Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]

Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] is a next-generation optical-infrared massive telescope with a 30-meter aperture. It is an international collaboration involving Japan, the US, Canada, China, and India is advancing its construction.

Japan is in charge of manufacturing the telescope's main body structure and the mirrored sections for the primary mirror, which gathers light. TMT will attain extraordinary resolution and sensitivity once completed.

Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] - Overview

Thirty Meter Telescope's most notable feature is its massive primary mirror. As its name suggests, TMT's primary mirror is 30 meters in diameter. It is a segmented mirror made up of 492 tiny hexagonal mirrors joined together.

Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] uses cutting-edge technology like adaptive optics to compensate for atmospheric variations in real-time, allowing the primary mirror's collecting power to be fully utilised.

The (IRIS),(WFOS), and (IRMS), all of which will be operational as soon as the Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] is done, are currently being developed.

The telescope will enable greater exploration of space and the observation of cosmic objects with never-before-seen sensitivity.

Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] Design

The TMT would be placed in a multi-purpose observatory that could investigate a wide range of astrophysical issues.

The dome will have a total diameter of 217 feet (66 metres) and a total height of 180 feet (55 metres) (comparable in height to an eighteen-storey building).

Within a 5-acre (2.0 ha) complex, the structure's overall size is expected to be 1.44 acres (0.58 ha).

Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] Significance

A Ritchey-Chrétien telescope with a 30-meter (98-foot) primary mirror will be the focal point of the TMT Observatory. This hexagonal mirror will be split into 492 smaller (1.4 m) hexagonal mirrors.

Each segment's shape, including its position in relation to neighbouring segments, will be actively managed.

With a focal ratio of 15, a 3.1-metre (10-foot) secondary mirror will offer an unrestricted field-of-view of 20 arcminutes in diameter. The light route will be directed to science instruments housed on enormous Nasmyth platforms by a 3.5 x 2.5-metre flat tertiary mirror.

An alt-azimuth mount will be used for the telescope.

Within 5 minutes, the target capture and system setup capabilities must be attained, or ten minutes if migrating to a newer device. The TMT will use a system design connected by a service-based communications system to meet these deadlines.

The facility's design is based on the Keck Observatory.

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Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] Preferred Locations

The TMT project undertook a multi-year evaluation of five sites in collaboration with AURA:

1. Observatory Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
2. Cerro Armazones, Republic of Chile, Antofagasta Region
3. Cerro Tolanchar, Republic of Chile, Antofagasta Region
4. Cerro Tolar, Republic of Chile, Antofagasta Region
5. Mauna Kea is a volcano in Hawaii, United States. (identified the site and obtained clearance in April 2013)
6. San Pedro Mártir is a town in Baja California state in northwestern Mexico.
7. Hanle is a town in Ladakh, India.

Close collaboration by 2020 Physics Nobel Prize winner Prof. Andrea Ghez and Indian astronomers has resulted in the design of back-end instruments and other parts of the (Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]) project currently installed at Maunakea in Hawaii.

FAQs on Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]

Q.1. Where are the back-end instruments and other parts of the Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] project currently installed?

Andrea Ghez and Indian astronomers have resulted in the design of back-end instruments and other parts of the Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] project currently installed at Maunakea in Hawaii.

Q.2. What is the function of the Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]?

Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT] uses cutting-edge technology like adaptive optics to compensate for atmospheric variations in real-time, allowing the primary mirror's collecting power to be fully utilized.

Q.3. What are the dimensions of the Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]?

Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]'s primary mirror is 30 meters in diameter. It's a segmented mirror made up of 492 tiny hexagonal mirrors joined together.

Q.4. What is the role of Japan in the making of the Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]?

Japan is in charge of manufacturing the Thirty Meter Telescope [TMT]'s main body structure and the mirrored sections for the primary mirror, which gathers light.

Q.5. What is the full form of TMT?

TMT stands for Thirty Meter Telescope.