What is beyond the current generation of groundbased 8-m to 10-m class telescopes and the VLT-I?

C. Matt Mountain

doi:10.1117/12.269086

21 March 1997 What is beyond the current generation of groundbased 8-m to 10-m class telescopes and the VLT-I?

C. Matt Mountain

Proceedings Volume 2871, Optical Telescopes of Today and Tomorrow; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.269086
Event: Optical Telescopes of Today and Tomorrow, 1996, Landskrona/Hven, Sweden

Abstract

The tremendous growth in the building of large 8 m and 10 m telescopes, which give substantial gains in sensitivity over the current 4 m telescopes, presents a significant challenge to the builder of a future 21st Centrum groundbased telescope. To try and explore the possible scientific motivations that may drive a future groundbased facility, I have chosen a current observational project whose completion is beyond the capabilities of our new generation of telescopes. By examining what is required of a groundbased facility to undertake spectroscopy on the majority of the objects in the Hubble deep field (HDF), it becomes apparent this project will need a very large imaging infrared array (VLIA) or a 50 m telescope. The main conclusion of this comparison is that any groundbased facility capable of undertaking this project is likely to cost at least one billion dollars. The choice between the two differing approaches should therefore be driven by the scientific aspirations of the 21st century community of astronomers. Superficially, the 'scientific edge' probably belongs to the VLIA facility, with its ability to probe structures at infrared wavelengths down to the milli-arcsecond scale. The more profound issue is whether it is time for groundbased astronomers to begin looking to space for the placement of their next 21st Century telescope.

Citation Download Citation

C. Matt Mountain "What is beyond the current generation of groundbased 8-m to 10-m class telescopes and the VLT-I?", Proc. SPIE 2871, Optical Telescopes of Today and Tomorrow, (21 March 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.269086

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