ESO To Build World’s Biggest Eye On The Sky

The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) has been in the proposal stage for several years, but it appears that it will finally be moving forward with slight reductions to the scope and cost. The program was approved today and multiple nations have agreed to fund the 1.055 billion euro project.

ESO To Build World’s Biggest Eye On The Sky

ESO is to build the largest optical/infrared telescope in the world. At its meeting in Garching today, the ESO Council approved the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) Programme, pending confirmation of four so-called ad referendum votes. The E-ELT will start operations early in the next decade.

Read the history of the development on Wikipedia:

European Extremely Large Telescope

The E-ELT will complete its detailed-design phase by the end of 2011 and its construction is planned for 2012. The design phase of the 5-mirror anastigmat is fully funded within the ESO budget. With the recent changes in the baseline design (such as a reduction in the size of the primary mirror from 42m to 39.3m), the construction cost is estimated to be €1055M (including first generation instruments). The start of operations is planned for the early 2020s.

I will believe it when I see it because the project was supposed to move forward a long time ago. Here's a thread from April 2010:

Thread - World's biggest telescope clear to be built: Huge & very cool!

However, the images promise to be spectacular. Here's an earlier thread on the TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile:

Thread - New ESO Telescope: First Shots

Here's an image from TRAPPIST:



Here's a link to the Top 100 images from ESO: Top 100

And finally, here's what the E-ELT is supposed to look like when it's built:



Good to see that astronomy is still moving forward, albeit slowly, despite a tanking global economy. Enjoy!

A 40m primary mirror!!!!! That is what I want in my backyard.

But seriously, it is very good news. I will read up on it later.