Frequently Asked Questions
Extremely Large Telescope Questions
What is the GMT?
Q: What is the Giant Magellan Telescope?
A: The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will be the first in a new class of Extremely Large Telescopes, capable of exploring the cosmos with unprecedented clarity and sensitivity. The GMT will peer back in time to shortly after the Big Bang, when the first stars, galaxies, and black holes formed. The GMT will leverage cutting-edge optics technology to combine seven giant mirrors to achieve 10 times the angular resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope in the infrared region of the spectrum. When it begins operations early in the next decade, GMT will embark on a mission of discovery to explore the origins of the chemical elements (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and others) that make up our planet and our bodies, the formation of the first stars to form in the Universe, and the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. The GMT will also search distant exoplanets for signs of biological processes around other stars in our Milky Way galaxy.
Construction Questions
Q: Why have you decided to formally move forward with the construction now?
A: The idea behind the Giant Magellan Telescope has been maturing for some time. In 2014 the project completed a rigorous set of reviews that evaluated the project’s design plan and budget. Having passed the inspection with flying colors, and having raised more than $500 million dollars (US) for construction, the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization (GMTO) Board of Directors has unanimously voted to move into the construction phase of this historic endeavor.
Q: When will construction begin?
A: Construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope and its support facilities in the Chilean Andes will begin in the middle of this year.
Q: When will construction be complete?
A: The Giant Magellan Telescope will see “first light” early in the next decade and begin initial scientific operations as the largest telescope in the world, with at least four of its final complement of seven giant mirrors. The project is on-track to be completed with all seven mirrors by 2024.
Q: What will be included in the first phase of construction?
A: The first phase of construction will see completion of the telescope – a precision optical and mechanical instrument that collects light from celestial objects and delivers it to a focus – and the ‘dome’ – in fact a rotating cylindrical building that protects the telescope during the day. In addition, we will build an initial suite of scientific instruments including sophisticated cameras and spectrographs that will allow scientists to measure the composition and dynamics of distant planets and galaxies. A support campus for the technical staff and visiting astronomers will also be constructed.
Q: What will not be included in the first phase of construction?
A: Some of the more sophisticated optical instruments and advanced optical correction technology are not slated for construction during the initial phase. We will continue to develop these technologies, however, and when they are mature we will include them in the construction plan. These advanced instruments and correcting optics will further enhance the power of the observatory.
Q: I thought you already started construction by making mirrors and leveling Las Campanas Peak?
A: We realized early in the project that we needed to convince ourselves that we could make the challenging optics at the heart of the GMT. In late 2012 we completed the first of the GMT mirrors and thus retired our greatest technical risk. In addition, we began preparing the mountaintop site in the Chilean Andes for construction in mid 2012. This preconstruction work also allowed us to measure the properties of the rock under the soil and so finalize our designs for the foundation of the observatory. A telescope that looks up at the heavens must be firmly anchored to the Earth.
Q: Who was involved in making the construction decision?
A: The construction decision was made unanimously by GMTO’s Board of Directors. This is comprised of individuals from the Founding institutions, which are Astronomy Australia Limited, the Australian National University, Carnegie Institution for Science, Harvard University, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Texas A&M University, The University of Arizona, the University of Chicago, The University of Texas at Austin. Our newest partner, the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) has also signed on as a Founder, and will be represented at the June Board Meeting.
Q: Now that you are moving forward with the construction, what will happen first?
A: The first major construction activity will be to excavate the foundations for the observatory and the massive pier that will form the base of the telescope. It is ironic that in our reach for the heavens, our first step is to dig a deep hole in the Earth!
Q: What contracts will be placed now construction is announced?
A: We are working on three major procurement contracts. The first is a civil engineering contract to improve the roads, excavate the foundation, and build the basic infrastructure on the site. The second major contract will address the detailed design of the telescope; subsequently there will be a contract to build the precision structure, test it, and then ship it to Chile and assemble it on the mountaintop. The third major contract for the early stage is centered on fabricating the large rotating enclosure building that will form the ‘dome’ of the observatory. This large structure must protect the telescope during the day and in rare times of inclement weather, but must open at night to allow the telescope to see the heavens.
Q: What was the process for the design and technical review before reaching this construction decision?
A: The GMT project team has passed through several rigorous design and cost reviews. In the language of large projects these are called ‘conceptual’ and ‘preliminary’ design reviews, but there is little that is preliminary about them. The design and driving requirements were subject to a thorough review by an international panel of recognized experts in the development of large observatories.
The GMT project will undergo regular reviews throughout the construction phase. Something as complex as a 25m telescope needs careful oversight from the best minds in science, engineering and project management.
