked eye, we'd have the optical acuity ofSALT. However, while SALT comes in first with its 11-meter aperture, part of the telescopedesign blocks the edges of the mirror. Its actual aperture is more like 9.2 meters (30.18 ft)[source:GTC]. The Keck telescope system in Hawaiihas a larger actual aperture, which makesit the second largest telescope system in the world.

Telescope Nine: Keck Observatory

At an altitude of 14,000 ft (4,267.2 meters), at the top ofHawaii'sMauna Kea peak, two massivetelescopes scan the universe for answers to some big questions -- how old is the universe, andhow quickly is it expanding? Each 300-ton, 8-story tall telescope has an actual aperture of 10meters (33 ft) and can collect both visible and infrared light.

Joe McNally/Getty Images

The dome shutters of Keck I and II top the summit of the dormant volcano Mauna Kea inHawaii.

The massive mirrors that collect and focus light are, like SALT's mirror, an array of smaller

mirrors arranged on a perfectly formed curve. The telescopes have inner cooling systems to

protect against the flexing that can come with heat exposure. But one of the greatest parts of

the system is a tiny mirror that's actually supposed to flex. Even on Mauna Kea, Keck has to

deal with the distortion caused by Earth'sgaseous atmosphere, which is the greatest enemy to

ground-based telescopes. A 6-inch (15-cm) mirror in each telescope deforms its shape 670

times per second to make up for the effects of Earth's atmosphere on incoming light [source:SALT].
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The result is a pair of telescopes that can see the past. Keck can pick up light that has been

traveling for billions of years. By the time this faint light hits Keck's mirrors, the event that

caused it is long gone. Keck is helping astronomers determine the age of the universe and its

expansion rate as well as allowing them to watch the birth of stars in other galaxies.

If Keck can see back in time, imagine what the biggest telescope in the world, the Great Canary

Telescope, can pick up with its chart-topping aperture.

Telescope Eight: Great Canary Telescope

The Great Canary Telescope (GCT), situated on a mountain on La Palma in the Great Canary

Islands, cost $180 million to build. It claims the title of the biggest telescopein the world, with a

light-collecting area 10.4 meters (34.3 ft) across.

Marco Simoni/The Image Bank/Getty Images

The Great Canary Telescope is located in theGreat Canary Islands.

The telescope gathers both visible and infrared light with a mirror made up of 36 smaller mirrors.

The entire 10.4-meter aperture is used at all times, making it one of the greatest cosmic

observers in the world. Like Keck, the GCT uses adaptive optics to correct for the distortion

caused when light passes through Earth's atmosphere. In the Great Canary device, there are

several deforming mirrors, and each changes shape more than one thousand times per second

[source:GTC].
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that's four times fainter than what SALT can see. There are also four smaller telescopes that act

as backups to boost the system.

The VLT can join up to three of the huge telescopes into a single unit, using underground

mirrors to combine light from the individual telescopes into a unified beam. The result is a

telescope system that can see objects at 25 times the resolution of each telescope on its own.

The ultimate goal is to be able to join together all four large telescopes into an array with the

light-collecting power of a single 50-meter (165-ft) telescope.

Another take on the array approach is the type ofbimirror system used in the Large Binocular

Telescope, possibly the most powerful telescope in the world.

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Telescope Six: Large Binocular Telescope

Joe McNally/Getty ImagesA technician grinds a large mirror, constructed in a honeycombed fashion. The mirror

became part of the LBT.A massive, two-parttelescopecalled the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) has alreadyachieved first light -- the first image collected by a new telescope -- on a mountain in Arizona.The binocular system uses two mirrors, each one with an aperture of 8.4 meters (27.56 ft).Unlike the duo or trio of 8.2-meter (26.9-ft) mirrors at work in the Very Large Telescope, LBThas both mirrors mounted on the same telescope. It's not an array -- it's a single, massive unitwith two huge, light-collecting mirrors. The system collects as much light as a telescope with asingle 11.8-meter (38.8-ft) aperture [source: Popular Mechanics].

While it's already operational, LBT is still getting up to speed. Billed by many as the most

powerful telescope in the world because of its effective aperture, the system uses an innovative

honeycomb structure for its huge mirrors instead of a solid surface [source: Popular Mechanics].

The mirrors have a smooth front and an open honeycomb matrix in back, making them much

lighter than other mirrors and less prone to gravitational distortion.
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When it's fully operational (projected by 2010) astronomers expect LBT to see planets circling

stars well outside our own galaxy with 10 times the resolution ofHubble Space Telescope,

aiding in the discovery of planets. They also believe it will capture the first clear images of the

types of space dust and gas pockets that can develop into new galaxies.

All of the superlative ground-based telescopes have high-tech adaptive optics systems to

correct for the effect ofEarth's atmosphere. There is really only one way to improve such

systems: avoid the atmosphere entirely. Space-based telescopes are a prime example of

combining technologies to achieve amazing results.

Take Hubble, for instance

Telescope Five: Hubble Space Telescope

French inventor N. Cassegrain might be stunned to know his 1672 reflecting- telescopedesign,

which was criticized by Newton at the time, is orbiting Earthin a satellite telescope calledHubble [source: Cartage].

NASA/National Geographic/Getty Images

The Hubble Space Telescope has provided unparalleled images of space.

