2024-01-23 00:36:54
In conversation with Tu Nuevo ADN, Luis Chavarría, representative in Chile of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) referred to the arrival of the first mirrors for the construction of the largest telescope in the world in Antofagasta.
This, following last week, 18 segments of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) mirror reached national territory last weekend. The ELT is located on Cerro Armazones, in the middle of the desert in the northern region.
“This are very good news”
Regarding the arrival of the instruments, Chavarría stated that “it is very good news, nothing broke along the way, so we are very happy waiting for the arrival of the rest of the mirrors this year.”
Along these lines, the astronomer explained that the size of a telescope is measured according to the diameter of its largest mirror. “So, that’s why we are saying that we are building the largest optical telescope in the world, which will have a diameter of 39 meters,” he said.
Regarding the construction of the mirror, Chavarría explained that “we cannot build a mirror of that size in a single piece because it does not resist (…) That is why we built 798 hexagonal segments. Throughout this year, different segments will be arriving, more than 900 in total.”
Likewise, he explained that following a series of processes, the mirrors will travel 10 thousand kilometers by boat to Paranal. “In Paranal we have a large building, where we are going to do a silver coating process every 18 months to improve reflectivity.”
What can be observed through the ELT?
On the other hand, the astronomer revealed that with this telescope “we want to study both extremes.” “On the one hand, the furthest extreme to study the first galaxies that formed when the universe was very, very young, and thus be able to know how they were formed and if the physical laws were the same as what we have now.”
On the other hand, “we will also be able to study the atmospheres of exoplanets, which are planets that revolve around other stars and not the Sun. We know that there are some of these planets that are similar in size to the Earth and some of them are located the habitable zone, that is, if these planets had water, the water would be in a liquid state,” he added.
Finally, the expert mentioned the importance of taking care of the skies and highlighted the recent light pollution standard in order to best study the phenomena of the universe. “Chile has to establish how it can take advantage of this enormous scientific infrastructure,” he concluded.
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