Q: Who is overseeing the construction of the GMT?
A: The GMTO Board and the Founding partners are overseeing the construction of the GMT. The construction of the GMT is being managed by the GMTO Corporation under the leadership of its Interim President, Dr. Patrick McCarthy.
Q: Is there a construction schedule published?
A: The detailed construction schedule is not a public document, but later this year we hope to release a list of the key milestones along the way to completion of the observatory.
Chile/Site Questions
Q: Where is the GMT being built?
A: The telescope will be built at Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) in the Andes mountain range in the Atacama Desert in Chile. At an elevation of almost 2400m (8000 feet) and latitude 29° South, Las Campanas is known for dark skies, excellent weather and outstanding seeing. Extensive site testing, both in advance of the construction of the twin Magellan 6.5m telescopes and for the GMT have shown that the images are quite sharp (half a second of arc for the technical experts – the width of a human hair as seen from the other end of a marathon!). While Las Campanas is a remote site far from any towns or cities, it has a well-developed infrastructure of roads, electrical power, and water from deep wells fed by runoff from the high Andes mountain range.
Q: What are the benefits for Chile for hosting the GMT?
A: The GMT will be located on the top of Las Campanas, the mountain that gives the name to the Las Campanas Observatory. In 1971 the first of the telescopes owned and operated by Carnegie Institution was opened to Carnegie astronomers and the Chilean community. Since then a number of smaller telescopes have operated at Las Campanas, making it one of the premier observatories on the planet. By the agreement with the University of Chile, all telescopes on Las Campanas, including the GMT, devote 10% of the observing time to professional astronomers working at Chilean institutions.
Q: Are you working with the Chilean government?
A: The GMTO organization has a cooperative agreement with the University of Chile and is recognized by the Government of Chile as a special international organization. The GMT team and our partner universities and institutions have active outreach activities in Chile and work closely with the Chilean Universities and the relevant departments of the Government of Chile.
Q: How many jobs will you be creating in Chile with this program?
A: During construction we expect to have up to 250 workers on site building the telescope and related infrastructure. The GMTO office in Santiago will have 20-40 staff during construction. During the operations phase (expected to be at least 50 years) we expect to employ 100-150 Chileans in technical, administrative and support positions.
Q: Are there any natural hazards at the Las Campanas site?
A: All of the world’s great observatories are perched atop high mountains. These mountains are made either from volcanic or plate tectonic processes and thus are inherently risky. We have designed the GMT to withstand the largest earthquakes expected in a 500-year period at the Las Campanas site. We expect the telescope to be operating for a very long time!
Q: Do you have permits to build on Las Campanas?
A: One of our founding partners, the Carnegie Institution for Science, has owned the Las Campanas site since the late 1960’s. We have an excellent relationship with the government of Chile and local authorities, and have all of the necessary permissions in place.
Telescope Questions
Q: How will the telescope work with fewer than seven mirrors?
A: The telescope can be operated with a subset of the mirrors. The collecting area with three or four of the mirrors would be larger than that of any other telescope in operation today.
Q: What is the lifetime of the Observatory?
A: There is nothing that will naturally limit the lifetime of the observatory. We are designing for a minimum 50-year lifetime. Some past observatories have lost the impact due to man-made light pollution from nearby cities, but the GMT is being built at a site with little likelihood of future light pollution.
Q: What are the breakthrough technologies developed for GMT?
A: The primary mirrors are the breakthrough technology for the GMT. They are the most challenging optics ever produced (in technical terms they are large, fast, off-axis aspherics). When coupled with the GMT adaptive optics (AO) system they will produce images sharper than those from the Hubble or Webb Space Telescopes.
Q: What are the advantages of the large primary mirror segments? Why not make smaller mirrors and have more of them?
A: The GMT primary segments have a heritage in the MMT, Magellan and LBT primary mirrors. These mirrors have been shown to produce excellent images. They have high mechanical stiffness and short thermal time scales. The GMT segments will provide the largest possible area of continuous wavefront and will reject wind-driven disturbances. The manufacturing, mechanical support, and thermal control of these mirrors are well understood and this knowledge is contained within the GMT partner institutions. The project has invested in the infrastructure at the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab to produce these segments in an efficient manner. The first mirror segment was completed in 2012 and demonstrated the viability of polishing large off-axis mirrors to the required optical tolerances.
Q: Where are the mirrors being made?
