The largest telescope in the world in Chile

2010/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

Cerro Armazones will host the largest optical telescope in the world, the E-ELT (European Extra Large Telescope). Armazones is a 3,060 metre mountain located in the Chilean Atacama Desert, 130 kilometres south of Antofagasta.

Despite the different location options of a viewpoint with a central mirror of 42 meters, the Council of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has chosen the Chilean hill, highlighting above all the "astronomical quality" of the site.

The aim is to start building the observatory by the end of the year, so that it is operational in 2018.