The Thirty Meter Telescope is a new class of extremely large telescopes that will allow us to see deeper into space and observe cosmic objects with unprecedented sensitivity.
TMT will be a unique tool for probing many outstanding open questions in astronomy.
The Thirty Meter Telescope is being designed and developed by the TMT International Observatory LLC (TIO).
The Board of the Thirty Meter Telescope selected Maunakea in July 2009 after a rigorous five-year campaign spanning the entire globe that measured virtually every atmospheric feature that might affect the performance of the telescope.
Many major wildfires are devastating lands and homes across the entire west coast, including in California, Oregon and Washington. Although wildland fires are common at this time of the year, the fires experienced this summer are among the region’s most destructive.
TMT Optics and Systems Engineering teams recently conducted a technical evaluation of the primary mirror optical cleaning system, marking a major milestone in its design. The Optics Cleaning System (CLN) for TMT’s segmented primary mirror (M1) as well as the secondary (M2) and tertiary (M3) mirrors successfully passed Preliminary Design Review (PDR) on August 19 and 20, 2020 during a remote conference meeting.
An important project for the global astronomy community, TMT is working collaboratively with the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) to develop a U.S.-Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP).
One of TMT’s three “Early Light” instruments, the Wide-Field Optical Spectrometer (WFOS), recently underwent an interim Conceptual Design Review via Zoom. The review’s purpose was to assess the instrument’s progress to date and to provide guidance on potential work needed to successfully complete the technical and scientific aspects to bring the overall design to a full Conceptual Design level.
Recently, the TMT Engineering Sensors System (ESEN) successfully passed its Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and is now ready to enter the Final Design phase. Chris Carter and Scott Michaels, TMT telescope control and software engineers, led a team of four people in presenting the design to the review panel.
