S. Korea to help construct world's largest telescope

DAEJEON, Dec. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will take part in a project to build the
world's largest telescope that aims to understand the formation and evolution of
the universe, the state-run space institute said Sunday.
The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) said it has acquired 1.85
billion won (US$14.2 million) from the government to participate in the Great
Magellan Telescope (GMT) project taking place in the Andes Mountains in Chile.
It said if South Korea joins other schools, observatories and companies taking
part in the work that began in 2003, it will be allocated up to 30 days per year
to use the telescope when it is complete.
At present, institutions like Harvard University, the University of Texas in
Austin, the Australian National University and Astronomy Australia Ltd. are
participating in the joint effort.
"By taking part in building the telescope, South Korea will get a chance to
observe and work with cutting-edge experts in the space, nano technology and IT
sectors," a KASI researcher said.
He added that the Daejeon-based institute will work with the Korea Research
Institute of Standards and Science on the telescope construction.
The GMT, expected to be completed by 2018, will have the resolving power of a
25-meter primary mirror, far larger than any other telescope built in the past.
Because of its powerful resolution, the telescope will be able to produce images
up to 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope operated by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency.
The GMT will be used to better understand the origins and evolution of planetary
systems, view the formation and growth of far-away stars, galaxies and black
holes and explore properties of dark matter and dark energy, which comprise the
great bulk of the universe's mass.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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