The Giant Magellan Telescope – An Update on Australia’s ELT

Abstract:

The decision for Australia to not proceed with ESO membership, means that Australia’s only funded next-generation optical/infrared facility is going to be the 25.4m Giant Magellan Telescope. GMT is rapidly heading towards its Final Design Review in the (northern) summer of 2027. Construction of the telescope has started already, and a suite of first-generation instruments is substantially underway. So its time for Australian astronomers to get re-acquainted with the capabilities of GMT, and start thinking about the science they will be doing with Australia’s ELT in the 2030s. The image above is an artist’s nighttime exterior telescope rendering with support site buildings in the foreground. (Image credit: Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation.)