Ground telescopes to 'super-size'

[Rick]

A new generation of ground-based telescopes could be up to 10 times the size of existing instruments and have vision 40 times as sharp as the Hubble space telescope.

Astronomers have been hailing the plans, as a European project to build an Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) enters a design testing phase.

An ELT is vital if the pace of astronomical breakthroughs is to continue, say experts.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4426535.stm

[Rick]

Mountain blast to make way for huge telescope

The top of a 3,000m-high (10,000ft) mountain in Chile will be blown up on Thursday to make way for the world's largest optical and infrared telescope.

A million tonnes of rock will be blasted in order to create a level surface on which to build the European-Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT).

At its heart will lie a mirror that is half the size of a football pitch.

This will allow astronomers to look further into space and in more detail than ever before.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27902611

[Carole]

Just watched it, was expecting something a bit more spectacular than what happened.  Plus they detonated it half an hour before the due time, so all the people who had tuned in in time for the live view missed it.

There was live chat as well, can't believe some of the morons posting obscene stuff nothing to do with the subject in hand, and Kim Jong Un was posting from North Korea about how things get blown up to his command in N Korea and BBC is western propaganda lies.

Anyway, the telescope is going to be worth waiting for in 10 years time.  

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