Gazing into the stars
Highly competitive partners and best materials are indispensable for such a challenging project. The companies building the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) know they can count on the quality and reliability of voestalpine heavy plates for the construction of this unique observatory.
Best protection
The ELT is currently being built in the middle of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile at an altitude of 3046 meters above sea level. The dome protects the telescope during the daytime and against stormy weather and is made of voestalpine heavy plate in thicknesses ranging between 8 and 100 mm.
Galactic dimensions
With a diameter of 86 meters, a height of 74 meters and a weight of roughly 5000 tons, the gigantic telescope lives up to its name. The primary mirror of the telescope has a diameter of 39.2 meters. Between six and eight laser guide stars additionally support the optics, thus providing sharper and more accurate images. The ELT collects 100 million times more light than the human eye and 13 times more than the largest telescope ever made to date. Completion of the telescope is scheduled for 2025. Once in use, this telescope of superlatives will provide mankind with far deeper insights into the universe.
