[X] My Assistant

[Mongo]

This topic came up on another thread (CoRoT Planets) and I thought that it deserved a thread of its own. Here is a list of ground-based optical telescopes with primary mirrors of at least 6.5 metres equivalent diameter. I include telescopes that are currently operational, under construction or in serious planning with significant funding support.

42m -- EELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) -- Planning -- ESO Council -- site to be selected by late 2009 -- based upon the Euro50 and OWL studies
30m -- TMT (Thirty Metre Telescope) -- Planning -- USA / Canada -- Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA -- has received over 400 million dollars in donations and pledges to date
21.4m -- GMT (Giant Magellan Telescope) -- Construction -- USA / Australia -- Las Campanas, Chile -- primary mirror fabrication in progress
16.4m -- VLT (Very Large Telescope) -- Operational -- ESO Council - Cerra Paranal, Chile -- four monolithic-mirror 8.2-metre telescopes in combined interferometric mode
11.8m -- LBT (Large Binocular Telescope) -- Operational -- USA / Italy / Germany -- Mt. Graham, Arizona, USA -- two monolithic 8.4-metre primary mirrors
11.0m -- SALT (Southern African Large Telescope) -- Operational -- South Africa / USA / Germany / Poland / New Zealand / India -- Sutherland, South Africa -- segmented-mirror design
10.4m -- GTC (Gran Telescopio Canarias) -- Operational -- Spain / Mexico / USA -- La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain -- segmented-mirror design
10.0m -- Keck I -- Operational -- USA -- Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA -- segmented-mirror design
10.0m -- Keck II -- Operational -- USA -- Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA -- twin to Keck I
9.2m -- HET (Hobby-Eberly Telescope) -- Operational -- USA -- Mt. Foulkes, Texas, USA -- segmented-mirror design
8.4m -- LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) -- Planning -- USA -- Cerro Pachon, Chile -- this is the telescope that Google is helping to fund
8.3m -- Subaru -- Operational -- Japan -- Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA -- monolithic mirror
8.1m -- Gemini North (Gillett) -- Operational -- USA / UK / Canada / Australia / Argentina / Brazil / Chile -- Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA -- monolithic mirror
8.1m -- Gemini South -- Operational -- USA / UK / Canada / Australia / Argentina / Brazil / Chile -- Cerro Pachon, Chile -- twin to Gemini North
6.5m -- MMT -- Operational -- USA -- Mt. Hopkins, Arizona, USA -- converted from old MMT (Multiple Mirror Telescope) into a single monolithic mirror
6.5m -- Magellan I (Walter Baade) -- Operational -- USA -- La Serina, Chile -- monolithic mirror
6.5m -- Magellan II (Landan Clay) -- Operational -- USA -- La Serina, Chile -- twin of Magellan I

Bill

[climber]

Two shots of "Hawaiian" telescopes both on the same commercial flight from Hilo to Honolulu on August 16 2009 at ~10 am local time
Both have been Photoshoped to enhance details.

On the left end side Mauna Kea:


On the right end side Haleakala on Mauai Island:
Well, next post...