THE EXTREMELY LARGE TELESCOPE
MISSION OF 2025
THE ELT
The ELT, as the name suggests, is extremely large and, most importantly, large in the size of the telescope’s segmented mirror.The reason of having a gigantic mirror is explained according to Redd: "The massive segmented primary mirror of the ELT will allow it to perform groundbreaking science, scoping out extrasolar planets, shining a light on other galaxies, and improving the understanding of the fundamental laws of physics." Huge mirror will help ELT observe much more than a normal telescope and provide more information for us to learn more about space. ELT will observe the appearance of each planet, and other stars' protoplanetary systems. In addition to that, ELT will also be used to discover planets that have a similar characteristic as earth and will observe the evolution of young stars (Redd).
CHALLENGE OF THE MISSION
The ELT is still in the building process, and ELT will come into operation in the year 2025, it will open up a new era for space observation (Redd). One of the challenges would be the cost of the building. The mission may be delayed because of the cost; like JWST, the cost is going to be more than the estimated cost (Redd).
MISSION STATISTICS
Mirror segments: 800 segments
Ability to collect light: All 8-10 meters telescope combined
The diameter of the most significant glass segments: 27.5 feet
The total estimated height of ELT: 90 meters
Estimated cost: 1174 million euro (Redd)