The Giant Magellan Telescope: Artist's View
The Giant Magellan Telescope, slated to begin science operations in Chile in 2020, will consist of seven 27.6-foot-wide mirrors arranged to form one huge light-collecting surface 80 feet wide. [Read the Full Story Here]
University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab.
Inside the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab. In the foreground are boxes of glass that will be melted in the furnace, at rear, to form the fourth primary mirror of the Giant Magellan Telescope. [Read the Full Story Here]
Third Mirror Cast for Giant Magellan Telescope
The Giant Magellan Telescope's third primary mirror is cast inside a spinning furnace at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab on Aug. 24, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
Giant Magellan Telescope's Finished First Mirror
The Giant Magellan Telescope's finished first mirror and in-progress second mirror sit side-by-side at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab on Aug. 24, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
First Primary Mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope.
The first primary mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope. The mirror is finished and polished to a surface perfection of roughly 20 nanometers (about the width of a glass molecule). The blue tint comes from a protective film. [Read the Full Story Here]
Backside of the Giant Magellan Telescope's Second Primary Mirror
The backside of the Giant Magellan Telescope's second primary mirror, which has been cast but still needs a substantial amount of polishing and finishing work. [Read the Full Story Here]
Glass for the Giant Magellan Telescope's Fourth Primary Mirror
Close-up of some of the glass chunks that will be melted to make the Giant Magellan Telescope's fourth primary mirror in January 2015. [Read the Full Story Here]
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Mirror Polished
The 27.6-foot primary mirror for the planned Large Synoptic Survey Telescope being polished at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab on Aug. 24, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
New Mirror-Polishing Tool
A newly built mirror-polishing tool at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab for the Giant Magellan Telescope. [Read the Full Story Here]
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
