Great Canary Telescope - First Light

In summary, the Great Canary Telescope, one of the world's largest and most powerful telescopes, opened and captured its first light on Saturday at the Roque de los Muchachos observatory in the Canary Islands. It is equipped with 36 mirrors and is expected to be fully operational by May 2008. Testing has begun with 12 of the mirrors aimed at a twin star near the North Star. The GCT is comparable to other large telescopes such as the Southern African Large Telescope and the Hobby-Eberly telescope, but has a larger mirror and is designed for image formation rather than just spectroscopy. While it may not have the same infrared capabilities as Mauna Kea, La Palma offers better atmospheric conditions for viewing
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TENERIFE, Canary Islands (AP) - One of the world's largest and most powerful telescopes opened its shutters, turned its 34-foot wide mirror toward the skies and captured its first light at a mountaintop on one of Spain's Canary Islands on Saturday.

The $179 million Great Canary Telescope, designed to take advantage of pristine, clear skies at the Roque de los Muchachos observatory atop the Atlantic island of La Palma, should be fully operational by May 2008.

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[Testing began with] 12 of the telescope's eventual 36 mirrors aimed at a twin star close to the Earth's northern axis, near the North Star. Twelve images merged into one as the telescope focused.
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The GCT is among the world's largest telescopes like the newly opened Southern African Large Telescope — Salt — which has a 36-foot mirror and has been described the southern hemisphere's largest single optical telescope and the Hobby-Eberly telescope on Mount Fowlkes, Texas, which also has an 36-foot mirror.
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AP News

Tests begin on Canaries telescope
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6897293.stm
 
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The GCT is a clone of the Keck and uses the same 36 hexagon mirrors with essentially no gaps between them to give a mirror approx 10m diameter, it is fractionally larger than the keck for allegedly engineering reasons to do with a different mirror polisher but probably to claim the largest title!
Having said that the 4x8m mirrors of the VLT can be combined to be larger.

Salt and Hobberly-Eberly don't really count in the same way - they are made up of spherical mirror segments and cannot form a (high quality) image - both are used as light buckets for spectrographs only. They also cannot point fully as most optical telescopes but have a feed which tracks across a small region of the sky while the telescope is fixed, a little like an optical Arecibo.

Although La Palma isn't as high or dry as Mauna Kea and so as an infrared site it isn;t as good the 'seeing' or atmospheric distortion is often better and is a much more pleasant place to work because of the lower altitude - although the food isn't as good as on Hawaii!
 
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It is truly exciting to see the Great Canary Telescope reach this milestone and capture its first light. With its impressive size and powerful capabilities, it has the potential to greatly advance our understanding of the universe and the stars above. The fact that it is located in a prime location with clear skies only adds to its potential. I look forward to seeing the groundbreaking discoveries that this telescope will make in the future. It is also impressive to see it join the ranks of other large telescopes such as the Southern African Large Telescope and the Hobby-Eberly telescope. The future of astronomy is certainly bright with these advancements in technology.
 

FAQ: Great Canary Telescope - First Light

What is the Great Canary Telescope?

The Great Canary Telescope is a state-of-the-art astronomical telescope located on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. It is one of the largest and most advanced optical telescopes in the world.

When was the Great Canary Telescope first used?

The Great Canary Telescope had its first light on July 13, 2007. This means that it was first used to observe the night sky on this date.

What is the significance of the "First Light" for the Great Canary Telescope?

The "First Light" is a significant event for any new telescope, as it marks the first time that the telescope is used to observe the night sky. It is an important milestone in the construction and testing of the telescope, and it allows scientists to evaluate the performance of the telescope and make any necessary adjustments.

What makes the Great Canary Telescope unique?

The Great Canary Telescope is unique for several reasons. It has a primary mirror that is 10.4 meters in diameter, making it one of the largest telescopes in the world. It also has advanced adaptive optics technology, which allows for incredibly sharp and detailed images of the universe. Additionally, its location on the island of La Palma provides excellent viewing conditions due to its high altitude and clear skies.

What discoveries has the Great Canary Telescope made since its first light?

Since its first light, the Great Canary Telescope has made significant contributions to our understanding of the universe. It has helped in the discovery of new exoplanets, studied the properties of distant galaxies, and observed the most distant known object in the universe. It continues to make groundbreaking discoveries and is an essential tool for astronomers and scientists studying the cosmos.

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