Overwhelmingly Large Telescope
Encyclopedia : O : OV : OVE : Overwhelmingly Large Telescope
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| Organization | European Southern Observatory |
|---|---|
| Logo | 
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| Wavelength regime | infrared, Visible light (0.32-12 µm) |
| Location | Still to be determined, but the Chajnantor 'altiplano' east of Antofagasta in Chile has a good chance. |
| Completion | 2017 .. 2019 |
| Webpage | http://www.eso.org/owl |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Telescope Style | Cassegrain, Coudé |
| Diameter | 100 m |
| Collecting Area | 7800 m2 |
| Focal Length | 175 m |
| Primary Mirror | Consists of 3048 hexagonal segments each about ~2 m in size and 15cm thick made of Zerodur®. |
| Estimated cost | About €1200 million |
The Overwhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL) is a conceptual design by the European Southern Observatory organization for a telescope which is intended to have a single aperture of 100 meters in diameter.
Whilst this design would not exceed the angular resolving power of interferometric telescopes, it would have exceptional light-gathering and imaging capacity which would greatly increase the depth to which mankind could explore the universe. The OWL is expected to regularly see astronomical objects with an apparent magnitude of 38; or 1000 times fainter than the faintest object which has been detected by the Hubble Space Telescope.
If built, it would be the largest optical telescope ever constructed. It has been claimed that OWL would have a greater mirror surface area than that of all previous professional telescopes combined.
All proposed designs for the OWL are variations on a segmented mirror, since there is no technology available to build a monolithic 100-meter mirror. The operation of a segmented mirror is somewhat more complicated than a monolithic one, requiring careful alignment of the segments (a technique called cophasing). Experience gained in existing segmented mirrors (for example, the Keck telescope) suggests that the mirror proposed for the OWL is feasible. However informal comments from a researcher with connections to the project have noted that "ESO is now focusing on an ELT of more or less 40 m" due to the cost and complexity of the 100 m design.
It has been been estimated that a telescope with a diameter of 80 meters would be able to spectroscopically analyse Earth-size planets around the 40 nearest sun-like starsRoberto Gilmozzi, Giant Telescopes of the Future, Scientific American, May 2006. As such, this telescope could help in the exploration of extrasolar planets and extraterrestrial life (because the spectrum from the planets could indicate the presence of molecules indicative of life).
Trivia
If completion of the 100 meter telescope occurs in 2017, it will be 100 years after the completion of the 100 inch Hooker Telescope, which was the largest telescope in the world until 1948.
See also
References
External links
- http://www.eso.org/projects/owl/
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