August 8, 2006
(PLANETQUEST) -- The second of two primary mirrors has been mounted inside the Large Binocular Telescope, which will study the formation of solar systems and will be capable of directly detecting giant planets around other stars.
The observatory, now under construction on Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona, will use its two massive 8.4-meter (27.6 foot) diameter primary mirrors mounted side-by-side to produce a collecting area equivalent to an 11.8-meter (39 foot) circular aperture. The combined surface area of the mirrors will be sensitive enough to catch the faint light of planets orbiting stars trillions of miles away. Furthermore, the interferometric combination of the light paths of the two primary mirrors will provide a resolution of a 22.8-meter telescope.
Even with mirrors this big, Earth-bound planet hunters can only hope to observe giant planets like Jupiter, and the dusty discs from which they form. NASA's long-range goal -- the observation of smaller, Earth-size planets that could support life -- will require going into space. Observations by the Large Binocular Telescope will help identify targets for future space-borne observatories, such as NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder.
Find out more:
Large Binocular Telescope home page
