HEAVENS ABOVE: Giant Telescope Will Unravel Universe’s Secrets, Profs Say

Nestled high in the Andes Mountains of northern Chile, a rocky plot of ground will be the site for the world’s largest telescope — one so powerful that it is expected to give perhaps the first definitive answer of whether or not there is life beyond Earth.

Everything about the telescope is big, including its name: the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). It will be 10 times more powerful than the Hubble Telescope that has been taking images from space for years and will give us information that we could only dream about a decade ago, say two Texas A&M University physics researchers who are involved in the project.

Nicholas Suntzeff, astronomer and professor of physics, and Edward Fry, professor and head of the Department of Physics, believe the GMT will open new windows to the deepest parts of the Universe.

“When it is finished, it will be the most powerful telescope ever built,” Fry says. “It will show us pictures of the earliest stages of the creation of our Universe — images from 500,000 years after the Big Bang occurred, about 13 billion years ago. We will literally see the creation of the first galaxies and stars.

“And with its huge mirrors, we should be able to hunt in nearby stars for planets and determine if life is there,” he adds. “We are designing the GMT to look for water and oxygen. If we can detect oxygen gas in the atmosphere of a planet, it is almost certain there is life on that planet. In a very real sense, it will serve as a guide to our Universe.”

As with its name, the GMT carries with it a giant price tag — about $550 million. But that cost is less than a single launch of the Space Shuttle, Suntzeff points out.

The project is a partnership of some star-studded institutions: nine in all, among them Carnegie Institution of Washington, Harvard University, the University of Arizona, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the University of Michigan, MIT, the Australian National University, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M.

The first phase of the project is well under way — the casting of the GMT’s huge mirrors. It will have seven mirrors placed in a hexagonal shape, totaling about 80 feet in diameter.

The first of the mirrors was cast in April at the University of Arizona and final polishing will be completed by 2009. When finished, the final reflective surface will be smooth to an accuracy of 1 millionth of an inch to produce the best astronomical images possible.

How powerful will it be?

“Put it this way,” Suntzeff says.”If you were standing in Dallas holding up a coin and the GMT was placed at Texas A&M [about 175 miles away], it could tell you if it was a penny or a dime.”

The site selected for the GMT is known as Cerro Las Campanas, about 7,800 feet above sea level, notes Suntzeff, who worked at the nearby Las Campanas Observatory for several years. He says the site is ideal because of its dry climate, clear skies, high altitude and its access to Southern skies. Construction will begin in 2010 and first light of the telescope is scheduled for 2016.

“We are entering a new era in the history of humanity, where we find ourselves living in a large but finite Universe,” Suntzeff explains. “We are developing the tools to map everything out there. This telescope will allow us to see to the other side of the Universe, right up to its edge.

“The GMT will give us a better understanding of how the Universe originated and how it is evolving to this day. Imagine the excitement if it proves there is life on other planets. There is no doubt it will make new discoveries of planets and give us vital information about black holes, dark matter, dark energy and other things that are a complete mystery to us right now.

“The power of this telescope will be almost beyond comprehension,” he adds. “It’s the most exciting astronomical project I have ever been in because we will be able to see things no one has ever seen before.”

Long-time Texas A&M benefactor and alumnus George Mitchell provided much of the support that has enabled Texas A&M to become a founding partner of the GMT, Fry notes, adding that Mitchell’s initial gift to Texas A&M carried a matching challenge for the University of Texas that played a major role in bringing it into the consortium.

For more about the project, go to www.gmto.org.

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Contact: Dr. Nicholas B. Suntzeff at (979) 845-7717 or nsuntzeff@tamu.edu or Dr. Edward S. Fry at (979) 845-1910 or fry@physics.tamu.edu or Keith Randall at (979) 845-4644 or keith-randall@tamu.edu