NOAO, GMTO, and TIO Team Up to Develop US ELT Program
David Silva UT San Antonio
A new research frontier in astronomy and astrophysics will open in the mid-2020s with the advent of ground-based extremely large optical-infrared telescopes (ELTs) with primary mirrors in the 20-m – 40-m range. US scientific leadership in astronomy and astrophysics will be significantly enhanced if the broad US community can take advantage of the power of these new ELTs.
In that context, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization (GMTO), and the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory (TIO) have embarked on the development of a US Extremely Large Telescope Program.
Our shared mission is to strengthen scientific leadership by the US community-at-large through access to extremely large telescopes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. This two-hemisphere model will provide the US science community with greater and more diverse research opportunities than can be achieved with a single telescope, and hence more opportunities for leadership.
Our immediate task is advocacy for frontier research programs led by US community scientists that can achieve exceptional advancements in humanity’s understanding of the cosmos.
For more information, see the US ELT Program initial announcement.