Large Binocular Telescope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Organization | large consortium |
|---|---|
| Location | Mount Graham International Observatory, Arizona, USA |
| Wavelength regime | optical, infrared |
| First light (single primary mirror) |
12 October 2005 |
| Second light (both primary mirrors) |
Exepcted Fall 2006 |
| 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 11.8 m in terms of collecting area |
| Collecting area | 111 m2 |
| Focal length | f/1.142 |
| Mounting | elevation/azimuth |
| Dome | roll-off roof parting |
The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT, originally named the Columbus Project) is located on 10,700-foot Mount Graham in the Pinaleno Mountains of southeastern Arizona and is a part of the Mount Graham International Observatory. As of April 2006, the telescope is under construction and partly operational. When the LBT is fully operational, it will be the world's highest resolution and 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.
LBT is a joint project of these members: 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 Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Landessternwarte in Heidelberg, Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (AIP), Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Munich and Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn); Michigan State University; Ohio State University; Research Corporation in Tucson; and the University of Notre Dame.
The telescope design has two 8.4-meter mirrors mounted on a common base (hence the name "binocular"). LBT takes advantage of active and adaptive optics, provided by Arcetri Observatory. The collecting area will be equivalent to an 11.8-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.
The choice of location sparked considerable local controversy, both from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, who claimed the mountain is sacred, and from 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 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] with a single primary mirror on October 12, 2005. The second primary mirror was installed in January 2006 and "second light" is expected in the fall of 2006.
