12 Jan, 2012, 2225 hrs IST, AP
HONOLULU: China and India have
catapulted to the forefront of
astronomy research with their decision
to join as partners in building a Hawaii
telescope, which will be the world's
largest.
China and India will pay a share of the
construction cost, expected to top USD
1 billion, for the telescope at the
summit of Mauna Kea volcano. They
will also have a share of the
observation time.
"This will represent a quantum leap for
the Chinese community," Shude Mao,
professor of astrophysics at National
Astronomical Observatories of China,
said in a telephone interview
yesterday from Waikoloa on the Big
Island, where he was attending a
meeting of the telescope's scientific
advisory committee.
The Thirty Meter Telescope's
segmented primary mirror, which will
be nearly 100 feet or 30 meters long,
will give it nine times the light-collecting area of the largest optical
telescopes in use today. Its images will
also be three times sharper.
G C Anupama, professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, said the
largest telescope in India has a 2-meter (6.5-feet) mirror, though India
is currently building one that will be 4
meters (13 feet).
"So it's a huge jump for us from 4-meter to 30-meter," Anupama said in
a telephone interview on the sidelines
of the advisory committee's meeting.
"It definitely will take Indian
astronomy to greater heights."
The telescope, known as TMT, will be
able to observe planets that orbit stars
other than the sun and enable
astronomers to watch new planets and
stars being formed.
The University of California system,
the California Institute of Technology
and the Association of Canadian
Universities for Research in Astronomy
founded the telescope, which is
expected to be finished by 2018.
China joined as an observer in 2009,
followed by India the next year. Both
are now partners, with representatives
on the TMT board. Japan, which has
its own large telescope at Mauna Kea,
the 8.3-meter Subaru, is also a
partner.
TMT may not hold the title of world's
largest for long, however, as a
partnership of European countries
plans to build the European Extremely
Large Telescope, which would have a
42-meter, or 138-foot, mirror.China, India come together for world's largest telescope-ET Cetera-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times on Mobile
HONOLULU: China and India have
catapulted to the forefront of
astronomy research with their decision
to join as partners in building a Hawaii
telescope, which will be the world's
largest.
China and India will pay a share of the
construction cost, expected to top USD
1 billion, for the telescope at the
summit of Mauna Kea volcano. They
will also have a share of the
observation time.
"This will represent a quantum leap for
the Chinese community," Shude Mao,
professor of astrophysics at National
Astronomical Observatories of China,
said in a telephone interview
yesterday from Waikoloa on the Big
Island, where he was attending a
meeting of the telescope's scientific
advisory committee.
The Thirty Meter Telescope's
segmented primary mirror, which will
be nearly 100 feet or 30 meters long,
will give it nine times the light-collecting area of the largest optical
telescopes in use today. Its images will
also be three times sharper.
G C Anupama, professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, said the
largest telescope in India has a 2-meter (6.5-feet) mirror, though India
is currently building one that will be 4
meters (13 feet).
"So it's a huge jump for us from 4-meter to 30-meter," Anupama said in
a telephone interview on the sidelines
of the advisory committee's meeting.
"It definitely will take Indian
astronomy to greater heights."
The telescope, known as TMT, will be
able to observe planets that orbit stars
other than the sun and enable
astronomers to watch new planets and
stars being formed.
The University of California system,
the California Institute of Technology
and the Association of Canadian
Universities for Research in Astronomy
founded the telescope, which is
expected to be finished by 2018.
China joined as an observer in 2009,
followed by India the next year. Both
are now partners, with representatives
on the TMT board. Japan, which has
its own large telescope at Mauna Kea,
the 8.3-meter Subaru, is also a
partner.
TMT may not hold the title of world's
largest for long, however, as a
partnership of European countries
plans to build the European Extremely
Large Telescope, which would have a
42-meter, or 138-foot, mirror.China, India come together for world's largest telescope-ET Cetera-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times on Mobile