A: The telescope’s 24.5m (82 feet) primary mirror will be comprised of seven separate 8.4m (27 feet) diameter segments. Each of the primary mirror segments weighs approximately 17 tons and takes a year to cast and cool. After casting, the fabrication of each segment requires more than three years of surface generation and meticulous polishing. The mirrors are being produced by the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab of the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona, one of the partner institutions in GMTO.
Q: How is the polishing process going?
A: The third mirror is currently being polished at the Steward Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona; it is due to be completed in 2018. The fourth mirror is due to be cast later this year.
Q: What are the advantages of the segmented adaptive secondary?
A: Adaptive optics (AO) is enormously powerful at increasing the resolving power and sensitivity of the GMT, achieving close to the diffraction limit for the reddest colors that the eye can see (wavelengths longer than 0.6 microns). Doing some of this correction at the secondary mirror offers some important advantages over conventional methods, which require additional optics. First, the background light in the thermal infrared (wavelengths longer than 2.5 microns) is greatly reduced. Second, the secondary mirror is optimal for correcting atmospheric turbulence around 200m above the ground, where much of the image blurring occurs. The large size of the secondary also assures a wide field of view. We expect to achieve 50% to 200% reductions in image size in the near infrared (wavelengths around 1 micron) over fields of view as large as 8 arcminutes in diameter. The GMT adaptive secondary mirrors have a common heritage with those in the Large Binocular Telescope and the European Very Large Telescope. They are only slightly larger in size, and each of the seven segments will have 6700 actuators controlling the mirror shape.
Q: How will the telescope be phased?
A: The telescope will be phased (i.e. brought into optical alignment) by positioning and pistoning the primary and secondary mirror segments. Stars will be observed continuously in the near-infrared, where the atmospheric coherence length is larger than the gap between mirror segments. Interference fringes are formed at the mirror gaps and these are used to sense average phase differences on time scales of about one minute. Optical or mechanical edge sensors that span the gaps between segments of both the primary and secondary mirrors will be used to track deviations from the average phase caused by mechanical vibrations on time scales shorter than one minute. Adjustments on shorter time scales will be made with the adaptive secondary mirror segments, while drifts on longer time scales are taken out with the primary mirror segment supports. Sky coverage is nearly 100% using currently available near-infrared and optical wavefront sensors.
Q: Which adaptive optics (AO) modes will be supported?
A: The GMT project is firmly committed to providing diffraction-limited observing modes in the first few years of operations. The primary mode of AO for the GMT is expected to be Laser Tomography Adaptive Optics (LTAO). Six sodium laser beacons will be used in conjunction with natural stars to produce nearly diffraction-limited images in the near- and mid-infrared over fields 30-90 arcseconds in diameter. The adaptive secondary mirror will act as the deformable mirror in the AO system. Additional deformable mirrors can be added to allow Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO), increasing the field of view and improving the uniformity of the images. During the design phase the project will explore costs and implementation strategies for this mode. The other principal AO modes are expected to be Ground-Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) and Extreme Adaptive Optics (ExAO). GLAO will provide 50-200% reductions in image size in the near infrared over large fields of view. This remains a developmental area and the project is working to characterize the low altitude turbulence at the site to estimate the expected gains from GLAO under various observing conditions. ExAO provides extremely high contrast over small fields of view, and is important to a number of key GMT science goals. We expect that ExAO will be developed for the second generation of GMT instruments. It is likely that high-contrast imaging will happen first in the mid-infrared, where there are both scientific and technical advantages, followed by an evolution to shorter wavelengths. On longer time scales the project will continue to examine other innovative AO modes, such as Multi-Object Adaptive Optics (MOAO) and other forms of deployable AO.
Q: What are the first generation instruments?
A: The GMT Board of Directors has decided on four instruments and one facility fiber optics positioning system. These range from very powerful multi-object spectrographs operating in the visible and the near-infrared, to high-resolution spectrometers and AO-fed imagers and spectrographs working in the near- and mid-infrared. These instruments are described on the GMT website at http://www.gmto.org/resources/#science-instruments. At first light we expect to have two instruments ready to be commissioned with the telescope. Once the telescope is commissioned, two more instruments plus the fiber optics positioner will be added. New instruments will be developed all the time; we would expect a new instrument every few years once the telescope is operational.
Q: How do amateur telescopes compare to the Giant Magellan Telescope?
A: The GMT will work according to the same basic principles as most of today’s amateur telescopes. They are all based on Isaac Newton’s design for a reflecting telescope, which uses a primary mirror to collect light.
Q: How do you get the mirrors to Chile and up the mountain?
A: We will most likely transport the mirrors from Tuscon, Arizona, by road to the port of Los Angeles, California. Then they will be transported by ship to Chile and finally by road to the site at Las Campanas.
