Giant Magellan Telescope

The University of Arizona, in collaboration with a number of top US universities and international partners, is in the process of constructing a telescope that is much size than any existing optical/infrared telescope. The gain in collecting area or "aperture" leads to unprecedented gains in sensitivity, and, with the application of adaptive optics, gains in resolution - allowing the Giant Magellan Telescope to see farther and smaller objects than ever before. Steward Observatory plays a critical role in the project both by fabricating the large primary mirror segments and having generated the initial concept study for the telescope. Additionally, we continue to be actively involved in the development of the adaptive optics and instrumentation plans.