No matter how big ground-based telescopes get, they will always face the issue of distortion

caused by Earth's atmosphere. A smaller telescope deposited in space, beyond Earth's

atmosphere, can avoid the issue entirely. The Hubble Space Telescope combines astronomy

withrocket science and operates in Earth's orbit.

With an aperture of 2.4 meters (94.5 inches), Hubble is much smaller than state-of-the-art

ground telescopes, but its resolution is comparable or better, since the light it collects has

travelled only through the relative vacuum of space [source: Hubblesite.org]. Hubble captures

faint light coming in from billions of light years from Earth, which means it can see events that

occurred billions of years ago. Hubble helped scientists confirm that dark matterexists and

narrow down the age of the universe to 13 or 14 billion years [source: Hubblesite.org].

Hubble captures incredible images of the universe, but it's not the best space telescope out

there. The Chandra X-ray Observatory tops Hubble in revealing the hidden world.

Telescope Four: Chandra X-ray Observatory
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Chandra, the most high-tech X-raytelescopein the world, is so sensitive it can capture images

of particles as they disappear into a black hole deep in outer space.

X-ray telescopes rely on higher-energy phenomena than light telescopes. Chandra records

images of the universe by analyzing energy fluctuations on the level of X-rays, using a barrel-

shaped series of mirrors that make up a total aperture of 2.7 meters (9 ft) [source: Harvard].

Because the images are based on much higher-frequency waves of energy, they're clearer than

Hubble's, and Chandra is a more sensitive instrument -- 25 times more sensitive than any other

X-ray telescope [source:Harvard]. It also orbits Earth 200 times farther out than Hubble, so it's

able to see deeper into space, peering out about 10 billion light years from Earth.

NASA/CXC/MIT/F.K.Baganoff/Getty Images

The Chandra X-ray Observatory created this image of the event horizon of a super-massive black hole. The exposure lasted two weeks.

Chandra X-ray observatory has recorded crystal clear images of supernova remnants, quasars,

exploding stars, black holes, nebulae and dark matter, among other phenomena. Scientists

believe that Chandra will make startling contributions to our understanding of the origins of life.

Chandra is certainly not the last word in space telescopes. The Next Generation Space

Telescope is already in development. It will orbit the sun, not the Earth, and it could be launched

by 2013 [source: FirstScience]. And like the space telescopes, ground-based devices are

looking at a next generation, too.

The current state-of-the-art instruments are in the 8-to-10-meter (26.25-to-32.81-ft) apertureclass. The next wave of telescopes will squash that. The race is on to build the biggesttelescope ever, and the final three telescopes on our list are top contenders.

Telescope Three: Giant Magellan Telescope
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Much like the Large BinocularTelescope, the Giant Magellan Telescopes uses several mirrors

in the same device. But instead of two 8.4-meter (27.56-ft) mirrors, Magellan has seven.

Gary Williams/Getty Images

A spin casting furnace creates a mold to build mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope.

It's a $500 million project funded by several universities in the United StatesandAustralia,

along with two U.S. research institutes. Its seven mirrors, arranged with six segments

surrounding a single central mirror, combine to create a telescope with an approximate 24-

meter (80-foot) primary mirror. Based in Las Campanas, Chile, the telescope has an adaptive

optics system that can cancel out atmospheric distortion to the point of producing images with

10 timesHubble'sresolution [source:Wired]. Projected for completion by 2016, astronomers

expect Magellan to contribute to our understanding of the origins of life (one of the main themes

in modern astronomy) by picking up light that began its journey billions of years ago.

While a 24-meter (78.74-ft) aperture dwarfs the current largest Great Canary Telescope, the

next telescope on the list takes it up another notch. And it has the price tag to prove it.

Telescope Two: Thirty Meter Telescope

The name says it all. The Thirty MeterTelescope's massive primary mirror has 492 segments,

all perfectly aligned to form a 30-meter (98-foot) light-collecting surface. Each segment will be

continuously computer-adjusted to maintain the correct alignment to prevent any image

distortion. Its adaptive optics correct not only for atmospheric distortion but also for ground

winds that can alter observational accuracy.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore has helped fund the construction of the Thirty MeterTelescope.

The telescope will cost about $780 million and is funded in part by Intel co-founder Gordon

Moore [source:RedOrbit]. It's expected to have 12 times the resolution ofHubble Space

Telescope. With a $200 million Moore Foundation grant, the Thirty Meter Telescope is the

closest of the next-generation devices to full funding. The telescope could be under construction

as early as 2009 and ready for first light by 2016.

The Thirty Meter Telescope will be eight times more powerful than any current ground-based

system [source: Discovery News]. But of the three next-generation ground-based telescopes on

the list, none is as ambitious as our final entry. Europe is aiming to create a telescope that

wipes out the competition.

Telescope One: European Extremely Large Telescope

At a cost of $1.17 billion, the European Extremely Large Telescope(ELT) is aiming high. The

Chile-based project, funded by a consortium of European Union countries, is building a

telescope with a 42-meter (138-ft) mirror. The original design called for a 100-meter (330-ft)

mirror but was downsized for practical reasons.

AFP/Getty Images

An artist's rendering of the European Extremely Large Telescope.
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