Consortium, Which Includes ANU, Announces Giant Magellan Telescope will be Built at Las Campanas, Chile. (October 12, 2007)

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) Consortium officially announced the selection of Las Campanas, Chile, as the location of the Giant Magellan Telescope. They explained that the location was selected for its high altitude, dry climate, dark skies, and unsurpassed seeing quality, as well as its access to the southern skies.

The consortium, which includes the Australian National University, expects the GMT to be completed by 2016. It will consist of seven 8.4-meter (331 inch) mirrors, giving it the light-gathering power of a single 22-meter (866 inch) instrument. Currently the mountaintop, at an altitude of 2300 meters, is home to the twin 6.5-meter (256 inch) Magellan telescopes.

To date $US30 million of the project's requirement of $US550 million has been raised. Before commiting further funds, funding agencies wait for the results of the first mirror casting and polishing.

The GMT designers predict it will produce images up to 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope.

The 9 members of the Consortium  Carnegie Institution of Washington  University of Michigan  Harvard University  Massachusetts Institute of Technology  Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory  Texas A&M University  University of Arizona  The Australian National University  The University of Texas at Austin