Gordon and Betty Moore
Foundation Commits $200 Million Support for Thirty-Meter Telescope
December 5, 2007
PASADENA, Calif — The California Institute of Technology and
the University of California have received a $200 million commitment
over nine years from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation toward
the further development and construction of the Thirty-Meter
Telescope (TMT). Funding under this commitment will be shared
equally between the two universities, with matching gifts from
the two institutions expected to bring the total to $300 million.
When built, TMT will be the largest telescope in the world.
The telescope design is being developed by a U.S.-Canadian team
that includes the California Institute of Technology, the University
of California, and the Association of Canadian Universities
for Research in Astronomy (ACURA), with completion of the design-development
expected by March 2009.
"The impressive scope of this project has now been matched by the extraordinary
generosity from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Caltech and the UC System
are thrilled with the foundation's confidence in the project, and we and our
partners are eager to create a history-making tool that will allow us to see
farther into the universe than ever before," said Caltech President Jean-Lou
Chameau.
With the TMT, astronomers will be able to locate and analyze
the light from the first stellar systems born soon after the
Big Bang, determine the physical processes governing the formation
and evolution of galaxies like our own Milky Way, study planet
formation around nearby stars, and make observations that test
the fundamental laws of physics. However, it is the unexpected
discoveries that TMT will make that will likely be the most
exciting.
"This is a tremendous investment by the Gordon and Betty Moore
Foundation in a path-breaking scientific tool with great potential
for unlocking new insights about the nature of the universe,"
said UC President Robert C. Dynes. "UC and Caltech are pleased
that the Foundation has recognized the tremendous research capacity
of our institutions, and we look forward to the exciting findings
that this telescope will deliver in the future."
TMT will consist of a primary mirror with 492 individual 1.45-meter
segments that together measure 30 meters in diameter, providing
more than eight times the collecting area of the current largest
telescope. All segments will be under precision computer control
so that they will work together as a single mirror. This revolutionary
technology was developed for the 10-meter mirrors in the two
Keck telescopes in Hawaii.
The TMT will not only be the largest optical-infrared telescope
in the world, but it will also be at the forefront of technology
in virtually every aspect of its design. Adaptive optics (AO)
will allow the TMT to achieve a resolution superior to that
of the Hubble Space Telescope.
The TMT AO system will use six laser beams to create six luminous
spots in a layer of sodium atoms high in Earth's upper atmosphere.
These bright artificial stars serve as references for measuring
the turbulence in the atmosphere, allowing the AO system to
compensate for blurring of starlight by Earth's fluctuating
atmosphere. This technology was pioneered at the Lick Observatory
3-meter telescope and has been developed further at the Palomar
5-meter and Keck 10-meter telescopes.
TMT is a collaboration between Caltech, UC, and ACURA, with
significant work being done by industry and by university teams
studying instrument designs. The project office is in Pasadena,
California.
The Foundation has already granted $50 million in support of
a $79 million design-development phase that has been under way
since April 2004. ACURA and the Association of Universities
for Research in Astronomy also contributed to the design-development
phase.
For more information on the project, see http://www.tmt.org.
About Caltech
One of the most highly regarded institutions of science and
engineering in the world, Caltech is home to some of the best
students and faculty who share one mission: to create the innovative,
unparalleled science and technology of tomorrow. Caltech is
a small, focused institution, providing one of the best student-to-faculty
ratios among academic institutions. Caltech enrolls about 2,000
undergraduate and graduate students total. Because of its size,
it provides an exceptional opportunity for a comprehensive,
inter-disciplinary scientific research experience for its students,
and access to a faculty and alumni holding over 32 Nobel Prizes.
Caltech also operates outstanding facilities including the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory and the Palomar and Keck observatories. http://www.caltech.edu
About the University of California
The University of California, founded in 1868, is a system of
10 campuses with a mission of teaching, research and public
service. With 214,000 undergraduate and graduate students, UC
is the world's premier public research university. UC has five
medical schools, four law schools and the nation's largest continuing
education program. Fifty researchers affiliated with UC have
been awarded Nobel Prizes; 18 of theses prestigious awards have
been won since 1995. UC also has more than 350 members in the
National Academy of Sciences, and UC-affiliated researchers
have received 56 Medals of Science since Congress created the
award in 1959. UC is involved in the management of three national
laboratories on behalf of the Department of Energy - Lawrence
Berkeley, Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu
About The Association of Canadian Universities for Research
in Astronomy
The Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy
is an organization of Canadian universities dedicated to the
advancement of research and teaching in astronomy and astrophysics
in Canada. It assists in coordinating large-scale national initiatives
of its member institutions, advocates for the priorities in
the Long Range Plan for Astronomy, and is a liaison between
Canadian member universities and international partners in international
and world observatories. For more news and information about
ACURA, visit http://www.universityastronomy.ca
About the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000,
seeks to advance environmental conservation and cutting-edge
scientific research around the world and to improve the quality
of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information,
visit http://www.moore.org.
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Contact:
Caltech
Jill Perry
(626) 395-3226
jperry@caltech.edu
http://pr.caltech.edu/media
University of California
Chris Harrington
(202) 974-6314
Chris.Harrington@ucdc.edu
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Greg Nelson
(415) 561-7427
Greg.nelson@moore.org
http://www.moore.org
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