Q: What is the light collecting ability of the GMT compared to other telescopes?
A: When it is fully commissioned in 2024, the GMT will have ten times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope (4 times the resolution of the James Webb Space Telescope) and 7-10 times the light-gathering power of the largest telescopes today.
Q: What is the history of the GMT? Who made the decision to start the project?
A: The GMT concept, as with those of the other extremely large telescope projects, has its roots in turn-of-the-millennium discussions about how to build on the successes of the 8-10m telescopes developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Three quite distinct primary mirror technologies – segmented mirrors (Keck), monolithic meniscus mirrors (Gemini, VLT, Subaru), and structured monolithic mirrors (MMT, Magellan) – had, by 2000 or shortly thereafter, produced telescopes that yielded outstanding image quality at costs well below the extrapolation of the D2.7 scaling (D is the diameter of the primary mirror) from the 1950-1970’s 2m to 4m aperture telescopes. The Magellan telescopes (Baade in 1999 and Clay in 2001) produced exceptionally good images at a site that, while known for good seeing, was not until then considered a rival in terms of image quality to Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
The excellent images from the Magellan telescopes arise from a combination of well-figured primary mirrors, precise and accurate thermal control, and a full-time active optics system that corrects many aberrations in the primary mirror and repositions the primary and secondary mirrors on time scales of about a minute. The short thermal time scale (about 20 minutes) of the Arizona mirrors allows them to be controlled at a level that tracks the ambient air temperature with high accuracy.
It was clear that apertures larger than 8-9m could only be achieved by segmenting the primary mirror collecting area. Basic material properties make fabrication of monoliths larger than 9m difficult, and the challenges of transporting and handling such large optics quickly become insurmountable. It was also clear that the cost scaling with diameter must be beaten to reach 20-30m apertures at affordable costs. Scaling the cost of a 25m aperture from the 4m costs using either the D2.7 scaling or the more recent D2.4 scaling leads to very high cost estimates. Breaking the cost scaling would likely require primary focal ratios even faster than the very fast – f/1.25 (MMT, Magellan) to f/2 (VLT) – primaries on the 8-10m telescopes.
The GMT concept arose from the ’20/20′ concept for an interferometer using twin 21m telescopes on a circular track 100m in diameter. The individual telescopes were composed of seven 8.4m diameter segments with a primary focal ratio of f/0.7. The concept for the individual telescopes in the 20/20 interferometer formed the starting point for the GMT design.
The GMT is being developed by an international consortium of universities and research institutions, starting in 2004 with the Carnegie Institution, the University of Arizona, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian Institution. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University joined the project in 2006. They were followed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), the Australian National University, and Astronomy Australia Limited in 2008. That same year the GMT founding institutions signed a partnership agreement and formed an independent not-for-profit corporation to manage the development, construction, and operation of the GMT. The University of Chicago joined the project in 2010 and FAPESP, representing the state of São Paulo, Brazil, joined in 2014.
Timing Questions
Q: Why build the Giant Magellan Telescope now?
A: The time is right to build the next-generation astronomical observatory. We have a clear technical path forward and a burning set of scientific questions that can only be addressed with a giant telescope. These questions are couched in sophisticated scientific language, but can be reduced to questions that we can all identify with: What is the Universe made of? Where did we come from? Are we alone in the Cosmos? Answering these questions involves studying the properties of planets around other stars, the early formation of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems, the nature of dark energy and dark matter, and the evolution of the elements.
Q: Why has the schedule slipped so much? In 2007 first light was supposed to be 2016?
A: The global economic crisis in 2009-2010 delayed the GMT and a number of other large-scale scientific projects. In addition, the GMT project is more challenging than we originally believed, both technically and financially. In hindsight this should not be surprising – most things worth doing are hard.
Q: Why does GMT want to be the first Extremely Large Telescope?
A: Astronomy is about exploration. Being the first to enter uncharted territory provides one with unique opportunities for discovery. There are a number of prime scientific questions just waiting for a giant telescope like the GMT.
Astronomy Questions
Q: Why is this an important milestone for the scientific community?
A: As we start construction of the GMT, the largest telescope in history when it begins operations, we are taking a huge step forward for humanity’s understanding of the Universe. We are ramping up a project that will give us the ability to see deeper into space than ever before, opening the door to discovery.
Q: What are the plans for data archives and support for archival research?
A: The baseline GMT operations plan calls for archiving data, and requires that all instruments provide a means of ensuring that all relevant metadata are attached and that all GMT data are cataloged in a format making them useful to scientists around the world.
Q: Can I expect to have access to the GMT?
