Hi All,
Just watched a repeat of a Discovery show on hunting for extra-solar planets, and they spent a good deal of time on the Roger Angel LBT (large binocular telescope) project. I've seen this show before (a long time ago), but again, was dumbstruck at how advances in optics still continue in leaps and bounds.
At the time of filming, it looked like they were just finishing the first of the 2 twin interferomerty driven 8.4m mirrors. A search on the net reveals the estimated completion date for this binocular scope is 2004. And it blows my mind, that, if it works, it will be 10x better than hubble's images.
But I was just wondering, in the mean time, is that first mirror, the world's largest, in place anywhere, being tested on its own somewhere (before they make 2 only to find a problem in one is being duplicated), or just wondering if so, then are there any images which even as a monocular, would surely be stunning in it's own right, interferometry aside.
Or is it just being stored until the 2nd is ready so that one doesn't 'age' without the other.
Anyone know?
TomL.
p.s. i'm just going to take a guess here, but i bet it is a finished blank and they won't coat it at all until both are ready to be coated at the same time, with the same batch of metal. just a guess. is it right?
Just watched a repeat of a Discovery show on hunting for extra-solar planets, and they spent a good deal of time on the Roger Angel LBT (large binocular telescope) project. I've seen this show before (a long time ago), but again, was dumbstruck at how advances in optics still continue in leaps and bounds.
At the time of filming, it looked like they were just finishing the first of the 2 twin interferomerty driven 8.4m mirrors. A search on the net reveals the estimated completion date for this binocular scope is 2004. And it blows my mind, that, if it works, it will be 10x better than hubble's images.
But I was just wondering, in the mean time, is that first mirror, the world's largest, in place anywhere, being tested on its own somewhere (before they make 2 only to find a problem in one is being duplicated), or just wondering if so, then are there any images which even as a monocular, would surely be stunning in it's own right, interferometry aside.
Or is it just being stored until the 2nd is ready so that one doesn't 'age' without the other.
Anyone know?
TomL.
p.s. i'm just going to take a guess here, but i bet it is a finished blank and they won't coat it at all until both are ready to be coated at the same time, with the same batch of metal. just a guess. is it right?
