Large Binocular Telescope
From Free net encyclopedia
| Organization | large consortium |
|---|---|
| Location | Mount Graham International Observatory, Arizona, USA |
| Wavelength regime | optical, infrared |
| Completion date | 2005 |
| Webpage | http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/index.htm |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Telescope style | binocular |
| Diameter | 8.4 m per mirror |
| Effective diameter | 22.8 m in terms of resolution 11.9 m in terms of collecting area |
| Collecting area | 110 m2 |
| Focal length | f/1.142 |
| Mounting | elevation/azimuth |
| Dome | roll-off roof parting |
The Large Binocular Telescope (originally named the Columbus Project) is a joint project of the Italian astronomical community (represented by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)), the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the LBT Beteiligungsgesellschaft in Germany (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg, Landessternwarte in Heidelberg, Astrophysikalisches Institut in Potsdam, Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik in Munich, and Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie in Bonn), The Ohio State University, Research Corporation in Tucson, and the University of Notre Dame.
The final configuration will be a telescope with two 8.4-meter mirrors mounted on a common base (hence the name "binocular"), taking full advantage of the active and adaptive optics provided by Arcetri Observatory. The collecting area will be equivalent to an 11.9-meter circular aperture, greater than any other single telescope. Also, an interferometric mode will be available, with a maximum baseline of 22.8 meters for aperture synthesis imaging observations and a baseline of 15 meters for nulling interferometry.
When the LBT is fully operational, it will be the world's most technologically advanced optical telescope, creating images in the near-infrared expected to be nearly 10 times sharper than images from the Hubble Space Telescope.
It is located on the 10,700-foot Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona and is a part of Mount Graham International Observatory. The choice of location sparked considerable local controversy, both among the San Carlos Apache Tribe who claimed the mountain as sacred and environmentalists who contended that the observatory would cause the demise of the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel. Environmentalists and members of the tribe filed some 40 lawsuits - eight of which ended up before a federal appeals court - but the project ultimately prevailed after an act of Congress.
The telescope and mountain observatory also survived two major forest fires in eight years, the most recent in the summer of 2004.
The telescope was dedicated in October 2004 and saw first light [1] on October 12, 2005.