Better than Hubble: Mt Graham Achieves First Light

[onedomino]

The Hubble Space Telescope has rewritten the Astronomy and Cosmology text books. It is one of the most important scientific instruments ever. Now we are on the eve of something much better. Soon scientists all over the world will compete for time on the University of Arizona's Mt. Graham telescope; by far the largest optical telescope in the world.

World's Largest Optical Telescope Reveals First Image

http://www.osu.edu/news/lvl2_news_story.php?id=1240

The first images from the Large Binocular Telescope were released on the Web today, said a spokesman from Ohio State's Department of Astronomy, a partner in the project.

"We are thrilled with the quality of these images," added Patrick Osmer, chair in the department, and Distinguished Professor of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. "This is an important milestone in the process of reaching full functionality for the telescope."

According to an announcement from the Large Binocular Telescope Corporation, the target was an edge-on spiral galaxy (type Sb) known as NGC891 in the constellation Andromeda. This galaxy lies at a distance of 24 million light years from Earth. NGC891 is of particular interest because the galaxy-wide burst of star formation inferred from X-ray emission is stirring up the gas and dust in its disk, resulting in filaments of obscuring dust extending vertically for hundreds of light-years.

This image was created with just the first of the two 8.4-meter mirrors in place on the LBT, which is located on Mount Graham, AZ. During the coming winter months, the second mirror will be prepared for operation, and the super-thin coating of aluminum to make the mirror shiny will be deposited by scientists and researchers from Ohio State, who developed the technique. When both mirrors are in place and working together, the twin mirrors will offer astronomers a combined interferometric resolving power of a 23-meter telescope, according to Osmer.

The "first light" image from the $120 million dollar instrument.

 

[Shogun]

hellyea..

good read.

 

[onedomino]

Closer image of the LBT (Large Binocular Telescope) on Mt. Graham:

This $120 million dollar machine combines two 27.3 ft. mirrors to achieve the resolution of a single 74.1 ft. mirror! By comparison, Mt. Palomar, where Edwin Hubble discovered that the Universe is expanding, has a 16.67 ft. mirror. The first light image above is from the first mirror on the LBT to be put in operation. Soon, when the second mirror goes on-line, we will be amazed at views of the Universe much better than even the Hubble Space Telescope was able to achieve.

But Hubble continues to astound us. Here's a Space Telescope photo of colliding galaxies taken in February 2007:

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2007/36/image/a

 

[Shogun]

Have you done any good stargazing this summer?


A couple years ago I showed a slew of my nieces and nepheiws the rings of Saturn.. NOW, I have to bring the scope out every time the family goes camping!

hehehe..

 

[onedomino]

Have you done any good stargazing this summer?


A couple years ago I showed a slew of my nieces and nepheiws the rings of Saturn.. NOW, I have to bring the scope out every time the family goes camping!

hehehe..

Living in Berkeley I do not often experience the dark skies necessary for good stargazing. When I was a student at UCLA, several times some friends and I went to Mt Palomar, about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles. We would time our arrival for dusk even though the famous telescope closed for visitors at 5pm. We would park about a half mile from the summit and walk through the deep woods to find our favorite place to view the instrument. Soon complete darkness would fall and we never ceased to be amazed as the giant telescope would rotate and open it sliding dome doors to admit the starlight. We could hear the hum and clicks of machinery and it was like the telescope was alive, seeking, peering into the forever. For us, the behavior of the telescope in the dark was a metaphor for what it means to be human: to look, to search, to discover.

 

[onedomino]

Dr. Heywood Floyd: "What? What's gonna happen?"

Dave Bowman: "Something wonderful."


..........................................................................2010, Arthur C. Clarke

 

[Shogun]

HA!

those were great books!


I'm fortunate to have lot's of rural area out here. Granted, my scope sucks but it's always popular with the kids while out camping.

I just finished Carl Segan's Contact not too long ago. I wanted to see if the book ended as empty and unfulfilling as the movie.


Yes. yes it does.

 

[onedomino]

HA!

those were great books!


I'm fortunate to have lot's of rural area out here. Granted, my scope sucks but it's always popular with the kids while out camping.

I just finished Carl Segan's Contact not too long ago. I wanted to see if the book ended as empty and unfulfilling as the movie.


Yes. yes it does.

It is good that you try to see. And even better that you show the kids. May we never lose their capacity for wonder. Most people walk under the night sky and rarely look up at the miracles overhead.

 

[mattskramer]

I know close to nothing about astronomy.
All I can say is that the images are pretty to me.