A: The GMT project is seeking additional partners, and is open to institutions from around the world. Partners can join during the construction phase (‘Founders’) or can help to support operations (‘Participants’). The model for sharing observing time means that the earlier in the project a new partner joins, the better value-for-money their investment returns. The GMT Board has been in discussions with the US National Science Foundation to ensure open US access to the GMT in proportion to US public investment. This investment could be in the form of contributions to the capital construction costs, to annual operations or to instrumentation development. AURA is acting as the interface between the US community, the NSF and the US extremely large telescope projects. You can learn more by visiting the NOAO/GSMT web site at: http://www.gsmt.noao.edu. In Australia public participation is being coordinated by Astronomy Australia Limited and you can learn more by visiting http://astronomyaustralia.org.au. The Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI; http://www.kasi.re.kr/english) is currently acting as the responsible agency in Korea. If you would like to ensure access to the GMT for you and your colleagues be sure to let your national agency know and become involved in community activities relating to extremely large telescopes.
Q: What astronomy will the GMT specialize in?
A: The GMT will cover a very broad range of astrophysics, but it will specialize in several areas of astronomy such as the formation of stars and planetary systems, the properties of exoplanetary systems, stellar populations and chemical evolution, galaxy assembly and evolution, dark matter, dark energy and fundamental physics, first light and reionization, and transient phenomena. For more information about the GMT Science Case, please check out our Science Book (pdf).
Q: Will the GMT be able to take photographs of Earth-like planets around other stars?
A: Once the near-infrared integral field unit spectrograph and adaptive optics system is in place, the GMT will be able to image exoplanets. Taking photographs of planets like the Earth will be technically challenging and will likely require further innovations in optics. Scientists in our community are actively working on this challenge.
Extremely Large Telescope Questions
Q: How many other Extremely Large Telescope projects exist?
A: Currently there are three ELT projects: the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) project (http://www.gmto.org), the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project (http://www.tmt.org), and the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) project (www.eso.org/e-elt).
Q: Are the three ELTs competing with one another?
A: While the three ELTs have different features and strengths, all three ELTs represent dramatic advances over currently existing telescopes. From a design perspective, the GMT will have seven very large primary mirrors while the TMT and the E-ELT will comprise hundreds of smaller mirrors. All three ELTs will likely strive to answer the same fundamental scientific questions, which opens the door for collaboration as well as competition. While we are technically competing to be first on the sky, we hope that all three telescopes will be built and be operational in the next decade.
Q: Will the GMT work with the other ELTs and future ground-based telescopes?
A: As with all modern astronomy, it often takes many telescopes to fully exploit a discovery. It is likely that astronomers will use the GMT and other ELTs to perform detailed follow-up work on observations made by other telescope. For example, the LSST will be starting its 10-year sky survey when the GMT has first light, and we expect the GMT to be in a position work with the LSST to make discoveries. The different strengths of the ELTs mean that there are opportunities to work together efficiently.
Q: Will the Giant Magellan Telescope work with the James Webb Space Telescope?
A: Space telescopes and ground-based telescopes have always complemented each other. For example, while the Hubble Space Telescope takes many spectacular images, it is the detailed follow-up work by the 8m-class ground-based telescopes such as Gemini and Keck that allow further advances in science. Similarly we hope that the GMT, and other 30m-class telescopes, will work with the data from the JWST to produce spectacular science.
Other Questions
Q: Can I get a job at GMTO?
A: We are always looking for highly motivated and qualified individuals to work with us. Please visit GMTO’s employment page to see our open employment opportunities.
Q: What educational and outreach activities does GMTO have planned? Can I get materials for my classroom?
A: We plan to create classroom materials and school outreach programs as part of our communications strategy. Stay tuned for more information.
Q: Where is GMTO’s HQ?
A: The US Project Office is at 465 N. Halstead St, Suite 250, Pasadena, CA, 91107. In Santiago we are at Presidente Riesco 5335. Of. 501, Las Condes, Santiago, CP 7561127.
Q: How do I get more information?
A: Check our website, ask us a question on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn), or email info@gmto.org.
Technical Specifications
- Height of telescope housing: 61m (200 ft) (22 stories)
- Moving weight of telescope: 1,100 tons (2,425,085 pounds)
- Weight of each finished mirror segment: 12.5 tons (25,000 pounds)
- Diameter of each mirror: 8.4m (28 ft)
- Effective diameter of combined mirrors: 25.4m (83.5 ft)
- Total collecting area of mirrors: 368m2 (3961 ft)
- Mounting type: Altitude/Azimuth
- Wavelength sensitivity of telescope: Near infrared and visible (320-25,000 nm)