AdamSmith Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 So astronomers amuse themselves much as we do, by indulging their size fetish. And then laughing at it with a series of comically pedestrian names. It started with a succession of Large Telescopes made possible by actively controlled, segmented-mirror designs that broke through the limit imposed by single-mirror casting and flexure issues, such as the South African Large Telescope, the largest in the southern hemisphere with a hexagonal mirror array 11 meters across. Next came a series of Very Large Telescopes such as the VLT Array, "consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter and four movable 1.8m diameter Auxiliary Telescopes. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes." Now the march is to a generation of Extremely Large Telescopes, the leader being the European Extremely Large Telescope, a 39-meter behemoth planned for erection on Chile's Cerro Armazone mountain... ...and not in situ, but for comparison with other Extremely Large Things... ...the London Eye... ...the Pyramids. And far from being the limit of their imaginings, the E-ELT was merely what the astronomy community had to settle on for now, it being a scaling back of their original plan to build -- of course -- an Overwhelmingly Large Telescope! With a primary mirror assembly 100 meters across, the OWL would have almost unbelievable imaging power... Growth of telescope diameters across the years... lookin and wayout 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Suckrates Posted November 11, 2014 Members Share Posted November 11, 2014 Extremely and Large are 2 words that always command MY attention.... So imagine my disappointment when I discovered they refered to telescopes..... AdamSmith 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamSmith Posted November 11, 2014 Author Share Posted November 11, 2014 Sorry to have made you look in vain... ...consolation prize? lookin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RA1 Posted November 12, 2014 Members Share Posted November 12, 2014 Is she atop a wishing well? I know that I am. Best regards, RA1 AdamSmith 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Theolover Posted November 16, 2014 Members Share Posted November 16, 2014 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamSmith Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Extremely cool for telescope nerds. Formation-flying satellites link up to create giant virtual telescope in orbit http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/17/formation-flying-satellites-space-telescopes-esa-proba-3 lookin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RA1 Posted January 17, 2015 Members Share Posted January 17, 2015 Gigantic devices (and others) such as the above are interesting but I am immediately reminded of "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" In other words, in some ways, we have expanded these from the sublime to the ridiculous. Until such as Hubble, we were constantly constrained by the atmosphere (as well as Earthly lights, etc.). I dare say an ordinary telescope in outer space might be more useful than the most powerful earthbound one. Best regards, RA1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
