Chile is one of the most important astronomy focus worldwide due to the country’s northern skies. They meet the necessary conditions for the observation of the universe and for the study of different astronomic phenomena.
Las Campanas Observatory, close to La Serena city, was chosen to be the host of Giant Magellan Telescope. This will be the biggest telescope of the world, and it is expected to be operative by 2024. It will consist of a 22 floor high dome, and a main mirror divided into seven parts, which will have a diameter of 25 mt (82 feet).
This telescope will be capable of capturing six times more light than the currently existing ones, which will allow it to take images with higher resolution than the spatial telescope Hubble. With this technology, astronomers will be able to observe space in depth and go even more back in time. They will also be able to study the mysteries of black holes, visualise opaque objects, discover new stars, or find the “universe’s first light”, which has traveled through the universe since the Big Bang occurred.
The fact that the GMT is located in Chile and that it possesses such a high research level positions the country at the top of the astronomy circle worldwide, due to the great potential it has for astronomic findings. Wendy Freedman, GMTO chairwoman and professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics from University of Chicago stated that “GMT will start a new era in the astronomy field. It will reveal the first objects giving off light in the universe, explore the mysteries regarding energy and dark matter, and identify potentially habitable planets in Earth’s galactic neighbourhood.”