Telescope so big it could spot signs of alien life gets go-ahead: European Space Agency to begin building $1bn Extremely Large Telescope in Chilean desert (STA BREAKING NEWS and ARCHIVES)

by Theresa , Friday, December 05, 2014, 18:23

A space telescope so huge it could spot sign of alien life has been given the go ahead.
The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) will have a primary mirror 39 meters (43 yards) in diameter, allowing it to gather around 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes now functioning.
The tip of a mountain high in the Chilean desert was removed in June so site clearance could get under way, with the telescope slated to reach 'first light' in 2024.

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