Modern Observatories
This is a 2.5 m diameter telescope made a century ago.
It was the biggest telescope at that time, used by Edwin Hubble.
Hubble discovered that a neighboring nebula was in fact a galaxy with billions of stars.
Named the Andromeda Galaxy, he measured its distance from Earth
to be much greater in size than our Milky Way.
This proved that the universe was considerably larger than previously understood.
Mt.Wilson Observatory. California, USA
It has one of the largest mirrors in the world with a diameter of 8.2 meters.
Hundreds of tiny actuators attached to the backside of the mirror precisely correct the distortion in real time.
Subaru Telescope. Hawaii, USA
To make a larger mirror, hexagonal segmented mirrors can be combined.
W.M.Keck Observatory. Hawaii, USA
In the Canary Islands, at the highest point on the island of La Palma,
sits the largest single standing telescope in the world.
36 hexagonal mirrors have been combined to make a 10.4 meter reflector.
Gran Telescopio Canarias. La Palma, Spain
These four 8.2 meter telescopes can be operated separately,
or combined to make the largest telescope in the world.
Combined, we can see the letters on a penny 200 kilometers away.
VLT, Very Large Telescope. Cerro Paranal, Chile
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