Large binocular Telescope Operational
March 31st 2008 08:04
Side view of the L.B.T
`Mirror Mirror on the wall. Or words to that effect taken from a children’s story almost says it all.
What I am referring to is the two large mirrors attached to the largest set of binoculars in the world.
The mirrors belong to the Large binocular Telescope or L.B.T located in Arizona. The two mirrors are positioned side by side, each mirror is 8.4 meters in diameter, and constructed from 20 tons of glass.
The telescope will study the small bodies in the Kuiper Belt a region of space where comets begin to form. The telescope will have 100 times the area of view than the Hubble telescope. Both mirrors will be equipped with adaptive secondary mirrors this will improve the image quality and be able to compensate for distortions attributed to the Earth’s atmosphere (takes the twinkle out of the stars).
One of the mirror segments
One of the first images taken with the L.B.T view of the Crab nebula
When you first look at the telescope is looks like an huge alien creature that has two giant eyes. The LBT will provide new and more powerful views of deep space, helping us look back in time , perhaps helping to find answering to fundamental questions about the origins of the universe.
After more than a decade of construction, the telescope is now looking skyward with both of its massive eyes wide open.
both mirrors are in view
Image of the Crab Nebula by- Vincenzo Testa and collaborators from Rome Observatory.
other images by-Large Binocular Telescope Corporation
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